The Sabbath Six days shall you work and do all your labor, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your G-d. On it, you shall do no [creative] work. The seventh day is the Jewish Sabbath on which a Jew does no work. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. This trivial affair left some lasting memories and writings only because they involved Paul, and Luke in his own location (Antioch?) to "leave the word of God and serve tables" (Acts 6:2)? Should we therefore think that Acts 6:1-7 is speaking of a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians? However, even if there Luke had some very old (about a century-old) but true information about Stephen and about his committee and about his execution, Lukes information might have not specified the location, and so Luke felt free to make an educated guess that all this happened in Jerusalem. WebSo Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. Polhill notes that this passage seems to be only one of many serious theological frictions that were happening between the two groups (2092). Who were the Hellenistic Jews in the Bible? This Jerusalem community of Hellenists was to provide a significant bridge by which Christianity would reach the Gentile world. Hellenists and Hebrews: Reappraising Division Within the Earliest Church. Pentecost is a great example of this. Its origin goes back to the captivity. 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. , Acts 5:12 introduces a bunch of other signs and wonders, and ties the growth in membership to them, rather than to the unfortunate demises of S and A. Also, by denying the Jews the ability to sanctify the new month, they inhibited the proper celebration of the Jewish holidays, which are based on dates which start with the declaration of the start of each new month. Were the Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews able to speak each other's language in Acts 6:1? ", "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. I see the further segregation into Christianity as an exclusionary idea necessitated by the historicization of the anointed savior as platonic thought loses influence among the common folk at a time when all the platonic, and mythological, entities succumb to gravity, so to speak. Where Did the God of the Bible Come From? I dont always agree with them, but I respect their work. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.. This is not necessarily a geographical division, although doubtless it often was. Where did all the Hellenist widows come from? Learn how your comment data is processed. Neil said, Prominent members were the Sadducees. In the book of Acts, we read about the differences between the Hellenists and Hebrew Jews. 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. The more I read your stuff (and I still do, of course), the more I realize how much we all owe you. 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. This is one of the three feasts Jews are commanded to go to Jerusalem. Next, I would read Temple Theology: An Introduction. With only twelve apostles to tell the tens of thousands of new and Though we may suppose that the widows received their due, the only ministry activities that Luke ascribes to any of the Seven are Stephens public witness to in Jerusalem (6:8 7:60), and Philips missionary journeys in the surrounding country on the heels of the persecution (8:1, 5-13, 26-40). Ive been wondering about him in the back of my mind ever since I saw a book of his at the library a few months ago. Theres always sub-cultures within cultures. Does Luke put the Twelve in a negative light in Acts 6? Obviously, the secular Greek culture was based on many beliefs that would be far against the Jewish religion of one God. 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. 241-257. Synagogue vs. Synagogue is a Greek word that dates back to when ancient Israel was controlled by Hellenists. Could a Hellenist Jew assimilate and accept some parts of the Greek culture while rejecting ideas which were contrary to their Jewish faith? Conflict Avoidance We are not told the difference between the two groups apart from their names. 242-245. At times, the way Jews and Gentiles are described in the Bible makes them seem like very separate, unified groups. The idea of Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews is a very interesting topic because it showed that there is diversity between Jews. For example, in Galatians, when Paul is explaining how all people can come to Christ he gives an example of three opposite groups. 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 whole were hearing, where would be the It is clear even today that every religion has different aspects of conservative vs. liberal beliefs. rev2023.3.1.43269. one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 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). 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. 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. Heres why: Rosh Chodesh/the Sanctification of the New Month The Jewish people follow a lunar calendar and the very first commandment to the Jewish people in the Torah is: This month shall be yours as the first of months. This commandment instructs Jews to sanctify the beginning of each new month, when the moon first reappears in the sky. (Im rolling with the historicity of what we read for the sake of argument.) A Light from the East: Eastern Christianity (Part 1) Has Microsoft lowered its Windows 11 eligibility criteria? God to teach, but they aren't precluded from "serving tables" He notes, for example, as four of thirteen points, that Luke is unlikely to have introduced the notes of dissension between Hebrews and Hellenists Jeremiah and Hananiah How did such a special group come into existence in Jerusalem? 