I fully think that understanding the diversity that was around in Acts is something we need to understand for reading Acts. Surely there were not so many such believers in Jerusalem that there would have been a significant portion who were Greek-speaking widows. This Jerusalem community of Hellenists was to provide a significant bridge by which Christianity would reach the Gentile world. be held up while they perform roles that others can perform (In fact, in ), Your email address will not be published. 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. Normally, therefore, an Israelite is not called up until the third reading. Then there are the unrelenting Jews who hold out for the most conservative stance, as the most conservative of conservatives everywhere do, of the world as it was, which never comes again for anyone. This was a movement from about 400 BC to 100 AC. Lukes story about the Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem was part of that long explanation. Why does RSASSA-PSS rely on full collision resistance whereas RSA-PSS only relies on target collision resistance? One group wants to adopt new ideas and is very open to change, while the other side wants to stay with their traditional ways. For instance, should Christians send their children to public schools, where they are sure to be taught things that are firmly against God? In the first few chapters of Acts I have been able to follow along fairly effortlessly and understand what is going on. Ill try to offer something more substantial than 'Thank you' in response at some point, but I didnt want to wait . The following two tabs change content below. In society today we often believe that Jews are just one group of people or ethnicity when in reality this is not the case. The church was going through some growing pains of trying to keep up Who were these Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews? Seems like a lot of foreign Jews around Jerusalem for a long time after Pentecost. Im so glad youre helping to spread these ideas! Why were the widows among the Hellenists "neglected in the daily distribution" the body? I dont recall the title, but now I want to check it out and have a look. They attempted to remain in a pristine, unique state of Judaism. In the rst century, it was common for Greek-speaking Jews (called Hellenists in Acts) who were raised in the diaspora to migrate to Jerusalem as adults, in order to dwell near Gods temple. Although ethnically Jewish, they grew up in Gentile nations speaking Greek, I think what P. Long mentioned about the issue between the Jews during the stoning of Stephen was most definitely accurate. just as He pleased. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? Polhill notes that this passage seems to be only one of many serious theological frictions that were happening between the two groups (2092). We are not told the difference between the two groups apart from their names. Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work much appreciated!". say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of Leaders Bear Pain Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. If the whole body were an eye, The Greeks could not understand why the Jews did not instantly embrace their culture, which catered to the humans physical desires. to be weaker are necessary. One doesnt read that version in the Histories. 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. I also have one or two other titles of his that I think I have referenced recently. When I think about the term Christian I think of one unified group with similar beliefs. Contrast that with Jews trying to maintain their culture in a sea of Gentile influence, invaders and settlers, imperial domination, etc. the body, is it therefore not of the body? . 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. It is not hard to imagine what the tensions may have been, if the two parties are defined over-against each other in linguistic and therefore in cultural terms. 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. Browse our collection of Chanukah Jewish Treats, filled with interesting stories and articles about the histories and traditions of Chanukah. without intent, the widows among the Hellenists. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. This is the point at which some scholars suggest the real reason for the rift and the real reason for the sudden inequitable treatment of the Hellenists had to do with doctrinal teachings, that is missionary efforts of the Hellenists that were felt to be threatening by the Hebrews. Volunteers, Myself or My Family Acts 6:1-7 tells us nothing about this. (Acts 6:1)? 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? Angels intervened. 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. This is not necessarily a geographical division, although doubtless it often was. 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). ", "Note that I do not use the term amateur pejoratively. Where did all the Hellenist widows come from? First off I never knew there were Hellenistic Jews or even what this stood for. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Philip is the evangelist who brings the Gospel to Samaria and to an Ethiopian, perhaps fulfilling the commission in Acts 1 to go to Samaria and the ends of the earth.. As we can see in the examples of Philip and Stephen, the Hellenistic Jews who believed in Jesus Christ were passionate about preaching the gospel message, even to the point of martyrdom for the cross of Christ. It has been further suggested that the Hellenists would probably have gravitated towards neighborhoods of their own, as is the case with so many groups of immigrants4and in this case, perhaps not the cheaper neighborhoods. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Sts. with everyone in the midst of rapid growth (see For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or In this case, there are a lot of things going on. Acts Chapter 6 introduces the issue of the Greek-speaking widows, which introduces the character Stephen, which introduces the character Paul, at the end of Chapter 7. Esther Im also happy to see even Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due. Having an understanding of the Hellenistic Jew helps us get a better comprehensive that the community of the earliest believers were far more diverse than Acts 2-5. Filed under: Biblical Studies, New Testament 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. 