Who THE HECK were THE GENTILES that Paul turned to and spoke to in Synagogues???

 

by Ken Attwood

Every single time Paul says he is “turning to the Gentiles,” what does he do next? He walks into a synagogue.

Acts 13:46, he says, “we are turning to the Gentiles.”

Next chapter, Acts 14:1, he goes into the synagogue of the Jews.

Acts 18:6, he says, “from now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Verse 19, he enters the synagogue and reasons with the Jews.

Acts 19:8, he spends three months speaking boldly in the synagogue before moving to the school of Tyrannus, which was still full of God-fearing Greeks attached to the synagogue network.

If Paul meant pagan idol-worshipers with no covenant history, why does he never launch his mission from pagan temples? Why does he always start in synagogues among people who already know the Law and the Prophets?

Because “Gentiles” in his mission field were diaspora Israelites and Hellenized covenant people scattered among the nations, not random Romans sacrificing to Jupiter.

If he was abandoning Israel for pagans, his behavior makes no sense. If he was turning from Judean rejection to scattered covenant people among the nations, his pattern makes perfect sense.