The Jews of the East and the West had had a sense of nationalism, but their thoughts were very different. Their lives were going in different directions.. While the Eastern Jews saw Judaism as the future, the Western Jews were far more affected by the world around them. The Western Jews were known as Hellenists. The Eastern Jews were known as Hebrews. Their culture and language were different. Yet, they were still Jews.
The Jews of the East had a long history that was ever present in the land of Palestine. However, the Jews of the West did not have that history. They were living in a land where their religion was new to the Greek world. The Eastern Jews were in a few small areas. They were a tight-knit group. On the other hand, the Western Jews were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Therefore, the Western Jews were more
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Their faith in God was special. They saw many converts to Judaism. It is reasonable to conclude that when the Greeks, with their superstitions, gods, and their pagan worship saw these Western Jews worship one God and live a life of purity, some were drawn to visit their Synagogues. The Western Jews were more open to invite them in than the Eastern Jews would have been. When the Eastern Jews traveled to the Greeks territories, the Western Jews were eager to hear from them. Acts give multiple examples of their willingness to hear from those
Owen – 2 from the East. Whether it was letters, or traveling Rabbis or other people, the Western Jews found news from home precious.
The Western Jews used their interaction with those they met in the marketplace, the streets, and other places to share their beliefs. This would be unlikely for the Eastern Jews. They were inward thinking while the Western Jews were outward thinking. Yet this outward thinking could be dangerous. They had to be careful to not allow the Greek philosophy to lead them into