Oscar the Grump: I believe that when David is referring to Judaizers, he means the debate in the very early Church over whether or not followers of Christ had to follow Jewish laws regarding circumcision, kosher food and so on. As you note, the first Christians were all Jewish and continued to think of themselves as Jews. Jesus himself was a practicing Jew and did not preach to gentiles. So when gentiles started converting, many Jewish Christians became confused. How, exactly, do these people fit into the picture?. Some of the Jews – Peter was one – felt that the gentile Christians should be bound to observe Jewish dietary laws and customs, as they felt themselves bound to continue to do so. Others, like Paul, said gentiles did not have to do so. Obviously, Paul won that fight. I have no idea where David got this from:
The Judaizers have not stopped trying to alter Christianity since the 1st century.
B.S. That debate ended in the 1st century. The idea that “Judaizers” were plotting to “alter Christianity” in say, 1200, when Europe was solidly Christian and the Jews were a tiny, dispersed and persecuted minority is ridiculous, as most conspiracy theories are. I dunno, maybe David learned theology from Mel Gibson’s dad.
