Dispersion

The Dispersion (Greek diaspora, meaning scattered abroad) refers to the settlement of Jewish communities outside the land of Israel, originating in the Assyrian deportation of the northern tribes (722 BC) and accelerating through the Babylonian exile of Judah (586 BC). By the New Testament era, Jewish diaspora communities existed throughout the Mediterranean world, Mesopotamia, and Egypt—in many cities numerically exceeding the Jewish population of Palestine. Significant communities flourished at Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, and in Asia Minor.

James 1:1 addresses his epistle to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad"—using diaspora as a descriptor for Jewish Christians living outside Israel. First Peter 1:1 similarly addresses "the elect exiles of the Dispersion." Both uses carry theological overtones of a people who are sojourners and strangers in the world, awaiting their true homeland. The Dispersion also played a critical role in early Christian mission: Paul consistently found synagogues in diaspora cities as his initial point of contact, and the presence of Greek-speaking Jewish converts ("Hellenists," Acts 6:1) shaped the theological character of early Christianity.