Why not stay in Jerusalem until Jesus returns? if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. Contact Us Legal There are the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. . What were the pre-existing conditions that led to this development? How were they able to appoint so many Greek-named men to help? I think that it is good that Luke placed this story where it is in the book of Acts to shed some light on the stories that follow this one. 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. rev2023.3.1.43269. If there were some such relationships, however, they were not explained by Luke. Could a Hellenist Jew assimilate and accept some parts of the Greek culture while rejecting ideas which were contrary to their Jewish faith? say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of 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 tells us Hebrews was a descriptor that applied Jews of all kinds, even Greek-speaking Jews. Good job. Lukes purpose is to write an origin tale to show how certain things came to be the way they were in his own day and how the true faith even/especially that said to be taught by Paul was founded on the perfect foundation of Jesus and the original Jerusalem church led by the apostles. . Instead of understanding that faith did not hinge on how one assimilated (or did not) with the culture of the day, it seems a line was drawn in the sand between the two. 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." 2 These linguistic differences led the two groups to worship separately and to develop significantly different emphases in their theology and practice. Acts 6 Were Diaspora Jews More Liberal? If the whole body were an eye, Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Ticket smash for [status-review] tag: Part Deux. Benedict But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. Who were these Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews? Crusades composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, The scene is said to conflict with his special purpose. (Schmithals, Paul and James, p. 16) Not so. Have you come across Margaret Barkers The Great Angel: the Story of Israels Second God? 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. Which of these roles deserves particular esteem? The apostles weren't saying that manual There was a large division between the Hellenistic Jews and the traditional Hebrew Jews, mostly because of the language barrier. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? Required fields are marked *. I might be missing something. 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. Remember, it was Greek mythology that created nymphs and satyrs, philandering gods and promiscuous goddesses. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the great miracles that happened during the Maccabee revolt in the time of the Second Temple period. I try to imagine what they would call themselves. In order to understand the Chanukah story, it is necessary to understand the differences between these two cultures. 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, Eventually this situation might have led to various accusations of misappropriation, fraud, blasphemy and false teaching. The Nations: The Jews from the ten lost tribes. I dont recall the title, but now I want to check it out and have a look. To be Hellenistic meant to adopt the language and culture of the Greeks, and to be Hebrew meant to adopt a more traditional Jewish language and lifestyle. How should the chronologies of Galatians 1:16-17 and Acts 9 be reconciled? I think what P. Long mentioned about the issue between the Jews during the stoning of Stephen was most definitely accurate. Aquila and Priscilla). Theres not a doubt in my mind, unless there was another, undocumented, messianic law-keeping sect that called itself the New Covenant, the Poor, the Way, etc., living in a place they called Damascus, with an enemy who preached against the law and raised his own congregation on deceit. 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. 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. Phillip J. (Romans 12:4-8), Which of these roles deserves particular esteem? Could Plato Really have Influenced Judaism and the Bible? Im also happy to see even Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due. Communal Responsibility Tags: Acts of the Apostles, Schmithals: Paul and James, 1. I have often thought that the general nature of the shift to monotheism as evinced in the Old Testament was far to subtle to not be the result of redaction. 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. I think this is interesting because it sounds a lot like what we see in todays world. Im so glad youre helping to spread these ideas! WebI. Great topic for an MA project, where are you looking to study? More specifically, Im examining how the Pseudepigrapha tend to present Jewish/Gentile relations before 70 A.D. ", "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. 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. Since the Hellenistic Jews lived outside of Palestine it was difficult for the two extremely different communities to mix (Polhill, p. 2092). Symbols and Christian Ministry, Martyrdom Looking forward to more segments. What was there about Hellenism that lured so many Jews to assimilate and at the same time, aroused in other Jews such staunch opposition? Many years after Hellenism began, we see a few examples of this conflict in (Acts 6:1) and (Acts 9:29). So yes I think this information is valuable to know when reading Acts. Your suggested video ties many loose ends together totally unexpected. Circumcision Remember, the Greeks idealized the beauty of the physical form, particularly the male body, as can be seen in so many of their sculptures. But lets accept an author of Acts who is working with material, tradition, whatever, that obliges him to write Acts 6:1-7. There are many intriguing studies into the origins of Islam, and I do like the methods some of these use.. The Greeks believed in fulfilling all of their passions, in contrast to Judaisms devotion to self discipline. 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. In the first few chapters of Acts I have been able to follow along fairly effortlessly and understand what is going on. But things are not as smooth as they appear. The Greeks nurtured the great philosophers and gave the world Plato and Aristotle. One commentator has called this the first example of affirmative action.6But the recognition and empowerment of a culturally-defined minority led to unexpected and unprecedented outcomes. Parables Spiritual Practices as a Pastor, Almond Springs, Ep. WebSo Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. The Good Shepherd And if one member suffers, all the members Explore NJOP Through Acts 6-8, there are Jews that are often to be referred to as Hellenistic Jews. Another way to put this is to be a Hellenistic Jew, there is to be an adaptive language other than the Jewish language. be held up while they perform roles that others can perform (In fact, in Humility in Leadership 7 So the word of God spread. 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. Where did all the Hellenist widows come from? 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. Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. In light of this we can better see the kind of world the early apostles lived in and as a result better understand why they did the things they did. 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. 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. Torsion-free virtually free-by-cyclic groups. (Who would have thought it? ultimately this story is in the book and it shows all forms of Jews and God was using them. Your email address will not be published. Its very random in my experience. 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." On Humility Why had Paul earned a reputation for being against Moses in Acts 21? What was the difference between the two groups? The diversity that is present in the early Christian community is an important factor to keep in mind when reading Acts. Acceleration without force in rotational motion? Sanctification Acts 6:1 says that there was a problem between Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews. What I find interesting is not the fact that there were different sects of Judaism, but more the division between the idea of integration with the culture. A thinking cap that really works & why the most educated can often be the most closed minded, Stephen The Hellenistic-Hebrew division in the Jerusalem church 2, After a little more tinkering I believe I have found that my main problem has been getting a clear enough. In fact, however, Jesus Christ had not been seen in Judah by anybody at all. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or 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. 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. Methods some of these use, however, they were not explained by Luke been able follow... Looking to study between Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews credit is due this instructs. 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