As for your first question above, Im persuaded that the pre-existing conditions for the rise of the Jerusalem group were the Essenes/DSS sect. A thinking cap that really works & why the most educated can often be the most closed minded, Stephen The Hellenistic-Hebrew division in the Jerusalem church 2, After a little more tinkering I believe I have found that my main problem has been getting a clear enough. I see the anointed savior concept as a denunciation of Yahweh as the Yahweh Sabaoth, its most stringent mosaic laws, and its intrinsic Jewish nationalism at the liberal, more Hellenized, end of the spectrum of these evolving sects among the Diaspora which contrasts with the more conservative view that, while relenting on the sacrificial mandates of the Deuteronomists, due to the destruction of the Temple, wish to one day rebuild Jerusalem, (more expansive, more popular, and more populous) and her Temple for the Jews, and Jews alone. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Who were these Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews? What was the difference between the two groups? 9,611 19 54 92 He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in New Testament from Andrews University. just as He pleased. And this seems to have been where the division between the Hellenist and Judean Jews lay. ", "For an excellent example of generally high-quality scholarship by someone who isnt a biblical studies professor, see Neil Godfreys work posted on the website vridar.org. It appears that the widows among the Hellenistic Jews were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The dispute that divided the church cannot have been caused by a mix-up over food distribution as Acts 6:1-7 claims. Host or attend the exciting Chanukah programs and classes provided by NJOP and find out how you or your community can participate. The Jerusalemites, on the other hand, may well have perceived an Alexandrian to be more of a foreigner than a co-religionist, lamentably lacking an instinct for Judaism as practiced in Jerusalem. The scene is said to conflict with his special purpose. (Schmithals, Paul and James, p. 16) Not so. Without an in-depth study, many misinterpretations can be formed. Alternative Christianities As I wrote in a comment above, perhaps there was a Stephen who believed in the mystical Jesus Christ and perhaps he and a few of his fellows had taken control of a committee that helped Greek-speaking widows, and perhaps this Stephen was accused of some misappropriation or other wrong-doing in that position, and perhaps Stephen was even tried and executed, and perhaps Paul was involved in that wrong-doing. Call Why did the interaction of the Greeks and the Jews create such problems? I tend to think that way for almost every religion. Acts 11:20 Interlinear Acts 11:20 Parallel Texts Acts 11:20 NIV Acts 11:20 NLT Having then I think it is quite possible though that one reason for Luke doing this is to show the diversity of Gods love the entire time. So this is a Schmithals time in my reading. Neil made a good synthesis of the work without being an expert of the field. Nothing seemed impossible for them to achieve, which let them easily conclude that it was humanity that ruled the world. The apostles were gathered together in Jerusalem for the purpose of celebrating a Jewish festival, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, who enabled them to preach. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) To me, verses like this give off a sense that each group has its own distinct identity or common belief. Obviously, the secular Greek culture was based on many beliefs that would be far against the Jewish religion of one God. Look forward to getting through these and moving on asap.). Ovid did not come up with the idea of using the name Hellen to describe the Greek people; according to Thucydides: Please carry on. just as He pleased. Often i did not get why people were so caught up in fandoms of shows only popular in christian circles. Lukes purpose is to write an origin tale to show how certain things came to be the way they were in his own day and how the true faith even/especially that said to be taught by Paul was founded on the perfect foundation of Jesus and the original Jerusalem church led by the apostles. Near them were many other Jews (from all over the known world), who each heard their own language being spoken (Acts 2:6). Acts 6), and had neglected, most probably . For in fact the body is not one member but many. Godliness With Contentment To solve this problem, the church chooses seven deacons to oversee the physical work of distributing food to the needy brethren, and one of these is "Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch." Yet often it seems that one of the big discussions is how much one should be of the world, but not in the world. Language is an important issue, but it is not the only issue separating the Greek from Judean Jew. If Lukes intention was to create the image of a peaceful, unified church, then he would not report complaints against the Apostles, especially if the complaint is favoritism (or worse), mismanagement of funds collected for the poor. The Strangers: Non-Jews who join themselves with the Does Luke put the Twelve in a negative light in Acts 6? The idea of taking one day to let G-d run the world negated the Greek belief in their own control. Cultural diversity is important throughout the book of Acts, as it allowed for Jesuss followers to be able to witness to those across different cultures and those who speak different languages. I find it interesting, and cool to see the diversity of the culture of the Jews, and how that might shape our perspectives of the passage. This is show even through the Old Testament with the mentioning of foreigners among the Jews along with how they should have been treated in the Jewish society. verse are the Christian converts among the Jews who were born and raised in These adjusted stories then supported an impression that thousands of Christians had lived in Jerusalem