An Exegesis of Acts 6:1-6 - Case Study Example

An Exegesis of Acts 6 6 6 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. 3.Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4. while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ 5. What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (NRSV) Introduction Acts 6:1-6 touches on two important issues on the development of the early Church: the beginning of the creation of a church hierarchy and bureaucracy (regardless of whether this text can be related to the appearance of deacons in the second century) and the various social roles of the early Church as both a religious community centered on ritual and as an alternative social network. It also touches on the earliest sectarian division in the Church, between "Hellenists" and "Hebrews." Finally, it introduces the character of Stephen, soon to become the focus of the next two chapters of Acts and the first martyr. Historical Context Acts 6:1-6 was taken by the Patristic tradition as the establishment of the deaconate (suggested by Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, 14, and overtly stated by Bede, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, 6.3, both quoted at Martin 70). However unreflective of the Church organization of the mid-first century date that interpretation is likely to be, this pericope does establish the laying on of hands as an element of the ritual of ordination. The passage, however, is more likely to reveal traces of two other historical events is considerable importance. The first is the split between "Hellenists" and "Hebrew" that lies just under the surface layer of the text, in its record of the establishment of separate Church leaders for the "Hellenist" community. This is the first clear indication of division entering into the originally unitary Jesus movement as geographical, sociological, and perhaps even doctrinal differences led to the development of separate communities. It is also the first instance of the Church hierarchy working to maintain the larger unity of the Church in the face of these centrifugal forces. The other reflects the change from the communism of the Jesus movement which held all goods in common, to the Church as a social institution devoted to charity (Fitzmyer 345). The Churchs care for widows demonstrates it ability to intervene in the social world and the approach that would strengthen the Church during the general crisis of the late third century at the expense of the state, leading to the eventual conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity under Constantine. Literary Context This pericope serves as an introduction to the Stephen episode that occupies the next two chapters (Fitzmyer 344). It establishes Stephens position within the larger community of the Church. Its concentration on the "Hellenist" faction within the Jerusalem Church marks a transition between the earlier part of Acts, centered in Jerusalem with Peter as its hero, and the remainder of the book which will move into the wider Roman world with Paul as its hero. It moves from the Semitic world of the Churchs foundation, through the mixed cultural reality of Jerusalem, to Pauls mission among the Hellenized Jews of the Diaspora. Formal Analysis The pericope reports a conflict within the Church and its resolution in a very abstract fashion. The narrative quickly introduces a solution that comes from below, from the Church as a whole, and is ratified from above, by the Church leadership. This kind of conflict resolution expresses the Lukan devotion to an image of harmony within the Church. The fact that the author of Acts must narrate a dispute at all, particularly his delineation of the two factions as "Hellenists" and "Hebrews" and the list of new leaders accepted for the "Hellenist" faction, suggest that he is following a written document (whose form cannot now be securely reconstructed) whose authority he cannot disregard but which may not have portrayed the early Church in the light he wished (Conzelman 44). Detailed Analysis Pervo rightly points out that background of Church organization described in Acts 6 with its deacons (as Patrsitic authors considered them), where "organized bodies of widows seek to keep the male leadership on its toes" (Pervo 153), is more like that familiar from the second century than the conditions that are likely to have prevailed in the mid first century. In other words, Luke is projecting his own situation at the end of the first century back onto events a generation or two earlier. Granting, then, that the issue at hand in Acts 6 is not about the care and feeding of widows, or about the creation of the deaconate (the title does not appear as a technical term in the passage), it is about a group within the Church—"Hellenists"—wishing to assert their rights and gain some measure of self-government. What the "Hellensits" receive is not, or not merely, meals for their widows (the Seven never engage in the distribution of food within the text) but, rather, official recognition from the Twelve of the leaders of their own community. Not that Luke calls attention to it (Pervo 156), but the passage describes the beginning of the formation of separate communities within the Church, not yet necessarily on doctrinal grounds, but on cultural ones. Whether "Hellenists" means Jews who spoke Greek or Jews who live in a more secular Greek fashion (Fitzmyer 347), the difference between them came down to language, and especially language used in liturgy (Pervo 154), and especially to one important point: Jews who used the Septuagint as their scripture and Jews who used the Peshitta as their scripture. The very ability to understand the language of the scriptures and liturgical service would most likely have been at the heart of any cultural conflict. The pericope describes, among other things, the beginning of the tradition of the use of the Greek language within the Church even in Jerusalem, a tradition that became normative when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 together with any competing tradition in the Roman world. That Stephen, the first named of and almost certainly the leader of the Seven and therefore of the "Hellenist" faction (Pervo 155), was not merely in charge of giving the dole to Christian widows is amply illustrated in Acts 6:7-8:1. Stephen is in charge of preaching the Christian message to Greek speaking synagogues in Jerusalem. It is the charge of blasphemy made against him by his audience that brings about his death and the first martyrdom. If, indeed, that is, Stephen ought to be considered the first martyr, rather than Jesus