If Judaism is NOT a proselytizing religion, then how did the first few Jews...

[Sandi]

...come about? Judaism is said to be a religion where there's no compulsion to convert others. If so, then how did Jewish people come about?

 

[TheBlackRabbitofInlé]

A British Orthodox Jews writes:

"Thus R. Moses of Coucy, a leading French rabbi of the thirteenth century, warns Jews to mend their ways, so that gentiles (non-Jews) will not be put off by their bad example since making converts is the purpose of Israel's exile."

Page 7
The Jews (1999 edition)
http://books.google.com/books?id=y3--5jTheDUC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[harpertara]

Judaism was, to begin with, the Tribal Religion of the Hebraic people. Over time, these people's descendants became known as Jews. The religion is, first and foremost, one of culture and tribal history and is also immediately passed down on the maternal side to all descendants.

 

[polskajason]

There were early eras when Jews were actively proselytizing. In fact, the Idumean people were forcibly converted to Judaism. A generation or two later, that gave Jews Herod; since then they have been not so keen on converting the unwilling!

But seriously, Judaism has always been open to sincere converts. You don't have to be actively proselytizing to accept converts. Interested people seek out Judaism; think of it as a "honey, not vinegar" approach.

 

[darrenm]

Butts kicked by Romans and Phillistines and then wandered desert for 40 years till strong enough to get kingdom. Would say jews just member of province of that kingdom near capital.

 

[Orcast]

According to our scriptures (the Torah), God promised Abraham that his descendants would be "like the stars." While there have been brief periods in our history where we sought converts, by and large, the Jewish people are simply the descendants of Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob (later called "Israel") begat 12 sons. The rest, as they say, is history, and a LOT of time.

We do still ACCEPT converts today, but we do not seek them; nobody will ever ask you to be Jewish, but you can be if you choose.

 

[Shimron]

The simple answer is that the source came from God. Abraham and his decendents. proselytizing has nothing to do with the first.