Christian Mission to Gentiles

The first Christians were ALL Jewish. The Jesus movement was a Jewish messianic sect.

There was no organized plan for converting Gentiles. It came only as the result of a gradual process.

First, some Hellenistic Jews joined the Church. They had already established contact with Gentiles, as Gentiles were welcomed as "God-fearers" in Hellenistic-Jewish communities.

Some Gentile asked to be baptized. Some opposed the practice but the majority accepted it.

The problem was the relation between Jews and Gentiles in the Christian community.

The distinction between Jews and Gentiles stood in Hellenistic-Jewish Communities. The Jews are the "priests" of humankind.

James and the Church of Jerusalem followed the same model.

For Paul, there is complete equality between Jewish and Christian believers.