The word diaspora is used only three times in the New Testament, so why is it important to modern-day believers? While the term had only limited use in the New Testament, the concept is based on historical events throughout the history of the Israelites. The concept of dispersion or scattering has also been applied to the early church. A closer look at scripture shows a parallel between the Jews living in captivity or as exiles in foreign lands and Christians living in this world but not of this world.
What Does Diaspora Mean?
The best place to start is to determine what the term means. Merriam-Webster defines the Diaspora as “the settling of scattered colonies of Jews outside ancient Palestine after the Babylonian exile.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) gives a more detailed explanation, noting that it is also often called the Dispersion. Dispersion means the act or process of being dispersed, to be scattered. While diaspora can generally be used for any people group being sent away from its homeland, when diaspora or dispersion are capitalized, they refer to the Jews being sent away from Israel.
Which of the two terms is used depends on context. According to the ISBE, Jews living outside their native land but maintaining their religious customs were known as the Golah, or captivity, in relation to their own land (“in captivity, taken away from Israel”). They were known as the Diaspora, or Dispersion, in relation to the nations where they were scattered (“the Dispersion in Greece”). Therefore, either term refers to people living outside their native country (for war or trade reasons) yet maintaining their religious beliefs and customs.
When Did the Diaspora Happen to Israel?
While Israel began as a united nation containing the twelve tribes from Jacob’s sons, it split into two nations after Solomon’s reign. The two new nations became known as the kingdom of Israel (the northern kingdom) and the kingdom of Judah (the southern kingdom). Over time, the kingdom of Judah became known as Judea. Both nations experienced resettlement as foreign forces invaded their lands.
The Diaspora of Israel happened before the Diaspora of Judea. According to Richard Hooker at Washington State University, the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722, leaving the inhabitants scattered all over the Middle East. Second Kings 17:5-6 says, “Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”
After that, their stories disappeared from the history books, which is why they are sometimes called “the lost ten tribes of Israel.” From then onward, the history of Jacob’s descendants would be about Judea—as a result, many historians talk about the later Babylonian invasion of Judea as the beginning of the Diaspora.
When Did the Diaspora Happen to Judea?
Hooker also stated that the Judeans were taken captive in 597 and 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, where they were allowed to remain in three unified communities: Babylon, Judea, and Egypt. Thus 597 during the Babylonian Captivity is considered the official starting date of the Jewish Diaspora. Second Kings 24:14 tells us, “And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.”
The term “Jews” stems from the changes the Diaspora of Judea brought. Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains that the word evolved from terms for the children of Judah or Judea. Since the other tribes had been resettled and lost to history, “the children of Judah” gradually became the general term for descendants of Jacob. The fact that the book of Esther is the first book in the Bible to use the term “Jews” shows this change: Esther lived after the Diaspora, in a time when Persia had succeeded Babylon, and the Persian empire now ruled her people.
From this time forward, communities of Jews could be found among the nations.
When Did the Jews Return from the Diaspora?
In 538 BCE, Cyrus, King of Persia, allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. However, many Jews chose to stay in the nations where they had settled. Many had grown accustomed to their new homes and built businesses and homes. The ones who did return to Palestine returned to hardship and destruction.
According to chapter 12 of A Guide to Bible Study by J.W. McGarvey, the post-exilic books (the Old Testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) chronicle the history of the remnant who returned to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the walls, the city, and the temple against great opposition, even to the point of holding a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other. Given the situation, it is no surprise that many chose to stay where they were safe and comfortable rather than return to Palestine.
Which Diaspora Does the New Testament Talk About?
As stated before, the word diaspora is only mentioned three times in the New Testament:
James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
John 7:35: “Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?”
1 Peter 1:1: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”
Each of these instances references the events that had occurred in the Old Testament. By New Testament times, many Jews were still living dispersed among the Gentiles.
However, in Peter’s context, “the strangers scattered” has a new meaning. He writes to the scattered Jews who have also become believers. The tragic fact that the Jews were scattered among many nations had become a perfect setup for spreading the Messiah’s message throughout the nations.
Beyond these specific references to the Diaspora, there has also been some discussion about what Jesus refers to in Matthew 24. Jesus tells the disciples the signs of the end times, including wars and rumors of wars, and that the temple would be destroyed. He tells them that the people will be scattered to the end of the earth, but at the right time, the Son of Man will return to gather His people.
The debate centers on the timeline of these events. In 70 AD, Rome destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the Jews to other nations—a shocking event that seemed like the end of all Jewish hopes to stay in their homeland and signaled centuries of living abroad. Matthew Henry argues everything up to Matthew 24:28 is about Jerusalem being destroyed in 70 AD, and everything afterward refers to Jesus’ second coming.
There are also debates about the timeframe of the events in the book of Revelation. Some believe the book uses symbolic language to describe events before Jerusalem’s fall in 70 AD. Others believe the book describes events occurring between the time it was written (probably 70-90 AD) and the end of times. Some believe that all of the events have yet to happen. For further reading on this subject, BibleStudyTools provides an in-depth discussion of the Book of Revelation.
What Can We Learn from the Diaspora?
Christians today can learn from the Diaspora that God is still in control and always near no matter where they find themselves.
We can also recognize that while our situation differs from what the Jewish people have faced for centuries, the Bible tells us to see ourselves as foreigners in a foreign land. We are in the world but not of it (John 17:14-15). Philippians 3:20 tell us that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
When we find ourselves in foreign territory, out of our comfort zones, we must remember that our goal is the eternal rewards, not comfort now. We are here to spread the Word of God to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20) and place our ultimate hope in the final resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Nosyrevy
Linda Lyle is a writer, teacher, knitter, and unintentional collector of cats. She has written articles for the Alabama Baptist, Open Windows, Refresh, as well as multiple novels and novellas. Her newest book, 5-Minute Prayer Plan for When Life Is Overwhelming, is set to release in October. She spins yarns on her blog The End of My Yarn at lindalyle.com.
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