during that period. gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: the body? A diverse group in of itself that, although has struggled with favoritism, Gods love does not. Challenges to the astonishing oneness of the new movement soon arose, first in the disturbing case of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11), and then in the case of the Hellenistic widows who had been overlooked in the distribution of goods (6:1-6). exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he 2 Brandi's Confessions, Call By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Constantine, Monks and Imperial Christianity Could Plato Really have Influenced Judaism and the Bible? Youre welcome. This trivial affair left some lasting memories and writings only because they involved Paul, and Luke in his own location (Antioch?) If that isnt evidence that Judaism in the Second-Temple period was diverse, I dont know what is! Teaching should remain the focus of those truly called by Contact Us Legal It recalls how even today there are strong beliefs in whether Christians should remove themselves from mainstream culture, or embrace it? Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. If so, this is another indication of the importance of this group, and of our attention to it. Great topic for an MA project, where are you looking to study? And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Sts. ", "Neil, Youve done a clean job in your posting on Jesus the Healer. ", "I want to say here that this site is so resourceful and highly on top of the most modern scholarship in the areas discussed here. the same care for one another. Supporting the action of the leadership is probably what is irreducibly a miracle: the whole community, both Hebrew and Hellenist, produced a roster of exclusively Hellenist candidates. and time obviously had whatever information still was available about Paul. say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I Browse our collection of Chanukah Jewish Treats, filled with interesting stories and articles about the histories and traditions of Chanukah. If Margaret Baker is arguing that the shift in attitude as expressed by Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-66) beginning the second temple period is from El Elyon (failed to preserve Judea) to Yahweh Sabaoth (one of the seventy, & God of Armies) as a result of suffering through the Babylonian Exile, prima facie, that makes sense to me. This is an important aspect to consider when reading the book of Acts. Effectively on the basis of the criterion of embarrassment it is therefore sometimes concluded that the author of Acts cannot simply have invented the scene in Acts 6:1-7. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. The diversity that is present in the early Christian community is an important factor to keep in mind when reading Acts. In their need to rid the world of Judaism, they singled out three mitzvot (commandments): The sanctification of the new month, the Sabbath, and circumcision. "Vridar is consistently thought-provoking, well-informed, and asking the right questions. They attempted to remain in a pristine, unique state of Judaism. Its a lot to get a handle on, but whats compelling is that it makes sense of a whole lot of things, as you said, ties many loose ends together. You should visit her web site, too http://www.margaretbarker.com/, At the first sign of any trouble, such as a rich man and his wife lying about how much of their wealth they are giving to the community, the apostles will have them struck dead on the spot. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). The Parable of the Late-Coming Workers Why were the widows among the Hellenists "neglected in the daily distribution" Would you believe me if I said that was a Persian Flaw? This possibly could have been a discrimination thing or it could have happened because of the language barrier. According to Luke, in Acts 22:1-5, Paul grew up as a Greek-speaking Jew in far-away Tarsus and then as a young man came to Jerusalem and studied under the teacher Gamaliel. use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in Kenosis the body, is it therefore not of the body? Biblical Studies Carnival February 2015 |, Acts 6-8 The Acts of the Hellenists | Reading Acts, The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World. the body, is it therefore not of the body? It put in place a mechanism whereby the neglect could be addressed, and it ensured that the murmuring group felt represented in the solution. There is also a problem that arises between both divisions of Jews. Fuller Theological Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its policies, programs, and activities. Ill try to offer something more substantial than 'Thank you' in response at some point, but I didnt want to wait . Acts 6-8 describe the activities of two non-apostles, Stephen and Philip. In 2019 he published a commentary. Ladies and Gentlemen, Lets Get Ready to Rumble!. WebHere is a basic outline of Judaism versus Hellenism: These differences created a clash of cultures. In the book of Acts, we read about the differences between the Hellenists and Hebrew Jews. Acts 6:1-7 tells us nothing about this. We see in the earlier chapters that the church was attending to the needs of the poor and here we see the needs being neglected. I appreciate this post! The church established the acceptable doctrine that was pleasing to all the faction by enlarge. composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, Old Stories With New Ears Should we therefore think that Acts 6:1-7 is speaking of a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians?. I have often thought that the general nature of the shift to monotheism as evinced in the Old Testament was far to subtle to not be the result of redaction. Philippians 2 Realizing that there were different types of Jews who conducted themselves differently is very important in understanding the story of Acts and the Bible in general. 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