stranger within your gates, The

By Gary G. Porton

Book Description

How do communities navigate the tension between universal spiritual truth and particular ethnic identity? Gary G. Porton examines this profound question through an exhaustive analysis of rabbinic literature, exploring how ancient Jewish scholars grappled with the place of converts in their community.

Drawing from the complete corpus of rabbinic texts, Porton reveals a fascinating intellectual struggle that emerged when people sought to join a group defined by both shared faith and common ancestry. The rabbis faced a fundamental paradox: if their God was truly universal, converts should be welcomed as equals to those born into the community. Yet if divine covenant was specifically made with Abraham's descendants, how could outsiders fully belong?

This tension manifested in practical debates about marriage, religious observance, property rights, and daily community life. Through careful textual analysis, Porton uncovers the rabbis' often conflicted and nuanced perspectives on these matters, showing how they wrestled with questions that remain relevant today.

What makes this study particularly valuable is its unique methodological approach, incorporating contemporary anthropological and sociological insights into conversion experiences. Rather than focusing on converts' own accounts, Porton examines how the receiving community understood and processed the integration of newcomers.

For readers interested in how spiritual communities balance inclusion with identity, this scholarly exploration offers deep insights into the enduring challenges of religious belonging and transformation.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Long (> 400 pages) (~11 hours)

🕉️ Tradition: Judaism

📄 Length: 410 pages

What You'll Discover

✓ Explore History and criticism
✓ Explore Jewish converts
✓ Explore Gentils dans la littérature rabbinique
✓ Explore Proselytizing, judaism
✓ Explore Littérature rabbinique
✓ Explore Rabbinical literature
✓ Explore Rabbijnse literatuur
✓ Explore Judaism

Topics Covered

History and criticism Jewish converts Gentils dans la littérature rabbinique Proselytizing, judaism Littérature rabbinique Rabbinical literature Rabbijnse literatuur Judaism Conversion Prosélytes et prosélytismes juives Rabbinical literature, history and criticism Gentiles in rabbinical literature Proselytes and proselyting, Jewish Histoire et critique 11.21 Jewish religious literature Proselitisme Bekering Identité collective Jews, identity Juifs Konversion Jewish Proselytes and proselyting Konvertit Proselytizing Rabbinische Literatur Konversion <Religion> Proselyt Identity Jews