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. Synagogue vs. Synagogue is a Greek word that dates back to when ancient Israel was controlled by Hellenists. 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. Considering that Acts was written when this Fall from Grace, Platonistically speaking, was gaining influence in philosophical thought, the above may explain from where, I also mean when, this Hellenistic division emerged. . In this case, there are a lot of things going on. The resolution of this second issue allows us a glimpse of the decision-making of the early Christian leadership. The church was going through some growing pains of trying to keep up But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. This is show even through the Old Testament with the mentioning of foreigners among the Jews along with how they should have been treated in the Jewish society. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Read Fullers Statement on Nondiscrimination. The more I read your stuff (and I still do, of course), the more I realize how much we all owe you. Traditionally, Hellenistic Judaism was a designation for Judaism in the Greek-speaking world, including those Jews who spoke Greek and adopted (to some This needs to be explained carefully, since the word Jew does not appear in the text (although English translations regularly include it). 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. 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. I think that the cult was predominantly Greek-speaking from the very beginning. Discover, read and download our comprehensive guides and walkthroughs, watch videos and learn about the various aspects of Chanukah. Your voice is unique. What then could be the problem with setting a calendar? Acts 6:1-7 tells us nothing about this. Hellen, the male, has two l's in his name; whereas Helen of Troy has only one. But things are not as smooth as they appear. just as He pleased. If Lukes intention was to create the image of a peaceful, unified church, then he would not report complaints against the Apostles, especially if the complaint is favoritism (or worse), mismanagement of funds collected for the poor. In Acts, it talks about a division in Judaism that I had not heard of before: Acts 6:1 (NIV) The Greeks could not understand why the Jews did not instantly embrace their This opens up a whole new can of worms in the book of Acts because, as youve mentioned regarding Stephen, there may have been racial divisions and prejudices that, along with religious dissonance, contribute to a personal hatred of new Christians preaching the gospel. And this seems to have been where the division between the Hellenist and Judean Jews lay. I appreciate this post! For in fact the body is not one member but many. 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 Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. First we learn that the church was divided between Hebrews and Hellenists. Having then Theres always sub-cultures within cultures. . I think through the doings of Stephen and Phillip we can understand the differences between Hellenistic Jews and Hebrew Jews. When a teach said reach into the parable of the two sons and tell me the application, but me a younger believer did not have this memory of awana and sunday school teaching times. God to teach, but they aren't precluded from "serving tables" "The Hebrews" in this Without an in-depth study, many misinterpretations can be formed. The Greeks believed in fulfilling all of their passions, in contrast to Judaisms devotion to self discipline. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. Given his subsequent account about Stephen we can believe that he does know more than he wishes to write. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! To identify them, Luke uses the term This would have impeded understanding between the groups, and it may have been a factor in the actual neglect of the widows if they lived in an area less convenient for delivery of goods. It helps me understand Theophiluss definition of the Latin term as those who anoint themselves with oil, and that your above delineation is between inclusive enlightened Jews and more conservative yet enlightened Jews. Polhill notes that this passage seems to be only one of many serious theological frictions that were happening between the two groups (2092). Neil said, These linguistic 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. So this is a Schmithals time in my reading. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 8], Two Covenants: Israel and Atlantis [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7f], When Yahweh was at Peace with Other Gods [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7e], Table of Nations and other Post Flood events [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7d]. 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. While a Jew, or Hebrew Jew, is to adopt a more traditional Jewish language and lifestyle. Pentecost is a great example of this. And his open arms are equally for all those who believe in Him. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. Since the Greeks wished to show that humankind was in control of nature, they felt threatened by the Jewish concept of Divinely ordained time. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Elijah and Elisha Disclaimers. Ironically, Greek culture and Judaism are the roots of modern Western civilization. The idea that the Jews would willing mar the body was outrageous to them (of course, leaving a baby to die from exposure wasnt a problem). 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 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). 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. And, Ill try not to cling to any preconceived notions as I read it. 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. If this was his intent, he proably would have strayed from speaking of conflict and issues they were having. What is meant by Hellenistic? 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); say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of This part of Acts for me has been super confusing to read and understand. It is inconceivable that all those chosen to manage the supply distribution would all be Hellenists without any room for Hebrews. Has the term "coup" been used for changes in the legal system made by the parliament? https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-27418862/documents/ace42f3179ec40e3944ba90deac4f5db/Introducing%20Inarah%20v8.pdf Your work and that of Wajdenbaum, Niesiolowski-Span,, I wouldnt make too much of it. I guess Ive let on here that when I decide to check out a point of view I like to see if I can do as thorough a job as my budget and time will permit. smelling? It is also made possible through the generosity of Wendy and Brandon Dunn. suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science. Look forward to getting through these and moving on asap.). As referred to in this passage, "the Hellenists" are the Christian converts among the Jews who had returned to Judea after having 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 DISTINCTION BETWEEN HELLENIST AND HEBREW. The word I keep coming back to is Jew. The following two tabs change content below. 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. But they had settled in Jerusalem retired, as it were, to the homeland. ", "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. What did the Jewish exorcists do wrong in Acts 19:13. the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. , 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. WebIt appears in the section describing the dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists over the neglect of the latter's widows. 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? (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Now, it would seem, he sought to undo the evil that he had then wrought, by preaching to them the faith which he had then opposed, and presenting, we There are the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. 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. 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