I think what P. Long mentioned about the issue between the Jews during the stoning of Stephen was most definitely accurate. Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work much appreciated!". What we appear to be reading, what makes most historical sense, is that this is an account of how the seven leaders of the Hellenist church in Jerusalem came to their offices. ", Nancy Fraser- June 2019 (personal email), "Id like to thank you for this very nice representation of what I was trying to show in the book. How to extract the coefficients from a long exponential expression? 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. WebThe Hellenists: The Jews who adopted the Greek culture and language. According to Acts 21:17-26 are the Jews who are under the New Covenant bound to keep the law of Moses for any reason? Like you had said, not a development, but what it already is. As P. Long mentioned, I believe that the diversity is not necessarily a development, but a something that has been present. This diversity is less a development in the earliest church, but a factor present from the beginning. Cookie Policy(function (w,d) {var loader = function () {var s = d.createElement("script"), tag = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js"; tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);}; if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load", loader, false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload", loader);}else{w.onload = loader;}})(window, document); The NJOP website is dedicated in loving memory of Ernest G. and Heidi Kahn. What They Didn't Tell Me in Seminary The more I read your stuff (and I still do, of course), the more I realize how much we all owe you. Why were the widows among the Hellenists "neglected in the daily distribution" I would suggest here that Luke has intentionally arranged several stories concerning Peter and John in chapters 2-4, and several stories concerning Stephen and Philip in chapters 6-8. the same care for one another. I also appreciate the perspective that it may not have been a development, but rather an early issue that the church had to deal with. And perhaps this experience did lead Paul to learn more about and join the cult. Polhill (2008) states, The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews from the Diaspora (dispersed Jews living outside Palestine). composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, Humility in Leadership Spiritual Practices Your suggested video ties many loose ends together totally unexpected. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. In this way we can use their examples for our learning and try not to repeat things that failed for them (Romans 15:4). Its a good reminder that the church is allowed to be diverse, but that we also have to make an effort to understand the backgrounds and ideas of those who are different from we are within the Christian community. And those members of the body which we think to They abhorred circumcision because it focused on the fact that a person is capable of channeling his/her passions. that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have It would not make sense if Stephen, Peter, and John did the same thing to the same groups of people, yet had different consequences for their actions. Aquila and Priscilla). Also when reading this I see that there is dissection among the Jews. Esther He suggests that the most characteristic reason for a move to Jerusalem would have been retirement; if so, then it is likely that widowed women would have represented a disproportionately high percentage of that demographic.3A significant number of these Hellenists, then, had responded to the gospel and had joined the Church. A common thread through out humanity be it Hebrew or gentile is that one group will discriminate against another picking out physical features dress language what ever is different from themselves or the accepted norm of the dominate culture. You are doing essentially the same quality now (apart from the philology and languages) except mostly sticking to commenting on others work as informed comment/discussion. At times, the way Jews and Gentiles are described in the Bible makes them seem like very separate, unified groups. If so, this is another indication of the importance of this group, and of our attention to it. Recipes, All NJOP Posts 242-245. WebWho are the Hellenists and the Hebrews? Toggle the visibility of the Accessibility Toolbar, Study the History of Persian/Iranian Jews, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10105. Godliness With Contentment The following two tabs change content below. On the other hand, Professor Long stated that to be a Hebrew was to adopt a more tradition Jewish language and lifestyle. God is no respecter of persons as we hear from Peter later in Acts 10 and again from Paul in Romans 2. ministry of the word." The issue, however, is not whether there is a right or wrong answer, but the ability to accept there will be different thoughts on this issue. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. 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. To identify them, Luke uses the term I only bring this up because it has helped me see that the Christian from Hebrew delineation, if one can really speak of such, is between the theologically evolving, if only somewhat inclusive anointed savior professing Jews, and the most conservative Jews, the non-Hellenistic, non-inclusive, and non-progressive mostly nationalistic, purist Hebrews who wished to rebuild the Temple City. Why not stay in Jerusalem until Jesus returns? How about this: They were Christian Hellenistic Jews who were convinced Jesus was the messiah and was about to return at any moment, so why return home? For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable Hellenist was to adopt the language and culture of the Greeks, while to be a Hebrew was to adopt a more tradition Jewish language and lifestyle. So, please continue to delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers. We can follow this progression in the Book of Acts, as Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene going north to Antioch are the first to preach the gospel directly to non-Jewish Greeks (11:19-21), necessitating Barnabas investigation, and leading him to collar Paul for service in the diverse church of Antioch (11:22-26).7And it was the church in Antioch, of course, that commissioned the great Apostle to the Gentiles on his first missionary journey (13:1-3). Would you believe me if I said that was a Persian Flaw? 