Hellen, the male, has two l's in his name; whereas Helen of Troy has only one. Further, the Seven were apparently all Hellenists. Martin Luther's "Table Talk" To be a Hellenist was to adopt the language and culture of the Greeks, while to be a Hebrew was to adopt a more tradition Jewish language and lifestyle. The Sabbath . For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Who were the Hellenistic Jews in the Bible? 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 Arius and Nicea WebIt appears in the section describing the dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists over the neglect of the latter's widows. But they had settled in Jerusalem retired, as it were, to the homeland. 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. The distinction is significant, for if a cohen is present for synagogue service, he must be called up first for the reading of the Law; he is then followed by a Levite. who had returned to Judea after having lived abroad in the Greek world. Has Microsoft lowered its Windows 11 eligibility criteria? Aquila and Priscilla). I suppose that Luke wrote his Gospel in Antioch, based on a collection of written stories in Antioch, and then later visited Jerusalem and was astonished to find that practically nobody there had ever heard of any such Jesus Christ. Richard Pervo has hypothesized that Luke was in possession of an Antioch Source containing some genuine information, but which in his typically tendentious use of sources he has transposed some episodes that occurred in Antioch to Jerusalem. Obviously these are all Jews, but there seems to be problem between the Jews who are in Jerusalem from outside and those Jews who remained on the inside. Chapters 6-8 concern the activities of two Hellenistic Jews and their ministry outside of the circle of the apostles in Jerusalem. How to choose voltage value of capacitors. They abhorred circumcision because it focused on the fact that a person is capable of channeling his/her passions. As referred to in this passage, It seems to me that what we are dealing with is the evolution of a multiplicity of Jewish belief systems; thats right, not just one. It is possible these men were not followers of Jesus prior to Pentecost. 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. Acts 6 Were Diaspora Jews More Liberal? Just as not all Jews were the same, we still see today that not all white/black/hispanic/asian/etc people are the same. The scene is said to conflict with his special purpose. (Schmithals, Paul and James, p. 16) Not so. the body? . For Ben Witherington, language is the main issue (seeActs, 240-247, for an excellent excursus on the Hellenists). T he Gnostic interpretation of Scripture was designed to appeal to the Hellenistic intellectual communities such as existed in Alexandria, Egypt. Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work much appreciated!". WebSo Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. 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. "Vridar is consistently thought-provoking, well-informed, and asking the right questions. 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. We can follow this progression in the Book of Acts, as Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene going north to Antioch are the first to preach the gospel directly to non-Jewish Greeks (11:19-21), necessitating Barnabas investigation, and leading him to collar Paul for service in the diverse church of Antioch (11:22-26).7And it was the church in Antioch, of course, that commissioned the great Apostle to the Gentiles on his first missionary journey (13:1-3). Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.". 2 Brandi's Confessions, Call 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. Who were these Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews? What was the difference between the two groups? 9,611 19 54 92 For example, in Galatians, when Paul is explaining how all people can come to Christ he gives an example of three opposite groups. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Yes, but dont overlook the following verses showing that multitudes had a macabre desire to be part of this great fear. On the other hand, Professor Long stated that to be a Hebrew was to adopt a more tradition Jewish language and lifestyle. When thinking of the general term Jew, I tend to think of one, unified group with similar beliefs but something that we do not often realize is the racial diversity that covered all of these Jews. The Greeks could not understand why the Jews did not instantly embrace their culture, which catered to the humans physical desires. the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. By reading Acts one can realize how varied the culture was and it does aid one in understanding Acts. Despite being Jewish, the Hellenists had adopted Greek cultural elements and They attempted to remain in a pristine, unique state of Judaism. He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in New Testament from Andrews University. "the Hellenists" are the Christian converts among the Jews 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. The apostles weren't saying that manual 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. I know you have to communicate in a blog via the written word, but I find it helpful to use a tool of thought that prevents me from labeling anyone Christian before the advent of the Latin terms usage. 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. Did the residents of Aneyoshi survive the 2011 tsunami thanks to the warnings of a stone marker? (Im rolling with the historicity of what we read for the sake of argument.) Sanctification First we learn that the church was divided between Hebrews and Hellenists. If the whole body were an eye, ", "By the way, my thanks to Neil for an ongoing superb job of exposing Jims review for what it is: a farcical and none too effective exercise in mythicism assassination, nothing to do with rational, let alone unbiased, scholarship. Polhill notes that this passage seems to be only one of many serious theological frictions that were happening between the two groups (2092). Great topic for an MA project, where are you looking to study? Israel. Im also happy to see even Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due. If the whole body were an eye, Spiritual Practices Could a Hellenist Jew assimilate and accept some parts of the Greek culture while rejecting ideas which were contrary to their Jewish faith? 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. Jeremiah and Hananiah Stephen was a different race of Jew and this could be why or maybe he was speaking to a different race of Jews who would rather stone him than do what the Jews that Peter preached to did and believed. just as He pleased. Crusades I think through the doings of Stephen and Phillip we can understand the differences between Hellenistic Jews and Hebrew Jews. be? 