Since my discovery of first one (in Acts 17:26 from Deuteronomy 32:8) then other quotes or references in the New Testament from the Old Testament of verses using nations or the equivalent Gentiles (such as Matthew 12:15-21 from Isaiah 42:1-4, 11:10) or even heathen sometimes in a Great Commission sense I have been wondering when the Church stopped using the Noah nations as the primary meaning of nations. I believe the Apostle Paul, especially since he was formerly a Pharisee and would have known the Law of Moses and other parts of the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament quite well, used nations in a Genesis 10 70 Noah nations sense in the part of the New Testament he wrote. Also, I believe the other New Testament writers a least the apostle Matthew and the apostle Luke, for Luke also in some other references in Acts of the Apostles, referred to nations in a Great Commission or world evangelism sense in a way that is likely meaning the 70 Noah nations. However, I knew that eventually the professing Church and probably most born again Christians who came into a personal relationship with God through Jesus eventually came to think of nations in the New Testament, and maybe even in the Old Testament, more in terms of political nations than the 70 nations from Noah in Genesis 10.
There were three things recently that helped me nail down both the approximate time and what I think is the likely basis of the change including in the professing church of the basis on which nations or Gentiles etc. is used or meant. I believe this involved the change including view by Christians or the Church from the 70 Noah nations to the main political nations or politcal entitites of the time (which wouldn't have to necessarily 70 in number anymore.) One of these was my recent purchase of an extensive reference book about the culture and quotes from the Church fathers and other important leaders of the early Church. (By early Church I mean the Church up to about 400 AD.) (The name of the reference book is: A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs edited by David W. Bercot and published by Hendrickson Publishers.) In this book of early Christianity, especialy in the section Christianity, Growth of and maybe in some other sections like Evangelism, I found some good quotes especially by a Christian author name Arnobius that referred to the church growth or desire for church growth in different nations but few if any of them were names of Noah nations or to the areas usually associated with them by the Genesis Noah nation names. Most of the names used by regions by this church father Arnobius in the 300s AD (and by some better known church fathers like Tertullian and at least one other well known church father were the Greek or Latin political nations or regions of the Roman Empire or of nations or regions just outside the Roman Empire like Germania. I believe these names can be regarded as political nations names and they seem to be the popular way of referring to nations by the 300s AD or the 4th century by Christian writers including as related to Christian missions or growth of the Church. These names certainly weren't mostly the probably mostly Hebrew names of the 70 nations from Noah in Genesis 10.
One of the quotes that is from Irenaeus, one of the leading Church fathers, from the book A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (page 260) under the section Evangelism is as follows:
"The church having received this preaching and faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it ... For the churches which have been planeted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in Gaul, nor those in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world. But just as the sun, the creation of God, is one and the same throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth shines everywhere, and enlightens all men who are willing to come to a knowledge of the truth." Irenaeus (around 180 AD) 1.130, 131
Another quote using the political nations of the day of the evangelism or the Great Commission by the early Church is by the minor Church father Arnobius who lived in the early 300s AD on page 140 under the section Christianity, Growth of in the book A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs as follows:
"His (Jesus') virtues have been made manifest to you, along with that unheard-of power over things ... that was used over the whole world by those who proclaimed Him. It has subdued the firest of passion and caused races, peoples, and nations that are most diverse in character to hasten with one accord to accept the same faith. For the deeds can be listed and numbered that have been done in India, and among the Seres, Persians and Medes. They have also been done in Arabia, Egypt, and Syria in Asia, as well as among the Galatians, Parthians, and Phrygians, ... And they have been done in all islands and provinces on which the rising and setting sun shines, and in Rome itself, the mistresss of the world." (around 305 AD) 6.438.
One other quote in this regard is by the church father Tertullian around 197 AD on page 138 in the section Christianity, Growth of in the book A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs as follows:
Upon which else have the universal nations believed, but upon the Christ who is already come? For whom have the nations believed - Parthians, Medes, Elamites, those who inhabit Mesopotamia, Armenia, Phrygia, Cappadocia, ... and all other nations? By this time, ... (the name of Christ has reached) the manifold confines of the Moors, all the limits of Spain, the diverse nations of the Gauls, and the haunts of the Britons - inaccessible to the Romans, but subjugated to Christ, ... Furthermore, there are Germans, Scythians, and persons of many remote nations and provinces and islands - many to us unknown and which we can scarcely enumerate. In all these places the name of Christ (who is already come) reigns, ... Christ's name is extending everywhere, worshipped by all the above-enumerated nations and is reigning everywhere. 3:157, 158.
