The Hebrews called the Gentiles גויים, ἔθνη, _the nations_,
that is, those who have not received the faith or law of God. All who
are not Jews, and circumcised, are _goiim_. Those who were converted,
and embraced Judaism, they called proselytes. Since the Gospel, the true
religion is not confined to any one nation or country, as heretofore,
God, who had promised by his prophets to call the Gentiles to the faith,
with a superabundance of grace, has fulfilled his promise; so that the
Christian church is now composed principally of Gentile converts; and
the Jews, too proud of their particular privileges, and abandoned to
their reprobate sense of things, have disowned Jesus Christ, their
Messiah and Redeemer, for whom, during so many ages, they had looked so
impatiently. In the writings of St. Paul, the Gentiles are generally
denoted as Greeks, Rom. i, 14, 16; ii, 9, 10; iii; x, 12; 1 Cor. i,
22–24; Gal. iii, 28. St. Luke, in the Acts, expresses himself in the
same manner, Acts vi, 1; xi, 20; xviii, &c.
2. St. Paul is commonly called the Apostle of the Gentiles, 1 Tim. ii,
7, or Greeks; because he, principally, preached Jesus Christ to them;
whereas Peter, and the other Apostles, preached generally to the Jews,
and are called Apostles of the circumcision, Gal. ii, 8. The prophets
declared very particularly the calling of the Gentiles. Jacob foretold
that the Messiah, he who was to be sent, the Shiloh, should gather the
Gentiles to himself. Solomon, at the dedication of his temple, prays for
“the stranger” who should there entreat God. The Psalmist says, that the
Lord would give the Gentiles to the Messiah for his inheritance; that
Egypt and Babylon shall know him; that Ethiopia shall hasten to bring
him presents; that the kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, the kings of
Arabia and Sheba, shall be tributary to him, Psalm ii, 8; lxvii, 4;
lxxii, 9, 10. Isaiah abounds with prophecies of the like nature, on
which account he has justly been distinguished by the name of “the
prophet of the Gentiles.”
that is, those who have not received the faith or law of God. All who
are not Jews, and circumcised, are _goiim_. Those who were converted,
and embraced Judaism, they called proselytes. Since the Gospel, the true
religion is not confined to any one nation or country, as heretofore,
God, who had promised by his prophets to call the Gentiles to the faith,
with a superabundance of grace, has fulfilled his promise; so that the
Christian church is now composed principally of Gentile converts; and
the Jews, too proud of their particular privileges, and abandoned to
their reprobate sense of things, have disowned Jesus Christ, their
Messiah and Redeemer, for whom, during so many ages, they had looked so
impatiently. In the writings of St. Paul, the Gentiles are generally
denoted as Greeks, Rom. i, 14, 16; ii, 9, 10; iii; x, 12; 1 Cor. i,
22–24; Gal. iii, 28. St. Luke, in the Acts, expresses himself in the
same manner, Acts vi, 1; xi, 20; xviii, &c.
2. St. Paul is commonly called the Apostle of the Gentiles, 1 Tim. ii,
7, or Greeks; because he, principally, preached Jesus Christ to them;
whereas Peter, and the other Apostles, preached generally to the Jews,
and are called Apostles of the circumcision, Gal. ii, 8. The prophets
declared very particularly the calling of the Gentiles. Jacob foretold
that the Messiah, he who was to be sent, the Shiloh, should gather the
Gentiles to himself. Solomon, at the dedication of his temple, prays for
“the stranger” who should there entreat God. The Psalmist says, that the
Lord would give the Gentiles to the Messiah for his inheritance; that
Egypt and Babylon shall know him; that Ethiopia shall hasten to bring
him presents; that the kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, the kings of
Arabia and Sheba, shall be tributary to him, Psalm ii, 8; lxvii, 4;
lxxii, 9, 10. Isaiah abounds with prophecies of the like nature, on
which account he has justly been distinguished by the name of “the
prophet of the Gentiles.”