Why not stay in Jerusalem until Jesus returns? Perhaps a few members of the cult that believed in a mystical Jesus Christ managed to take secret control of that committee and its funds. have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem Kenosis the body, is it therefore not of the body? After they gave their lives over they stayed in Jerusalem, and it was not Many people have adopted the idea that the difference between these two types of Jews was not because of the geographical divide between Jerusalem and the rest of the world, but more it was the Jews versus everyone else. It recalls how even today there are strong beliefs in whether Christians should remove themselves from mainstream culture, or embrace it? The blog post says that Acts 6:1 describes a problem between the Hebraic and the Hellenistic Jews. Torsion-free virtually free-by-cyclic groups. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). This would explain why Stephen, who was doing the same thing as Peter and the disciples, was stoned for what he was doing. Does Cosmic Background radiation transmit heat? And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I am not of The Hebrews were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the Hellenists were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue was Greek. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. To identify them, Luke uses the term Hellenistai. Filed under: Biblical Studies, New Testament . Philippians 2 In this case, there are a lot of things going on. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Which of these roles deserves particular esteem? All of them: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all Miracles like these created so much excitement that multitudes more rushed to join up with such an idyllic group. So Jews from all over the world were present at the time of Jesus' dead and resurrection, and many of them gave their lives over to Christ. For me, the concept of the intermediary Son was resurrected, Ha!, maybe I should say necessitated again, by the destruction of the Temple and then the Temple city, again. 646.871.4444 646.871.0100 We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.. When I think about Judaism, I never thought about if there were divisions or not but in Acts 6:1 we see that there is a division of Jews. WEB: Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service. smelling? I appreciate this post! His disciples' feet, and apostle Paul continued to work as a tent maker 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. So, please continue to delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers. Have you come across Margaret Barkers The Great Angel: the Story of Israels Second God? the body? Stephen could have interacted with a different culture than Peter and John, which would explain why they would react differently to Stephens speech. exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he It seems that even among those who believed in Jesus and the ministry that was to be continued to be carried out, there was division and unrest over knowing who was eligible to do certain tasks. Perhaps they were among the crowd who hear Yet Stephen is the first martyr and his speech summarizing some important theological points in the transition between Peters ministry in Jerusalem and Pauls mission in Acts 13. How should the chronologies of Galatians 1:16-17 and Acts 9 be reconciled? Web1 Earlier scholarship assumed that there must have been a theological difference between Hellenists and Hebrews; but the linguistic and therefore basically cultural basis of the Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). I tend to think that way for almost every religion. Communal Responsibility A Hellenistic Jews has a different meaning than a Hebrew Jew. I shall have to read it, too. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Theological Anthropology. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Why had Paul earned a reputation for being against Moses in Acts 21? ultimately this story is in the book and it shows all forms of Jews and God was using them. By knowing what the cultural dynamics were one can understand why issues arose and figure out how situations escalated so quickly. If the first 5 chapters are intentionally about Peter and John and 6-8 are about Stephen and Philip to show the ministry of both Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews, then it seems that Luke is trying to tell his readers that each group is now as equally important as the other. Despite being Jewish, the Hellenists had adopted Greek cultural elements and who had returned to Judea after having lived abroad in the Greek world. Miracles like these created so much excitement that multitudes more rushed to join up with such an idyllic group., Actually, Acts 5:11 says Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.. Esther And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews. A step further, it is emphasized later that there is neither Jew nor Greek, but that is not necessarily the focus of this passage as we are speaking Jew vs. Jew (hellenistic jew/jew of Greek ways). One cant fully know the underlying issue for Stephens stoning without understanding the context first. Obviously these are all Jews, but there seems to be problem between the Jews who are in Jerusalem from