About the same time I checked a copy I have of the well known work Antiquities of the Jews by the famous Jewish writer Josephus. I knew Josephus lived in the 1st century in Apostolic times. when the New Testament was still unfolding and the New Testament scriptures were still being written. These New Testament scriptures that were still unfolding or had just been written included the Gospels of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ such as the Gospel of Matthew including its version of the Great Commission of the Church to all nations in Matthew 28:18-20. I also knew Josephus either witnessed or had contact with eye-witnesses of the destruction of the 2nd or Herod's Temple in Jerusalem and the city of Jerusalem generally by the Romans in 70 AD. I also found out more recently that Josephus was a Pharisee and I had heard he moved to Rome to live eventually. In the early part of Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews in sections 1.6.1-3 and 1.5.1 he wrote about at least most of the 70 Noah nations descended from Noah in Genesis 10. Significantly, Josephus also emphasized that the Greeks had given names to most if not all of those nations in their language and to which they referred to these Noah nations for readers in Greece or who read in the Greek language in other parts of the Greek then Roman empires. Some of these names of nations or regions became the names of regions of the Roman Empire or of some of the regions just beyond it. Some of these names of nations are also used in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek. For example Scythian is used for the Noah nation Magog that Josephus confirms do correspond to each other.
The names of the Noah nations in Genesis 10 from Noah's son Japheth in the Hebrew or close to it and the Greek counterparts of those Noah natiopnps, many of which became political nations or at first political divisions or provinces of the Roman Empire in Josephus' book Antiquities 1.6.1 is the following quote:
"Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honour of whom names were imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet (Japheth), the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountain Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the river Tanais, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on the lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, tehy called the nations by their own names. For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians or Galls (Gauls), but were then called Gomerites. Magog founded those that from him named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet (Japheth); from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes by the Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia and all the Grecians are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch (Meshech), now they are Cappadocians. There is also a mark of their ancient denominations still to be shown; for there is even now among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those that are able to understand, that so was the entire nation once called. Thiras (Tiras) also called those he ruled over, Thirasians; but the Greeks changed the name into Thracians. And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants. Of the three sons of Gomer, Aschanax (Ashkenaz) founded the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the Greeks Rheginians. So did Riphath found the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians; and Thrugramma (Togarmah) the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were named Phrygians. Of the three sons of Javan also, the son of Japhet (Japheth), Elisa (Elisha) gave name to the Eliseans, who were his subjects; they are now the Aeolians. Tharsus (Tarshish) to the Tharsians; for so was Cilicia of old called; the sign of which is this, that the noblest city they have, and a metropolis also, is Tarsus, the tau being by change put for the theta. Cethimus (Kittim) possessed the island of Cethima; it is now called Cyprus; and from that it is that all islands, and the greatest part of the seacoasts are named Cethim by the Hebrews;"
The quote from Josephus about the Hebrew Genesis 10 Noah nations from Noah's son Ham and the corresponding Greek names of these Noah nations and some later Greek based names of political nations or political regions of the Roman Empire from Josephus' book Antiquities 1.6.2 is as follows:
"The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus (probably Lebanon), seizing upon all that was on its seacoasts and as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. Some indeed of its names are utterly vanished away; others of them being changed, and another sound given them, are hardly to be discovered; yet a few there are which have kept their denominations entire; for of the four sons of Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, over whom he reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men of Asia, called Chusites (Cushites). The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved in their name; for all we who inhabit this country (of Judea) call Egypt Mestre, and the Egyptians, Mestreans, Phut also was the founder of Libya, and called the inhabitants Phutites, from himself; there is also a river in the country of the Moors which bears his name; whence it is that we may see the greatest part of the Grecian historiographers (historians and geographers) mention that river and the adjoining country by the apellation of Phut; but the name it has now, has been by change given it from one of the sons of Mesraim, who was called Lybyos (probably Lubim). We will inform you presently what has been the occasion why it has been called Africa also. Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, inhabited the country now called Judea, and called it from his own name Canaan. The children of these four (sons of Ham) were these: Sabas (Sheba or Seba), who founded the Sabeans; and Ragmus (Raamah) the Ragmeans; and he had two sons, the one of whom, Jadadas, settled the Jadadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, and left them his name; as did Sabas (Sheba) to the Sabeans. But Nimrod, the son of Chus (Cush), staid (stayed) and tyrannized at Babylon, as we have already informed you. Now all the children of Mesraim, being eight in number, possessed the country from Gaza to Egypt, though it retained the name of one only, the Philistim; for the Greeks call part of that country Palestine. As for the rest, Ludicum (Ludim), and Enemim (Anamim), and Labim (Lehabim), who alone inhabited in Libya, and called the country from himself, Nedim (Naphtuhim), and Phethrosim (Pathrusim), and Chesloim (Casluhim), and Cephtorim (Caphtorim), we know nothing of them besides their names; for the Ethiopic was, which we shall describe hereafter, was the cause that those cities were overthrown. The sons of Canaan were these; Sidonius (Sidon), who also built a city of the same name; it is called by the Greeks, Sidon; Amathus (Hamathite) inhabited in Amathine, which is even now called Amathe by the inhabitants, although the Macedonians named it Epiphania, from one of his posterity; Arudeus (Arvadite) possessed the island Aradus; Arucas (Arkite) possessed Arce, which is in Libanus (Lebanon ?) - but for the seven others, (Eueus), Chetteus (Hittite or Heth), Jebusesus (Jebusite), Amorreus (Amorite), Gergesus (Girgasite), Eudeus (Hivite), Sineus (Sinite), Samareus (Zemarite), we have nothing in the sacred books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their cities; and their calamities came upon them on the occasion following: -"
The reference by Jospheus of the Noah nations in close to Hebrew of the sons or nations from Noah's other son Shem from Genesis 10 and the corresponding Greek names or in some cases at least eventual political natoins or political divisions of the Roman Empire in his book Antiquities 1.6.4 is as follows:
"Shem the third son of Noah, had five sons, who inhabited the land that began at Euphrates, and reached to the Indian Ocean; for Elam left behind the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians. Ashur lived at the city Nieve (Ninevah); and named his subjects (Assyrians, who became the most fortunate nation, beyond others. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks called Syrians; as Laud (Lud) founded the Laudites, which are now called Lydians. Of the four sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus; this country lies between Palestine and Celsyria. Ul (Hul) founded Armenia; and Gather (Gether) the Bactrians; and Mesa (Mash) the Mesaneans; it is now called Charax (Spasini). Sala (Salah) was the son of Arphaxad, and his son was Heber, from who they originally called the Jews Hebrews. Heber begat Joctan (Joktan or in Arabic Yaqtan) and Phaleg (Peleg); he was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg (Peleg) among the Hebrews, signifies division. Now Joctan (Joktan or Arabic Yaqtan), one of the sons of Heber, had these sons, Elmodad (Almodad), Saleph (Sheleph), Asermoth (Hazermaveth), Jera (Jerah), Adoram (Hadoram), Aizel (Uzal), Decia (Diklah), Ebal (Obal), Abimael, Sabeus (Sheba), Ophir, Euilat (Havilah) and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of Asia adjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning the sons of Shem."
I also have a map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent, in about 117 AD, at the back of the famous Christian Bible reference book Unger's Bible Dictionary. This map shows the provinces or political divisions of the Roman Empire or of regions just beyond it and quite a few, although but all, of these regions are the usually Greek or Latin equivalent of the Hebrew Noah nations of Genesis 10.
So, these 3 things: the references by Greek or Latin anmes of political nations by some Church Fathers when they wrote of the growth of the Church in early Church history at least by the 300s AD, the assertion by Josephus that the Greeks were responsible for first giving Greek names to Noah nations that later became names of political nations and this map of the Roman Empire with political nations with the mostly Greek or Latin (Roman) names of political regions plus the fact that Josephus and some writers of the New Testament, even Luke who was Greek in his reference to Pentecost in using some Hebrew Noah nation names like Elamites in Acts 2, I believe shows the approximate time and way that the names of nations including for use in the early Church based on the 70 Hebrew Genesis 10 Noah nations, then the the Greek or Latin names of the Genesis 10 Noah nations then the Greek or Latin political nations or divisions of the Roman Empire at first including some Greek or Latin names of Genesis 10 Noah nations. These would be the nations the Church would use respectively to refer to regions of the world for the early part of the Great Commission or growth of the Church (or Church Age phase of the Kingdom of God). This paragraph then is a summary of about how and when I believe the main idea for nations changed for Christians and the Church from mostly Hebrew Genesis 10 Noah nations from Pentecost and remaining somewhat until the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD to mostly Greek and Latin Noah then political nations of the day by the early 300s AD.
