Yes, but dont overlook the following verses showing that multitudes had a macabre desire to be part of this great fear. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. Ill begin nailing down the schools to apply to around May. Spirit. Although the Jews did have common beliefs, some of their differing views caused problems in the early church. . So this is a Schmithals time in my reading. This marks a change in the scenario the author has painted in the previous five chapters. So yes I think this information is valuable to know when reading Acts. Having then 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. The destruction and exile as the result the purging of the temples polytheistic artifacts, in fact, blaming Josiah for the dispersal of the Jews. Does Luke put the Twelve in a negative light in Acts 6? use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in (Romans 12:4-8), Which of these roles deserves particular esteem? Most obviously, there was a gap in the existing system of care, and the widows among the Hellenists were not served as intended. WebWhat is the difference between synagogue and shul? one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. So Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. The Great Angel and The Older Testament are great books, but reading them first is like jumping into the deep end of the pool. Another way to put this is to be a Hellenistic Jew, there is to be an adaptive language other than the Jewish 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? ", Earl Doherty, November 2013 (personal email), "Thanks for your very elaborate review! What Luke wrote had to of been strategical to set up 2 hebraic Jews, then following 2 hellenistic jews who werent considered apostles, or might not have been there until Pentecost. The Hebrews were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the Hellenists were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue was Greek. Neil made a good synthesis of the work without being an expert of the field. Miracles like these created so much excitement that multitudes more rushed to join up with such an idyllic group. composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 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. 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. This oversight has been corrected. Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work much appreciated!". In order to understand the Chanukah story, it is necessary to understand the differences between these two cultures. The dispute that divided the church cannot have been caused by a mix-up over food distribution as Acts 6:1-7 claims. Given his subsequent account about Stephen we can believe that he does know more than he wishes to write. Classes and Programs While Judaism teaches humankind to strive to be like G-d, the Greeks created gods who acted with less dignity than many humans. Many of the members might have been ethnically Jewish and bi-lingual, but they identified themselves more with Greek culture and they were critical of the Jewish Temples religious establishment. exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he Twebrew School Call Kenosis Next, I would read Temple Theology: An Introduction. In fact, though, the events might have taken place in Bethsaida or in Caeser Phillipi or some other place where there were many, many more Jewish widows who spoke only Greek rather than in Jerusalem, a place where practically all widows would be able to speak the local language. Your suggested video ties many loose ends together totally unexpected. just as He pleased. There are the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. 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. Seems like a lot of foreign Jews around Jerusalem for a long time after Pentecost. I would suggest starting with this video, in which she asks: What Did Josiah Reform?, http://byutv.org/watch/94f4b39e-ef10-4181-bcad-d0502e924060. 7 So the word of God spread. Arius and Nicea WebHere is a basic outline of Judaism versus Hellenism: These differences created a clash of cultures. In fact, however, Jesus Christ had not been seen in Judah by anybody at all. 242-245. Good job. exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he Parables But things are not as smooth as they appear. Women Mystics, Baptism 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. 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. 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." 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. Esther ", "Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar . For Ben Witherington, language is the main issue (seeActs, 240-247, for an excellent excursus on the Hellenists). Philippians 2 Till now the church has been portrayed as harmoniously united. T he Gnostic interpretation of Scripture was designed to appeal to the Hellenistic intellectual communities such as existed in Alexandria, Egypt. 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. 2Martin Hengel,Between Jesus and Paul: Studies in the Earliest History of Christianity(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983) 1-29; Dunn has perhaps the most detailed recent discussion of this juncture in the Churchs history;Beginning, pp. Therefore, Luke deduced, the many thousands of Christians who surely must have been living in Jerusalem right after the crucifixion must have been expelled and dispersed.in the following years. say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I Communal Responsibility It is possible these men were not followers of Jesus prior to Pentecost. were conducted on tables, of church management). Creation Even in the Old Testament history books and laws, we see mentions of foreigners among the Jews and how they should be treated among the Jewish society. As I read through acts and this blog post in particular I see that the early Christian community was more diverse and complex than it may seem at first glance. . 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. Could Plato Really have Influenced Judaism and the Bible? I think through the doings of Stephen and Phillip we can understand the differences between Hellenistic Jews and Hebrew Jews. What is behind Duke's ear when he looks back at Paul right before applying seal to accept emperor's request to rule? say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I WebWhat is the difference between Hellenists and Hebrews? Jesus Curses the Fig Tree but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are WebIt appears in the section describing the dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists over the neglect of the latter's widows. Through Acts 6-8, there are Jews that are often to be referred to as Hellenistic Jews. However, it is not always implied in Acts 2-5. Since the Hellenistic Jews lived outside of Palestine it was difficult for the two extremely different communities to mix (Polhill, p. 2092). Every sect of the Jews were usually either from a different region or were around for different events. 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. Marry A Prostitute A Light from the East: Eastern Christianity (Part 2) Anyone interested in this question should know about Craig Hill. On Humility use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in Both are Hellenistic Jews, and neither is numbered among the Twelve. , 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. who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." 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. There was a large division between the Hellenistic Jews and the traditional Hebrew Jews, mostly because of the language barrier. 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). the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. Leaders Bear Pain Remember, it was Greek mythology that created nymphs and satyrs, philandering gods and promiscuous goddesses. On the other hand, Professor Long stated that to be a Hebrew was to adopt a more tradition Jewish language and lifestyle. Each Christian is given gift(s) by God and we should focus on Sponsors Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. | GotQuestions.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. Deborah Are you talking about the ability to recognize Fraktur font or translation or both? It was actually two-fold. 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. Its always gratifying when a reader zeroes in on exactly those aspects I thought were most interesting and most central to my argument. How to choose voltage value of capacitors. Conflict Avoidance There is also a problem that arises between both divisions of Jews. ", "I find your blog most interesting and appreciate your ongoing effort to keep to the evidence for the issues discussed! Filed under: Biblical Studies, New Testament "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)). This needs to be explained carefully, since the word Jew does not appear in the text (although English translations regularly include it). Read Fullers Statement on Nondiscrimination. It is clear even today that every religion has different aspects of conservative vs. liberal beliefs. The apostles weren't saying that manual WebThere is a distinction made between Jews and proselytes, Acts 2:10; but none between Hebrews and proselytes, because a proselyte might be either a Hebrew or a Hellenist, according to the language in which he performed public worship. Sanctification As discussed in class, the Hellenistic Jews tended to cling to certain things and had a harder time adopting new ideas. 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 Answer: The Hellenistic Jews are first mentioned in the Bible in Acts 6:1: 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. The believing Jews are There is a dissection and discrimination going on between the Jews. 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); Native Jews used Hebrew in While much of this is supposition, there is a sociological likelihood for something of this sort of dynamic to have been a factor, so that Hellenists murmuring against Hebrews indicate a degree of suspicion and possibly even hostility between the two groups this denoted.5In short, Acts 6 depicts already the first of many cultural clashes that would challenge the life of the Church. 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