Most astute readers of the New Testament understand that Jesus and his first followers were Jews who came from Palestine, specifically the Roman province of Judea as well as the Herodian tetrarchy that included Galilee. But after Jesus’ crucifixion, the new Jewish sect of the Nazarenes quickly spread beyond the traditional borders of Israel into what is called the Diaspora, where Jews were dispersed across the Gentile nations. The Acts of the Apostles lists the home countries for many Jews who heard the preaching of the apostles while visiting Jerusalem (Acts 2:9-11). Acts also relates how, following their early persecution in Jerusalem (8:1), Greek-speaking Jewish-Christians fled to the Diaspora and brought word of their new faith in the messiah Jesus. Among these fruitful missionary fields was the Roman province of Syria.
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