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. I say that because it is hard for people to have the same goals. Im glad you are doing this series on Schmithals. "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)). 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. say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of Fuller Theological Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its policies, programs, and activities. Filed under: Biblical Studies, New Testament 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. 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Ironically, Greek culture and Judaism are the roots of modern Western civilization. Apologists Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the great miracles that happened during the Maccabee revolt in the time of the Second Temple period. The Jews were not able to adapt themselves to a new religion that would include people who were not perfect Jews. To repopulate the world, they throw stones which turn into people; the first stone they throw becomes their son, Hellen. Lukes story about the Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem was part of that long explanation. Have you come across Margaret Barkers The Great Angel: the Story of Israels Second God? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Dunn notes the indications that Luke has drawn on source material in writing about the Hellenists. Martin Luther's "Table Talk" Some details about this action, however, come clear only upon closer scrutiny. Where Did the God of the Bible Come From? Why does he not tell us anything about how the Hellenists came to emerge as a separate party in Jerusalem? Terms and Conditions(function (w,d) {var loader = function () {var s = d.createElement("script"), tag = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js"; tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);}; if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load", loader, false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload", loader);}else{w.onload = loader;}})(window, document); WebHere is a basic outline of Judaism versus Hellenism: These differences created a clash of cultures. What was the problem reported in Acts 6? To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Where did all the Hellenist widows come from? In Acts, it talks about a division in Judaism that I had not heard of before: Acts 6:1 (NIV) A Light from the East: Eastern Christianity (Part 2) 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. Sanctification You dont hold out on Peter the Rock. Learn how your comment data is processed. They were infuriated by the Jewish refusal to accept Hellenism. Deborah Without an in-depth study, many misinterpretations can be formed. Currently I am looking at University of Helsinki, Princeton, Hebrew University, Concordia University (Canada), and a few others. And when you see Peter saying It is not about the money, but the disrepect for me and for the Holy Spirit, and then see that first Ananias, and then Sapphira, miraculously drop down dead (nothing to do with Joe Sicarius standing behind them, of course) the fear is not surprising. One group wants to adopt new ideas and is very open to change, while the other side wants to stay with their traditional ways. Your email address will not be published. The Great Persecution and the Coming of Imperial Christianity 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. It seems that between the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews, there was a misunderstanding as to what was expected of each group as the diversity of the early church meant that a lot of cultural aspects were being brought together. Whereas, the Hebrew speaking Jews, are more conservative in their beliefs due to the influences of their cultures, and on the hand, Hellenistic Jews were more I think it expands, and contributes to, the effort in honouring Thomas that we with Lukasz originally had in mind with this volume. Crusades These two sects were as God-fearing as the other, it just mattered that the Hellenistic Jews adopted many Greek customs such as fashion and language. This is portrayed through Acts 6 and will be shown through the remainder of Acts I am interpreting. Each Christian is given gift(s) by God and we should focus on WebThe Hebrew word for Pharisee, Perushim, means to separate, because they separated themselves from the Hellenists and all outside influences. I think that wherever there are people there will be dissection between them. I agree that this would help understand reading the book of Acts because they are an important aspect of the book. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews. I know of no other site which offers a wide range of topics related to careful critical analysis of historically and scripturally related issues. "the Hellenists" are the Christian converts among the Jews 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. Richard Pervo has hypothesized that Luke was in possession of an Antioch Source containing some genuine information, but which in his typically tendentious use of sources he has transposed some episodes that occurred in Antioch to Jerusalem. The church established the acceptable doctrine that was pleasing to all the faction by enlarge. 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