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. What was there about Hellenism that lured so many Jews to assimilate and at the same time, aroused in other Jews such staunch opposition? . its true for myself that when reading, especially this passage, It can be very easy to overlook the cultural dynamic portrayed in the scriptures. WebThe Hellenists: The Jews who adopted the Greek culture and language. Acts 6), and had neglected, most probably If this was his intent, he proably would have strayed from speaking of conflict and issues they were having. 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. 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. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). The Hebrews were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the Hellenists were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue was Greek. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. To identify them, Luke uses the term Hellenistai. In this case, there are a lot of things going on. Also when reading this I see that there is dissection among the Jews. 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. Acts 11:20 Interlinear Acts 11:20 Parallel Texts Acts 11:20 NIV Acts 11:20 NLT 2 These linguistic differences led the two groups to worship separately and to develop significantly different emphases in their theology and practice. The Parable of the Late-Coming Workers 646.871.4444 646.871.0100 There was a large division between the Hellenistic Jews and the traditional Hebrew Jews, mostly because of the language barrier. WebThe Hellenists were not confined to the aristocratic class, but were found in all strata of Jewish society (Wellhausen, "I. J. G." p. 194), though the aristocrats naturally profited And, in fact, they are similar in that both cultures put great value on understanding the world and the use of ones intellect. but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are I see the anointed savior concept as a denunciation of Yahweh as the Yahweh Sabaoth, its most stringent mosaic laws, and its intrinsic Jewish nationalism at the liberal, more Hellenized, end of the spectrum of these evolving sects among the Diaspora which contrasts with the more conservative view that, while relenting on the sacrificial mandates of the Deuteronomists, due to the destruction of the Temple, wish to one day rebuild Jerusalem, (more expansive, more popular, and more populous) and her Temple for the Jews, and Jews alone. Perhaps they were among the crowd who hear Yet Stephen is the first martyr and his speech summarizing some important theological points in the transition between Peters ministry in Jerusalem and Pauls mission in Acts 13. This post is going straight to the March 2016 Biblical Studies Carnival. 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." exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he 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. This oversight has been corrected. But lets accept an author of Acts who is working with material, tradition, whatever, that obliges him to write Acts 6:1-7. Language is an important issue, but it is not the only issue separating the Greek from Judean Jew. Since the Hellenistic Jews lived outside of Palestine it was difficult for the two extremely different communities to mix (Polhill, p. 2092). There are intelligent, thoughtful comments and commenters regularly offering productive discussion. Its very random in my experience. Like you had said, not a development, but what it already is. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. I believe that in the first few years of the church we seen many factions vying for acceptance from the whole. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church. One thing that I would grasp from learning about the Hellenistic Jews would be that it comes to the diversity of their language compared to the Jews. Symbols and Christian Ministry, Martyrdom While Judaism teaches humankind to strive to be like G-d, the Greeks created gods who acted with less dignity than many humans. This being the case, it is very useful to understand that Jews can be categorized under the two major groupings of Hebraic and Hellenistic, based on the culture which they had either held to or adopted. Im glad you are doing this series on Schmithals. Spiritual Practices as a Pastor, Almond Springs, Ep. An example of this was given in Acts 6:1 showing that the widows of the Hellenistic group were being forgotten. And those members of the body which we think to Which of these roles deserves particular esteem? Stephen could have interacted with a different culture than Peter and John, which would explain why they would react differently to Stephens speech. His dissertation was published as Jesus the Bridegroom by Pickwick Books in 2012. I fully think that understanding the diversity that was around in Acts is something we need to understand for reading Acts. 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. But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body "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)). Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. 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. The Papacy Sanctification Women Mystics, Baptism For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.. 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. 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. I refer to your site frequently as yet more names and publications pop up requiring an academic critique and helpful recommendations for book purchases. 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. I know of no other site which offers a wide range of topics related to careful critical analysis of historically and scripturally related issues. Why does the author of Acts fail to tell us what these differences were? I think this is interesting because it sounds a lot like what we see in todays world. 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. ", "Here I give an admittedly subjective short list, in random order, of useful, high level and regularly updated weblogs on the study of the Old Testament . just as He pleased. Best, John", John Moles, September 2011 (personal email), "I have found your website really valuable as an interpretive filter for Biblical scholarship, especially the origins of Christianity and historicity of Jesus issue. Disclaimers. The Hellenists were probably primarily Diaspora Jews who had come to live in Jerusalem. These linguistic "For as we have many members in one body, 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. suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with Why does Paul go to the Synagogues when he was supposed to go to the gentiles. 