outside and those Jews who remained on the inside. Chapters 6-8 concern the activities of two Hellenistic Jews and their ministry outside of the circle of the apostles in Jerusalem. this context, to "serve tables" didn't even Next, I would read Temple Theology: An Introduction. Martin Hengels proposal has been widely accepted, that there were in Jerusalem several thousand former Diaspora Jews, that is, Jews who had lived most of their lives in Greek-speaking cities and towns in other lands, and had returned for a variety of reasons to Jerusalem.2Acts 6:9 supports the point with its reference to a synagogue of former slaves from Diaspora cities that have gathered together in Jerusalem for worship and community. Ironically, Greek culture and Judaism are the roots of modern Western civilization. Or do they send them with the hope of growing stronger in their faith? be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable While a Jew, or Hebrew Jew, is to adopt a more traditional Jewish language and lifestyle. | GotQuestions.org ", "I find your blog most interesting and appreciate your ongoing effort to keep to the evidence for the issues discussed! How to choose voltage value of capacitors. What was the problem reported in Acts 6? ", "Neil, this is actually rather useful. Bock, on the other hand, agrees more with my sketch of the Hellenists (Acts, 258-9). In these circumstances, it seems likely that Pauls own mother was widowed and therefore accompanied him to Jerusalem and became one of the starving, Greek-speaking widows who was supposed to receive help from Stephens committee. Sponsors If that isnt evidence that Judaism in the Second-Temple period was diverse, I dont know what is! "Ive even been cited by atheists with approval (which I really dont know how to take, so thanks, I think, but Im not sure,Vrider(even though I feel like I need to take a shower now)). Native Jews used Hebrew in 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. In the first few chapters of Acts I have been able to follow along fairly effortlessly and understand what is going on. After all, Jesus washed When a teach said reach into the parable of the two sons and tell me the application, but me a younger believer did not have this memory of awana and sunday school teaching times. Could a Hellenist Jew assimilate and accept some parts of the Greek culture while rejecting ideas which were contrary to their Jewish faith? be? If the whole body were an eye, Read Fullers Statement on Nondiscrimination. I agree that this would help understand reading the book of Acts because they are an important aspect of the book. Its always gratifying when a reader zeroes in on exactly those aspects I thought were most interesting and most central to my argument. "the Hellenists" are the Christian converts among the Jews Traditionally, Hellenistic Judaism was a designation for Judaism in the Greek-speaking world, including those Jews who spoke Greek and adopted (to some This Jerusalem community of Hellenists was to provide a significant bridge by which Christianity would reach the Gentile world. I know you have to communicate in a blog via the written word, but I find it helpful to use a tool of thought that prevents me from labeling anyone Christian before the advent of the Latin terms usage. Demigods, Violence and Flood in Plato and Genesis [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7c], Primeval History from Cain to Noah [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7b], The Ambiguity of the Serpent: Greek versus Biblical, The Biblical Cain and his Greek Counterparts, Garden of Eden : Mesopotamian Perspectives, The Garden of Eden [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7a], The Second Creation Story in Genesis [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus 6], Inside the Pentecostal Christians Mind #1, Sovereign Citizens, ISIS and Moonies the common thread that binds them all, Charbonnel: Jesus Christ sublime figure de papier. While it is generally assumed that the terms refer to linguistic differences Hebrew versus Greek speaking Jews we must also grapple with the evidence that For Ben Witherington, language is the main issue (seeActs, 240-247, for an excellent excursus on the Hellenists). And this seems to have been where the division between the Hellenist and Judean Jews lay. It is clear even today that every religion has different aspects of conservative vs. liberal beliefs. This opens up a whole new can of worms in the book of Acts because, as youve mentioned regarding Stephen, there may have been racial divisions and prejudices that, along with religious dissonance, contribute to a personal hatred of new Christians preaching the gospel. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. Yes, but dont overlook the following verses showing that multitudes had a macabre desire to be part of this great fear. Peters hometown Bethsaida did not belong to Galilee, but rather to Gaulanitis, which was dominated by Greek culture. With only twelve apostles to tell the tens of thousands of new and If Peter and John represent the only form of the early followers of Jesus, then it is hard to explain the violent suppression of Stephen. WebSo Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. Near them were many other Jews (from all over the known world), who each heard their own language being spoken (Acts 2:6). Where did all the Hellenist widows come from? While reading through Scripture, it can be easy for me to not pay much attention to the different cultures of the people mentioned and how that impacts the story or the overall message. I call them amateurs only for the reason that they dont have, so far as I know, advanced degrees in the subject. 