Dukasaur wrote:You're thinking of modern times, and yes, in modern times you would be right. Intentional proselytizing has pretty much disappeared from the Judaic world. But during the heydey of Judaism -- roughly between the Greek translations of the Hebrew texts sometime in the 3rd century BC and the destruction on the second temple in 70 AD -- there was massive growth in Judaic populations around the classical world. Most writers call this the "first Diaspora" without giving it much thought -- but people who have examined it in detail find it totally implausible that a community of such size, reach, and influence could be accounted for by a few bands of refugees interbreeding with the locals. There was almost certainly intentional conversion going on. The translation of the so-called Sapiential books into Greek made many converts, as evidenced by numerous citizens of high standing who considered themselves Jews while having unimpeachable Carthaginian or Doric pedigrees.
I'm not seeing any indication of this diaspora not being sustainable through intermarriage alone. Bear in mind that in the Greek community there was a major problem with Judaism that we don't consider today - circumcision. You wouldn't think that was a problem until you realize that sporting events were held in the NUDE. Yea, it was more obvious then.
Here is a quote from Wikipedia ... "According to the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, the next most dense Jewish population after the Land of Israel and Babylonia was in Syria, particularly in Antioch, and Damascus, where 10,000 to 18,000 Jews were massacred during the great insurrection." That's Syria, not Greece, so those numbers had to be much smaller.
That's not to say that there wasn't a "following" but that's a lot different than an actual conversion and strict obedience to the works of the law.