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According to this article in MgGill University's Radix newsletter, there were Noahides in ancient Rome who worshipped in Jewish synagogues
DIRECT QUOTE
"Evidence of the perpetuation of the Noahide Creed throughout history, while scant, is not entirely absent. Archaeological findings, as well as Jewish and Christian sources, indicate that in the time of the Roman Empire, there was a group of individuals, known as "G- dfearers" who, being neither Jewish nor pagan, would pray and offer sacrifices in the Jewish Temple."
FULL ARTICLE
RADIX: McGill smulti-faith newsletter
November 2002 Vol.3 Issue 1
The World's Oldest Newest Religion
Sarede Switzer U3 Psychology
It all began with Logic. The story goes that one day little Abraham sat alone meditating, pondering his existence. This whole idolatry thing bothered him. Worshipping trees and the like as all the "grownups" did, just didn't seem to make any sense. How could one attribute any real power to something whose entire existence is essentially at the mercy of Man? In- deed, no man was immortal either, as far as Abraham could tell, so there must be something even higher still. What gives life? What gives existence to the tree, the rocks, the stars, the moon, the sun? What Being, what Force, is Man at the mercy of?
Sometimes, it takes the simplicity of a child to uncover those things that, although they are so obvious, too often become obscured and for- gotten beneath the sophisticated convolutions of the "adult" world. While he was born and bred into one of the top pagan idol- worshipping families of his time, at the tender age of three, Abraham, the founding father of the Jewish nation, realized that there is only
One G-d
While we must not for a moment underestimate how radical this idea was at the time, Abraham was not the first monotheist, nor was he the only one of his day. Jewish texts record that after having discovered this incredible reality, Abraham went to study in an academy de- signed specifically for and by people who shared this great insight. This school was one of several institutes, collectively referred to as the "Academies of Shem and Ever", after the historical Noah's son and grandson, respec- tively. The material taught was actually a col- laboration of teachings, whose roots could be traced back all the way to the very first man and woman on Earth: Adam and Eve. Besides learning about the nature of G-d, Man and the World, the students at these academies studied a certain group of laws extensively. These precepts, upon which many later civilizations and legal systems were based, had been passed down from generation to generation, to a select group of descendents of Noah. It was Noah who had renewed a certain covenant that G-d had made with Adam and Eve, with a few mi- nor addendums. The purpose of the arrange- ment was to actualize the Creator's Master Plan, namely, the construction of a dwelling place for G-d here in the lower realms, through man's strict adherence to G-d's instructions. These Divine directives can be grouped into seven basic categories, and are referred to throughout Jewish texts as the Seven Laws of Noah. Those who obediently follow this code are called by the name Bnei Noah, or in Eng- lish, "Children of Noah". Modern times have given way to the anglicized term Noahide.
Evidence of the perpetuation of the Noahide Creed throughout history, while scant, is not entirely absent. Archaeological findings, as
well as Jewish and Christian sources, indicate that in the time of the Roman Empire, there was a group of individuals, known as "G- dfearers" who, being neither Jewish nor pagan, would pray and offer sacrifices in the Jewish Temple. A more contemporary ex- ample is a Frenchman named Aime Palliere who in the 19
th century abandoned his Ro- man Catholic upbringing in favor of the Noa- hide way of life. Recently, beginning in the early 1980's, small Noahide communities began emerging in literally all corners of the globe. Since then the movement has grown considerably, and its members are said to number in the thousands. A modest figure, perhaps, but it is witnessing exponential growth. Most Noahides are ex-Christians, and some of the larger and more active com- munities can be found in such areas as Texas or Tennessee the buckles of the US Bible
Belt.
This summer a friend and I, together with a digital video camera, traveled to Texas to observe and interview some of these Noa- hides. Our findings were indeed incredible and in my opinion, if I may be so blunt, mes- sianic. Biblical prophets speak of a time when there will arise a hunger, a thirst not for bread or water, but rather to hear and learn the word of G-d. It is my feeling that the emerging Noahide movement is part of a collective awakening of an inner call to Truth. The Jewish tradition does not hold that one must convert to Judaism in order to be considered righteous in the eyes of the L- rd. Every individual may worship The Crea- tor as The Creator formed him or her. The main point is to live with an awareness of the One, and to follow in the path of the One Jews through observing their command- ments, and the rest of humanity through ad- herence to the Seven Laws. While still not widely recognized as being one of the world's major religions, in examining Noahidism, we might bear in mind that it is the only existent faith system whose claims go back to the
very beginning of creation.
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