“Oh . . . so Greeks are the ‘ezrachim...”
Or Russians, or Ukrainians, or Serbs, or Bulgarians, or Georgians or Romanians, or Ethiopians, or Egyptians, or various Arabs or Albanians....
and non-Greeks are gerim. Got it.”
Or non-Russians, or non-Ukrainians, or non-Serbs, or non-Bulgarians, or non-Georgians or non-Romanians, or non-Ethiopians, or non-Egyptians, or various non-Arabs or Albanians....
I’m happy you were able to figure it out.
Oh, there was never any doubt. The point is, like Catholicism, there are "in" ethnic groups and "out" ethnic groups. Once the "twelve tribes" (Greeks, Slavs, Georgians, etc.) were converted the wagons were circled and good old sexual reproduction among the elect has kept it going ever since.
"Out-groups" need not apply, unless they shut up and know their place (especially those subhuman "rednecks . . . ew). The whole thing about "there being neither Jews nor Greek" doesn't apply to today's situation.
Interestingly, in Judaism if a non-Jew converts it is actually forbidden to say or even imply that he is not a native-born Jew. Which makes the supposedly clannish Jews more open than their bloviating and "morally superior" imitators.
“”Out-groups” need not apply, unless they shut up and know their place (especially those subhuman “rednecks . . . ew). The whole thing about “there being neither Jews nor Greek” doesn’t apply to today’s situation.”
Oh not at all. Virtually all converts get with the program after about 10 years. Some don’t, but most do. Being Orthodox in the West is counter-cultural to say the least and it takes time. On the other hand, you have to understand that with most Greeks (not Russians, etc.), you scratch us and you’ll see a little pagan shouting, “Let me out! Let me out!” Like our cousins the Jews, we are God’s naughty children. That’s why the OT is in Hebrew and Greek and the NT in Greek. He wants us to have every advantage and is very patient. We really don’t have any excuses for the way we act, unlike the Xenoi! :)