Definitions and sources

According to a most general definition the «God-fearers» were «gentiles who observed some of the practices of Judaism.» [Feldman 1986]

Salo Baron defines them as «people who sympathized with Judaism and enjoyed a recognized status upon the fringes.» [Quoted in MacLennan and Kraabel 1986]

«… there is a significant volume of evidence to suggest that a body of «God-fearing» pagans was attached to many Jewish communities in the Diaspora, and thereby adopted the Jewish (i.e. monotheistic and imageless) form of worship. They attended Jewish synagogues, but as regards the observance of the Law restricted themselves to certain aspects, and so were not counted as belonging to the main body of each Jewish community.» [Millar 1986:165]

Pauly-Wissowa, the classic reference work, wrote the following about God-fearers:

«… they frequent the services of the synagogue, they are monotheists in the biblical sense, and they participate in some of the ceremonial requirements of the Law, but they have not moved to full conversion to Judaism through circumcision. They are called … sebomenoi or phoboumenoi thon theon.» [Quoted in Kraabel 1981:113]

The LXX uses the phrase φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον (phoboumenoi ton kurion), «those who fear the LORD». This latter term is also used in the Greek New Testament, together with the term sebomenoi ton theon «those who fear God». In Josephus’ writings and in Greek inscriptions and literature we also find the term theosebeis, while Latin literature uses the term metuentes. 

These terms are reckoned by most academic scholars to be translations of the Hebrew terms for «fearing God» and although various terms are used they are to be counted as synonyms of the basic meaning «fearing God».

The «God-fearer» is thus to be distinguished from a full convert (i.e. a ger tzedek) to Judaism. In Hellenistic times Greek, Latin, Jewish and Christian writers, make numerous references to this group of Gentiles. They are also to be distinguished from the ger toshav, although the ger toshav can also be a God-fearer. The important distinction is that the term «God-fearer» is a non-legal term while «ger toshav» is a legal term which can only be granted when certain specific criterias are met, such as all the 12 Israelites tribes living in a sovereign Jewish state with a Temple standing and an operational Sanhedrin [Rambam, Hilchot Issurei Biah 14:8]. What the terms have in common is that they denote non-Jews who accepts the Jewish concept of monotheism and who rejects idolatry, while remaining their status as Gentiles [i.e. they do not convert to Judaism in order to become Jews].