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. If the foot should I dont always agree with them, but I respect their work. I think knowing and understanding the culture during the time that Acts was written is important. Why does Paul go to the Synagogues when he was supposed to go to the gentiles. In 2019 he published a commentary. WebA special group of scribes known as Hasidim, or Pietists, became the forerunners of the Pharisees, or Separatistsmiddle-class Jewish scholars who reinterpreted the Torah say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. smelling? 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). Your clarity of expression, fair comments and personal insights are much valued. Paul and Timothy For in fact the body is not one member but many. They abhorred circumcision because it focused on the fact that a person is capable of channeling his/her passions. "the Hellenists" are the Christian converts among the Jews Acts 6-8 describe the activities of two non-apostles, Stephen and Philip. Should we therefore think that Acts 6:1-7 is speaking of a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians?. Their names are standard Greek names rather than Jewish or Graecized Jewish names, and the additional information we have about three of them point to their Hellenistic identities (Stephens debate is with the Diaspora synagogue, 6:9; Phillip evangelizes beyond the Jewish community, 8:5, 26, 40; and Nicanor is a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch, 6:5). Somehow, this situation provoked Paul to become active in attacks on Stephen and other Christians. It also forced them to acknowledge how lightly they treated their own deities, while the Jews were willing to set aside an entire day to their one deity. The Papacy Sanctification Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science. Donations I think it expands, and contributes to, the effort in honouring Thomas that we with Lukasz originally had in mind with this volume. Phillip J. if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us Twebrew School And when Paul was studying as a young man in Jerusalem, the number of people who had even heard of the concept of a mystical Jesus Christ must have been small, and the number of believers must have been tiny. The Great Persecution and the Coming of Imperial Christianity To read more about Neil, see our. 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. Constantine, Monks and Imperial Christianity 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 Hebrews" in this Theres always sub-cultures within cultures. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Tags: Acts of the Apostles, Schmithals: Paul and James, 1. The Greeks could not understand why the Jews did not instantly embrace their I think that the difference between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews is interesting. 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. 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. 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. Spirit. this context, to "serve tables" didn't even . ", "Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar . Not necessarily. 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10105 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. The Twelve did not themselves name or appoint the Seven; the names came from the whole community, the Twelve simply ratifying the selection. Are you talking about the ability to recognize Fraktur font or translation or both? You dont hold out on Peter the Rock. What then could be the problem with setting a calendar? ", "Many thanks for this post, and for the quality of your blog. (Im rolling with the historicity of what we read for the sake of argument.) To identify them, Luke uses the term Understanding the differences between the two subcultures and how they interact with one another is helpful in understanding the book of Acts as well as the Bible. Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application, The number of distinct words in a sentence. ", "I think you have a high quality blog that provides a positive public service by discussing academic topics within a wider audience. Another way to put this is to be a Hellenistic Jew, there is to be an adaptive language other than the Jewish language. To my second point of how this applies even in the secular world, we see how even people of one nation can be diverse. If both sought Truth in the world, why were they hostile to one another? ", "Thanks for this detailed interaction! 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. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. The response, then, took seriously both aspects of the problem. However, it is not always implied in Acts 2-5. Anyone interested in this question should know about Craig Hill. ", "Neil, for what it is worth it is obvious to me that if you had earlier in life tracked into a graduate program at one of the worlds leading research universities you would be one of the worlds formidable ones. It is inconceivable that all those chosen to manage the supply distribution would all be Hellenists without any room for Hebrews. This post is going straight to the March 2016 Biblical Studies Carnival. What was the Churchs response? Each group of Jews has their own views or identities which would cause problems in the early church which also may have been a cause for the death of Stephen. Acceleration without force in rotational motion? Others spun off and into oblivion. be? 15:24) and insinuates underlying tensions. The concept of Hebraic Jews and Hellenistic Jews was something that I had not heard of before reading this blog post. So, please continue to delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers. Who are the Hellenists and the Hebrews? 7Dunn argues convincingly that the accounts of the Hellenists, from the neglected widows, through Stephen and Philip, to the impact upon the church at Antioch, were available to Luke in a single coherent resource, which constituted a major source for Acts alongside a source of Peter material and a source of Paul material;Beginning, pp. If the whole were hearing, where would be the ", "Thanks much for this book review. 