Proselyte Proselyte The biblical term "proselyte" is an anglicization of the Koine Greek term προσήλυτος ("proselytos"), as used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) for "stranger", i.e. a "newcomer to Israel"; a "sojourner in the land", and in the Greek New Testament for a first-century convert to Judaism, generally from Ancient Greek religion. It is a translation of the Biblical Hebrew phrase גר תושב ("ger toshav"). "Proselyte" also has the more general meaning in English of a new convert to any particular religion or doctrine. The Law of Moses made specific regulations regarding the admission into Israel's community of such as
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon or agents whose approval is to be sought". He notes that this definition is "a place to start, not something carved in stone". The book has received differing reviews from various consumer, mass media outlets. "The Guardian"s Andrew Brown describes it as giving "a very forceful and lucid account of the reasons why we need to study religious behaviour as a human phenomenon". In "Scientific American", George Johnson describes the book's main draw as being "a sharp synthesis of a library of evolutionary, anthropological and psychological research on the origin and spread of religion". In "The New Yorker", evolutionary biologist