proselyte

Proselyte is a term used to describe a person who has converted from one religion or belief system to another. In historical usage, the word often refers to a person who has joined Judaism or Christianity, or who has embraced a new set of beliefs more generally. The term comes from Greek prosēlutos or prosēlytēs, meaning "one who has come over," and entered English via Latin proselytus and Old French proselite.

In Judaism, a proselyte or ger is a convert who accepts the yoke of observed commandments and is recognized by a beit din. Traditional procedures for conversion included circumcision for males, immersion in a mikveh, and the formal acceptance of mitzvot before a rabbinic court. The status of ger tzedek (literally "righteous convert") is explicitly valued in Jewish law, and the process and requirements have varied across historical periods and movements.

In Christian usage, the word appears in early texts to describe Gentile converts to Judaism as "proselytes" or, later, converts who joined the Christian church. In modern Christian contexts, the term is less common; "convert" and "conversion" are preferred, and "proselytizing" refers to the act of seeking new adherents.

In contemporary discourse, proselyte can carry connotations of formal religious conversion and active evangelism, and some scholars reserve the term for historical or formal contexts. The term remains present in academic, legal, and religious discussions about religious identity and change.