God-fearer

[1][10] According to the popular opinion,[11] Jews that lived in the Greco-Roman world during the Hellenistic and Roman period were not involved in active missionary efforts of mass conversion among Pagans,[12][13] although many historians disagree.

[6][7] Judging from the distinctions in the Acts of the Apostles, it is thought that they did not become gerim tzedekim,[26] which required circumcision,[3][27] although the evidence across the centuries varies widely and the meaning of the term may have included all kinds of sympathetic Gentiles, proselytes or not.

[29] In the New Testament and early Christian writings, the Greek terms God-fearers and God-worshippers are used to indicate those Pagans who attached themselves in varying degrees to Hellenistic Judaism without becoming full converts,[1][3][5] and are referred to primarily in the Gospel of Luke (7:1–10)[1] and more extensively in the Acts of the Apostles,[1][30][31] which describes the Apostolic Age of the 1st century.

So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel, and you that fear God (οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν θεόν), listen".Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God (ἐν ὑμῖν φοβούμενοι τὸν θεόν), to us has been sent the message of this salvation.Judaizing Gentiles and God-fearers are considered by modern scholars to be of significant importance to the growth of early Christianity;[32][33] they represented a group of Gentiles who shared religious ideas and practices with Jews, to one degree or another.

[4][5][6][8] However, the God-fearers were only "partial" converts, engaged in certain Jewish rites and traditions without taking a step further to actual conversion to Judaism, which would have required full adherence to the 613 Mitzvot (including various prohibitions such as kashrut, circumcision, Shabbat observance, etc.)

[6][8] The rite of circumcision was especially unappealing and execrable in Classical civilization[33][34][35] because it was the custom to spend an hour a day or so exercising nude in the gymnasium and in Roman baths, therefore Jewish men did not want to be seen in public deprived of their foreskins.