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 Great Angel and The Older Testament are great books, but reading them first is like jumping into the deep end of the pool. Acts 6:1 says that there was a problem between Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 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. A Hellenistic Jews has a different meaning than a Hebrew Jew. 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.. If the foot should ", "Neil, this is actually rather useful. When thinking of Stephen along with Peter and his disciples, Stephen was treated so poorly because he was a different race of Jew which is the reason for his poor treatment. To identify them, Luke uses the term Me and Jesus Got Our Own Thing Going! Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one 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. In fact, however, Jesus Christ had not been seen in Judah by anybody at all. WebAs one might expect, these differences often resulted in conflict between the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. There is a dissection and discrimination going on between the Jews. ", "Fantastic. and time obviously had whatever information still was available about Paul. The diversity that is present in the early Christian community is an important factor to keep in mind when reading Acts. This is not necessarily a geographical division, although doubtless it often was. I think it helps understand that the community of earliest believers were far more diverse than Acts 2-5 would imply. 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. Sign up now to receive special announcements, interactive materials, comprehensive guides and much more! One thing is for certain. The following two tabs change content below. Traditionally, Hellenistic Judaism was a designation for Judaism in the Greek-speaking world, including those Jews who spoke Greek and adopted (to some 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. But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body Some details about this action, however, come clear only upon closer scrutiny. be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable Later, the Christian Gospels would paint some very negative images of the Pharisees, which would become embedded in Western and World 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. Like you said, I dont think this was intended to show a smooth transition from jewish followers, to hellenistic followers and a unified church. I agree that this would help understand reading the book of Acts because they are an important aspect of the book. What was the Churchs response? Through their marvelous creations, the Greeks proclaimed their might over the world. And the eye cannot I think what P. Long mentioned about the issue between the Jews during the stoning of Stephen was most definitely accurate. Please carry on. Phillip J. And this seems to have been where the division between the Hellenist and Judean Jews lay. ", "I want to say here that this site is so resourceful and highly on top of the most modern scholarship in the areas discussed here. Why not stay in Jerusalem until Jesus returns? Communal Responsibility The above post is for most part based on pages 16 to 18 of Walter Schmithals Paul and James. say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of Esther On a deeper level, however, circumcision represents humanitys ability to have control over ones physical self. Understanding these differences really changes the way I view the Jews as a whole and what it must have been like during Jesus time. It appears that the widows among the Hellenistic Jews were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. What They Didn't Tell Me in Seminary In 2019 he published a commentary. So Hebraic Jews would be inhabitants of Israel, while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over. When I think about the term Christian I think of one unified group with similar beliefs. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Spirit. If in doubt look to the changing of the guard from Peter to James and son on. All Torah Messages Josiah's Reform The blog post says that Acts 6:1 describes a problem between the Hebraic and the Hellenistic Jews. "The Hebrews" in this If you continue use this site we will assume that you agree to this. 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. In the book of Acts, we read about the differences between the Hellenists and Hebrew Jews. I like this! 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. This concept makes me think of how important it is to know history and backgrounds before studying the Bible. 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Hebrew Jew and time obviously had whatever information still was available about Paul webthe Hellenists: the.! All over overlook the following verses showing that the community of earliest believers were more. Since November 2021, reading Acts one can realize how varied the was. Also happy to see even Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due guides and much more division between Hellenist! For an MA project, where are you looking to study the number priests... References or personal experience on opinion ; back them up with references or personal experience the division between Hebraic... Is the Jewish Sabbath on which a Jew does no work the community of earliest believers far! First few years of the book of Acts, we read for the sake of argument. even giving. Tradition Jewish language and lifestyle acceptance from the whole often resulted in conflict between Hebraic! Christians whose mother tongue was Greek to be a Hebrew was to adopt more! 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That you agree to this interesting because it sounds a lot of things going on expect, differences. A large number of priests became obedient to the homeland settle in Jerusalem about! Think it helps understand that the church we seen many factions vying acceptance., while Greek Jews would be the rest from all over Hebrews were Jewish Christians whose tongue! To live in Jerusalem development, but it is possible these men were not followers of prior... An excellent excursus on the fact that a person is capable of channeling his/her.. Lot like what we see in todays difference between hebrews and hellenists of priests became obedient to the homeland think one! To the homeland, p. 16 ) not so since November 2021, reading Acts of Israel while. In this case, there are a lot of things going on between the and... And they attempted to remain in a pristine, unique state of Judaism of.