Prepare the Nations for "the Teaching of Jehovah"

THE EFFECT OF THE JEWISH DISPERSION

In some respects, Christians may have found their evangelizing work easier because Jewish communities were scattered throughout the Roman world. Centuries earlier the Assyrians and later the Babylonians had exiled the Jews from their homeland. As early as the fifth century B.C.E., there were Jewish communities in the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire.  (Esther 9:30) When Jesus was on earth, there were communities of Jews in Egypt and other parts of North Africa, as well as Greece, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia. It has been estimated that of the 50,000,000 people in the Roman Empire, about 1 in 14 was Jewish. Wherever the Jews went, they took their religion with them. -Matthew 23:25. 

Because the Jews were so widely dispersed, may non-Jews became familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.  They learned that there is only one true God and that those who serve him are held to high ethical and moral standards.  Moreover, the Hebrew Scriptures were filled with prophecies concerning the Messiah.  (Luke 24:44) Both Jews and Christians understood that the Hebrew Scriptures were the inspired Word of God, which made it possible for Paul to establish common ground with those whose hearts were inclined toward righteousness. Accordingly, the apostle customarily entered synagogues of the Jews and reasoned with them from the Scriptures. -Read Acts 17:1, 2. 

The Jews had established a pattern of worship. They regularly met together in synagogues or at open-air meeting places.  They sang songs, prayed, and discussed the Scriptures.  Similar practices are followed in Christian congregations today. 

Next time: Prepare the Nations for "the Teaching of Jehovah" -POSSIBLE WITH JEHOVAH'S HELP

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015