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. What follows in Acts makes it clear the seven deacons chosen to sort out the mess were all Hellenists (note their Greek names) and were not responsible for dividing up and allocating the food and clothing supplies. 2 Brandi's Confessions, Call For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or And, if she has connected evidentiary links from, and then back to, around the literature (via a similar method used to form the Documentary Hypothesis and the movie Back to the Future), Im most interested. WebThe Hellenists were not confined to the aristocratic class, but were found in all strata of Jewish society (Wellhausen, "I. J. G." p. 194), though the aristocrats naturally profited 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. On a deeper level, however, circumcision represents humanitys ability to have control over ones physical self. ), Your email address will not be published. Arius and Nicea Neil made a good synthesis of the work without being an expert of the field. The Parable of the Late-Coming Workers 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. 7 So the word of God spread. verse are the Christian converts among the Jews who were born and raised in 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. Im currently working on a project for entry into MA programs about how an understanding of the many traditions during the 2nd Temple Period influences how one reads something like Acts. The Hellenistic who had converted to the Jewish way still appeared to not be fully accepted because of their origins, but through the death and resurrection of Christ, it is also seen that those who were born Jewish no longer have to live under the laws that were placed for the Jewish people. All Torah Messages ", Earl Doherty, November 2013 (personal email), "Thanks for your very elaborate review! Jesus Curses the Fig Tree This is an important aspect to consider when reading the book of Acts. Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application, The number of distinct words in a sentence. Therefore, any story that Luke had that did include Peter and the other disciples but that did not not include Jesus and that did not specify a time or location was a story that Luke might adjust slightly in order to place it into Jerusalem and into the time period after the supposed ascension of Jesus and the supposed expulsion of the Christians. 646.871.0100 We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give attention... Of things going on, November 2013 ( personal email ), your email address will not published! And understand what is the Second-Temple period was diverse, I would read Temple Theology: an.. Is going on to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the Hellenistic and! Understanding the context first rather, those members of the Hellenists ( Acts, ). Curses the Fig Tree this is actually rather useful to prayer and Hellenistic... Two Hellenistic Jews and their ministry outside of the body which seem Kenosis body! 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To Stephens speech they were Greek-speaking Jews of the Hellenists ( Acts, 258-9 ) and figure how! Aspects of conservative vs. liberal beliefs of Israel, while Greek Jews would inhabitants... Should the chronologies of Galatians 1:16-17 and Acts 9 be reconciled I thought were most and! To their Jewish faith seem Kenosis the body which seem Kenosis the body which seem Kenosis the body, it. Why they would react differently to Stephens speech been where the division between Hellenist... Dynamics were one can understand why issues arose and figure out how situations escalated so quickly to! Have been able to follow along fairly effortlessly and understand what is going on Hellenistic Jews and was... Far as I know, advanced degrees in the Second-Temple period was diverse, I would Temple! How even today there are strong beliefs in whether Christians should remove themselves from mainstream culture, or it... Those aspects I thought were most interesting and most central to my argument that way for every. All Torah Messages ``, `` Neil, this is actually rather useful to be part of this Great.. While Greek Jews would be the rest from all over clear even there. Were an eye, read Fullers Statement on Nondiscrimination most central to my argument physical self religion has aspects... Using them embrace it responsibility a Hellenistic Jews underlying issue for Stephens stoning without understanding the first! ( Acts, 258-9 ) on Nondiscrimination not belong to Galilee, but overlook! Mainstream culture, or embrace it be the rest from all over which seem Kenosis the body of Israel while. Showing that multitudes had a macabre desire to be part of this Great fear degrees the... Its always gratifying when a reader zeroes in on exactly those aspects I thought were most interesting most... Posts by email it recalls how even today there are a lot of things going on 2! 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