I believe that for centuries after the 300s AD or 4th century AD most of the Church such as Christian writers including those writing on the Great Commission or growth of Christianity used the names of political nations of the day rather than the 70 Noah nations and about where they migrated to or regions they stayed in. I believe this is important because the Bible, especially in the Old Testament but sometimes also in the New Testament, uses mostly the 70 Noah nations for history and origins of Noah nation people group nations in the Old Testament. Some of these Genesis 10 Noah nations are specifically used in some particular Old Testament prophetic passages (such as Ezekiel 38 or Isaiah 66) including for the last days in our times or for things very soon to come on Earth. Also I believe with the frequent quotes by New Testament writers using the word nations or Gentiles from the Old Testament in a Great Commission or global Christian mission sense such as using the word Gentiles in Romans 15:6-13 quoting from Isaiah 11:1, 10, Psalm 18:49, Psalm 117, Deuteronomy 32:43 or as nations in Acts 17:26 from Deuteronomy 32:8 by the Apostle Paul indicate that the 70 Noah nations are the main sense of nations meant by the early Church. This use of nations to refer to the 70 Genesis 10 Noah nations by the writers of the New Testament when the Church was more Jewish including most of the Apostles and more influenced by Hebrew and the Old Testament including the 70 nations from Noah in Genesis 10 and elsewhere in the Old Testament. This was likely especially true before the Romans destroyed Herod's or the 2nd Temple Jerusalem and Judaea and scattered the Jews or Israelites in the Roman Empire and made the Jews among the Church less influential and the Gentile Christians who wrote and thought in Greek and Latin more influential.
Also in 1974 former Christian missionary Dr. Ralph Winters at the meeting of the Lausanne School of Evangelism in Switzerland introduced the concept of ethnic group sized people group nations of which there are thought to be between 12,000 and 17,000 comprising all people on Earth. Dr. Winters promoted these thousands of people group nations as the nations to be reached by Christians with the Great Commission or growth of Christianity. This has mostly replaced political nations as the main basis of nations in evangelical Christianity especially in the area of of global Christian missions with the thinking that there are still about 2,000 people group nations (rather than perhaps 2 or 3 Noah nations mostly in Arabia) to reach with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. To reach all nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ means to complete the Great Commission to share with all people or nations of people on Earth the good news or gospel of complete salvation in God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ. This good news or gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how one views the basis of nations, is the concept that although we are all sinners going back to the first man Adam we can all be God's spiritually and eternally restored people if we admit we are sinners and call out to God in Jesus' name. To call out to God in Jesus' name and to receive Jesus means we come to trust in Jesus and His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead the third day later as the means of justification with God in the sight of Him who is perfectly righteous and holy as well as perfectly gracious, merciful and loving.
I also write all these things because I believe the Church in general should return to the 70 Noah nations as the main basis to look at the different peoples of the world and how to reach them for Jesus and complete the Church rather than either political or people group nations as the basis for nations. One reason I see the need to return to the 70 Noah nation definition of nations in the Bible is that we should desire to be more biblical literal in context and how I think God including Jesus the Son of God still looks at the nations of the world including for the Church to complete reaching some of all of them to complete the Church as viewed in Revelation 5:8-13. I also believe the Church is very close to reaching some people of all Noah nations and that there are probably only about one or two Noah nations, mostly in Yemen or elsewhere in south Arabia, that have yet to be reached to acquire some bible believing Christians from those nations. I believe that when the Church by God's grace succeeds in reaching unto salvation at least some people of the (most likely) 70 Noah nations to complete the Church that then the complete Church will be raptured or caught up to heaven by Jesus to be in our heavenly homes with God the Father and Jesus (and other believers) as in John 14:1-6, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 before the tribulation. I believe that in the 7 year tribulation God will use 144,000 Jewish believers in Jesus from Revelation 7 (and 14) to win a further great group of believers from all 70 Genesis 10 Noah nations as in Revelation 7 and that by their preaching the saving message in God's Son Jesus everyone on Earth of all nations will have heard and have had a chance to trust in God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation or not. I also believe that at the end of the tribulation God will send His Son the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven and is a sense God the Father will come with Jesus at the end of the tribulation as in Revelation 19:11-20:3, Matthew 26:62-65 or Zechariah 14, Isaiah 2:1-4 etc. and judge the world and that God will rule visibly and personally over all the Earth. I believe God through Jesus visibly and personally ruling over all the Earth during the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom era will be from His throne in the then rebuilt Jewish temple in Ezekiel 40-48, Zechariah 14, Isaiah 2 etc.in Jerusalem on Earth with restored Israel, the true Church and the saved of the nations for the 1,000 year Millennial or Messianic Kingdom and then forever as in Revelation 21 and 22 in the New Jerusalem, New Earth and New Heavens.
Doug Currie Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Friday, November 8, 2024