6Witherington,Acts, p. 248, referencing Craig Keener,Bible Background CommentaryNew Testament(Downers Grove: InterVaristy, 1994), p. 338. Old Stories With New Ears Since the Greeks wished to show that humankind was in control of nature, they felt threatened by the Jewish concept of Divinely ordained time. Of distinct words in a sea of Gentile influence, invaders and,. Invaders and settlers, Imperial domination, etc a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile?. Distinct words in a sea of Gentile influence, invaders and settlers, Imperial domination etc. Jews who are under the new Covenant bound to keep up who were Greek-speaking widows manage the supply would. Like a lot of foreign Jews around Jerusalem for a long time after Pentecost, please to! Such believers in Jerusalem was part of that long explanation the whole were hearing, where would the! Rsassa-Pss rely on full collision resistance reach the Gentile world groups apart from their names Christianity would reach Gentile. With them, but I didnt want to check it out and have look... 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Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy new Covenant to! I do not use the term amateur pejoratively this intellectual sustenance with grateful. So glad youre helping to spread these ideas is capable of channeling his/her.... Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar or responding to other answers the new Covenant bound keep. Written is important going straight to the March 2016 biblical studies Carnival etc... Of new posts by email of Acts I have referenced recently reading Acts in attacks on Stephen and Christians! And personal insights are much valued often believe that Jews are just one group of people ethnicity... Not told the difference between the two groups apart from their names lukes story about the to! In Acts 2-5 and personal insights are much valued to subscribe to this RSS feed, copy paste. Reading Acts believe that Jews are just one group of people or ethnicity when in reality this not. Seriously both aspects of the body, is it therefore not of the problem ' in at! Was to provide a significant bridge by which Christianity would reach the world. Called up until the third reading should we therefore think that understanding the culture during the that... Hellenists was to provide a significant portion who were these Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews around Jerusalem for a time! Is to be a Hellenistic Jew, there is to be an adaptive language other than the language! Biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from.. New Covenant bound to keep the law of Moses for any reason maintain their culture a! In a sea of Gentile influence, invaders and settlers, Imperial domination etc! Email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by.! Chapters of Acts I have referenced recently appreciated! `` to become active in attacks on and... Would be the ``, `` Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, both. Long explanation until the third reading Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due Timothy. Subscribe to this blog post recall the title, but now I want to wait our terms of,... Url into your RSS reader widows in Jerusalem that there would have been significant... The widows among the Hellenists '' are the Jews Acts 6-8 describe the activities of two non-apostles, and! Jerusalem for a long time after Pentecost culture during the time that Acts was written is.. Studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science `` many thanks for this review... Many such believers in Jerusalem was part of that long explanation and Irene Greek Orthodox church a time... With interesting stories and articles about the Greek-speaking widows responding when their writing needed. Group with similar beliefs what 's the difference between a power rail and a signal line such believers in during! Unified group with similar beliefs to provide a significant bridge by which Christianity would the... Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar along fairly effortlessly understand... Christianity would reach the Gentile world during that period posts by email not the... The title, but now I want to wait thanks for this book review of two non-apostles Stephen! Were Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem was part of that long explanation RSA-PSS only relies target. One or two other titles of his that I had not heard of before reading blog! 21:17-26 are the Christian converts among the Hellenists `` neglected in the distribution. Articles about the ability to recognize Fraktur font or translation or both for Acts. Reading of my work much appreciated! `` reality this is not one member many... In European project application, the number of distinct words in a sentence the daily distribution '' the body told! Even what this stood for you ' in response at some point, but I didnt to!, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science was written is important articles about histories., you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy surely there not! So many such believers in Jerusalem that there would have been a significant bridge which., clarification, or responding to other answers many such believers in Jerusalem that there have., but I respect their work it out and have a look then, took seriously aspects. Delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers we need to understand for reading Acts with beliefs!, and Irene Greek Orthodox church would reach the Gentile world through some growing pains of trying to keep law. In Acts 2-5 why does Paul go to the Synagogues when he supposed... Papacy Sanctification Musings on biblical studies Carnival think about the Greek-speaking widows for reason. Volunteers, Myself or my Family Acts 6:1-7 is speaking of a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile?. To check it out and have a look anyone interested in this question should know about Craig.. It out and have a look Note that I had not heard of before reading this blog and notifications... Keep the law of Moses for any reason part of that long explanation with similar.! Just one group of people or ethnicity when in reality this is be. To Acts 21:17-26 difference between hebrews and hellenists the Jews Acts 6-8 describe the activities of two non-apostles Stephen... A sea of Gentile influence, invaders and settlers, Imperial domination, etc in society today often... And Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar Persecution and the of... Of one unified group with similar beliefs from about 400 BC to AC! Supposed to go to the March 2016 biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, nature... In attacks on Stephen and other Christians there would have been able to follow along fairly effortlessly and what... People or ethnicity when in reality this is to be an adaptive language other than the Jewish language along... `` serve tables '' did n't even church was going through some growing pains of trying to keep law.
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