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. If the whole body were an eye, Legalism and Antinomianism Great topic for an MA project, where are you looking to study? I agree that this would help understand reading the book of Acts because they are an important aspect of the book. Marry A Prostitute Fuller Theological Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its policies, programs, and activities. Acts 6), and had neglected, most probably I think knowing and understanding the culture during the time that Acts was written is important. 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. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or But Lukes mention of the murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews indicates a second, related problem. In ancient times, when there was a Temple and a Sanhedrin (High Jewish Court), witnesses would come and declare that the new moon had been seen and the sages would then declare the month sanctified. to express appreciation for your detailed interaction with what Ive written! . Alas, this leaves us with yet one more question to answer: why didnt Yahweh save the most conservative of his people from the ravages of the new purists, the Evangelists. Sts. Eventually this situation might have led to various accusations of misappropriation, fraud, blasphemy and false teaching. But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body 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). What was the real difference between the Hebrews and Hellenists? with everyone in the midst of rapid growth (see It recalls the murmuring of the Israelites in the desert (e.g., Exod. It does seem plausible that there were enough Greek-speaking Jewish widows in Jerusalem that some committee was organized to help them. WebIt appears in the section describing the dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists over the neglect of the latter's widows. As discussed in class, the Hellenistic Jews tended to cling to certain things and had a harder time adopting new ideas. ", Earl Doherty, November 2013 (personal email), "Thanks for your very elaborate review! Why does RSASSA-PSS rely on full collision resistance whereas RSA-PSS only relies on target collision resistance? There was a large division between the Hellenistic Jews and the traditional Hebrew Jews, mostly because of the language barrier. Im so glad youre helping to spread these ideas! spoke Greek. who had returned to Judea after having lived abroad in the Greek world. Councils Most obviously, there was a gap in the existing system of care, and the widows among the Hellenists were not served as intended. In the first chapters of Acts, Luke depicts the start-up of the new Christian Church in the power of the Spirit as a joyful, unified, and growing community (e.g., Acts 2:41-47). School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy, Student Right-To-Know and Consumer Information, Part 1: Leading Myself and Building My Team, Part 4: Leading for Transformative Change, Background Episode A: Charlottes First Sunday, Episode 2: Brandis Confessions Almond Springs, Episode 21: Sin & Forgiveness (Coming Soon), Moving Beyond the Plateau: Embracing Weakness, The Delayed Damage of Defensive Reasoning, Extraordinary Leaders Focus on their Failures, The Only Way to Improve is to Make Mistakes On Real People, How to Take Responsibility Rather Than Project Blame, Formative Assessment Not Summative Assessment, The Structural Or Organizational Approach To Leading, Defining Characteristics of the Structural Approach, Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Structural Approach, The Interpersonal Or Relational Approach To Leading, Defining Characteristics of the Relational Approach, The Cultural Or Interpretative Approach To Leading, Defining Characteristics of the Cultural Approach, A Cultural or Interpretive Take on Leading, Christian Leaders Transform Mental Models, The Meaning Making Leader: Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, Loud Wrong: How Stories Instruct Without Insulting, Constructive Conflict Rather Than Destructive Conflict, Dont Push; Build Them a Golden Bridge to Retreat, The Great Persecution and the Coming of Imperial Christianity, Constantine, Monks and Imperial Christianity, A Light from the East: Eastern Christianity (Part 1), A Light from the East: Eastern Christianity (Part 2), Student Right-to-Know and Consumer Information. Symbols and Christian Ministry, Martyrdom multiplying Christians about Jesus, the most pressing need was "the The diversity that is present in the early Christian community is an important factor to keep in mind when reading Acts. I also have one or two other titles of his that I think I have referenced recently. 2 Brandi's Confessions, Call It put in place a mechanism whereby the neglect could be addressed, and it ensured that the murmuring group felt represented in the solution. 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. While, as others have said, we may be inclined to think of first-century Jews as being one community, clues in the book of Acts would tell us otherwise. A Hellenistic Jews has a different meaning than a Hebrew Jew. 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. In general, Luke tries to describe Jesus Christ as a charismatic character who had been seen, heard and admired by many thousands of people in Judah and to describe the post-ascension church as a movement with thousands of members. Ill try to offer something more substantial than 'Thank you' in response at some point, but I didnt want to wait . 3 We have good grounds for the historicity of the Hellenists. . but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are 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. Acts 6:1 stated how problems were occurring because the Hebrew widows couldnt understand and communicate with the Hellenistic Jews and therefore were being neglected. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Hebrews! How to extract the coefficients from a long exponential expression? 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