Bible Lexicons

προσήλυτος, προσηλύτου, ὁ (from προσέρχομαι, perfect προσελήλυθα, cf. Buttmann, 74 (64); (Winer's Grammar, 24, 26, 97 (92)));

1. a newcomer (Latinadvena; cf. πρός, IV. 1); a stranger, alien (Schol. ad Apoll. Rhod. 1, 834; the Sept. often for גֵּר (cf. Philo de monarch. 1, 7 at the beginning)).

2. a proselyte, i. e. one who has come over from a Gentile religion to Judaism (Luther, Judengenosse): Matthew 23:15; Acts 2:11 (); . The rabbis distinguish two classes of proselytes, viz. הַצֶּדֶק גֵּרֵי proselytes of righteousness, who received circumcision and bound themselves to keep the whole Mosaic law and to comply with all the requirements of Judaism, and הַשַּׁעַר גֵּרֵי, proselytes of the gate (a name derived apparently from Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14; (); (), ()), who dwelt among the Jews, and although uncircumcised observed certain specified laws, especially the seven precepts of Noah (as the rabbis called them), i. e. against the seven chief sins, idolatry, blasphemy against God, homicide, unchastity, theft or plundering, rebellion against rulers, and the use of flesh with the blood thereof. (Many hold that this distinction of proselytes into classes is purely theoretical, and was of no practical moment in Christ's day; cf. Lardner, Works, 11:306-324; cf. vi. 522-533; Schürer in Riehm as below.) Cf. Leyrer in Herzog xii., p. 237ff (rewritten in edition 2 by Delitzsch (xii. 293ff)); Steiner in Schenkel iv., 629f; (BB. DD.); Schürer, Neutest. Zeitgesch., p. 644 ((whose views are somewhat modified, especially as respects classes of proselytes, in his 2te Aufl. § 31 V., p. 567, and his article 'Proselyten' in Riehm, p. 1240f)) and the books he refers to.