himself. The comparison is supported by the fact that the Lukan author structures the narrative concerning Stephen after that of Jesus own ministry in order to emphasize the point. Pervo pushes this much further and suggests that deeper conflict between "Hellenists" and "Hebrews" is concealed beneath the plight of the widows, and is not even laid bare by Stephens missionary activities in Jerusalem. (Pervo 158) Indeed Pervo delves deeply into what Fitzmyer dismissed as "sheer speculation" (Fitzmyer 345), namely the idea that doctrinal difference between Christian groups is being exposed in this pericope. In dismissing the idea that Acts 6:1-6 deals with the establishment of the later Church office of the deacon, Fitzmyer analyses the term diakonia (service) and its cognates used throughout verses 1-4. He, as most other commentators, sees it being used in two distinct senses. The Twelve Apostles have a diakonia to the word of God, and because of this they do not have time to perform the diakonia needed by the widows, literally to "serve tables" (Fitzmyer 344) or distribute their daily ration of food from Church resources. So this task was delegated to the Seven (Stephen and the other "Hellenists"). But Stephen never, in fact, serves tables, but rather preaches and proselytizes, serving the word of God just as the Twelve do, except to a different group of Synagogues. Later, Fitzmyer elaborates this idea, suggesting that the author of Luke sees the two distinct kinds of service as equally important (349). Pervo suggests, however, that because of the different background of Stephen and the "Hellenists" from Aramaic speaking Jews of the Jerusalem, they might have had a different attitude to such matters as the law and the Commandments (Pervo 155), and so the heart of the dispute might have been doctrinal after all. Going further, he reads the term diakonia uniformly throughout the pericope and suggests that it always refers to the celebration of the Eucharist (Pervo 157). So, on Pervos view, the widows are not being denied food, they are being denied the celebration of the Eucharist conducted by their own community leaders, presumably in the Greek language rather than the Aramaic of the "Hebrews" which they would not have understood. Whether this amounted to a doctrinal difference would, of course, be a matter of personal perspective, viewed quite differently, perhaps, by "Hellenists" and "Hebrews". This is an ingenuous idea and certainly anchors the significance of the passage firmly in its mid-first century context. But even if that was the dispute at the time, it seems far more likely that the Lukan author read it, as Fitzmyer concludes (344), as pertaining to the charitable activities toward communities of widows of the rather different Church of his time. The society of the Roman Empire was based on patronage (Wallace-Hadrill 1989). The rich and powerful controlled the political support of vast numbers of dependents, including their actual slaves and employees, but also less formally associated clients who received a daily dole of food, either in the form of dinner invitations, or the more crude expedient of lining up in the morning at the rich mans door to pick up a bundle of food. This system did not benefit the vast numbers of politically and economically powerless urban poor. The emperor and other magistrates co-opted these masses through acting in place of the patrons that disdained them, providing bread and circuses, entertainment or athletic shows that usually included a substantial meal for each audience member (Veyne 1990). The Church too, through its charitable activities, took on the role of patron to classes beyond the pale of Roman society such as poor widows, and in this way built up its own political and social base. That is the most probable historical and sociological context for reading this pericope in the Lukan context. Synthesis This seemingly simple pericope has supported a surprising depth of analysis, linking it to some of the most important issues of the early Church. It is notable also for revealing its meaning to scholars under layers of redaction and re-interpretation by ancient compilers and authors. It reveals at one and the same time how early the seeds of sectarian conflict were sown in the Church, and to what pains the Lukan author went to put a brave face of unity over the problem. And indeed there may have been well-intended attempts to smooth over any breach. But the fact that later the full force on the first persecution that resulted in Stephens martyrdom seems to have fallen exclusively on the "Hellenists" (Pervo 153), shows to what degree the factions were already truly different communities. Paradoxically, that very persecution scattered Stephens followers among the Diaspora and established them as the ancestors of the second century Church, rather than the Aramaic speaking Church of Jerusalem that was wiped out in the Roman siege and capture of the city in 70. The pericope just as clearly demonstrates the concern of the Church for the weakest members society, which would later become one of its greatest strengths. Reflection Whatever the nature of the dispute recorded in the layers of redaction in Acts 6:1-6, it is clear that it has surprising resonance with disputes going on two thousand years later. If, it is really about the language of liturgical service, the dispute still finds echoes with the Catholic Church in disputes over the Latin mass, and in the most radical sectors of American fundamentalism which insist that the King James Version is the authoritative scripture, even if it can be shown to disagree with Greek and Hebrew originals, and is the text that should be used even in missions in non-English speaking countries (this small movement has found a new home on the internet, as a Google search for "King James Version only" reveals). If, as seems more likely, or at least more nearly the concern of the final Lukan author, the text touches upon the charitable activities of the Church to the classes completely disenfranchised and abandoned by mainstream Roman society, then religious movements are still capable of propagating themselves by stepping in to fulfill the paternal role abandoned by uncaring and corrupt governments. A recent radio report on the charitable activates of Jihadi militias in rural Pakistan through their systems of free hospitals and schools is couched in terms that could as well describe the Churchs feeding of widows: "They provide by all accounts pretty ethical and reliable services in a place—Pakistan—where the government is not generally associated with ethical conduct and reliability" (Coll 35:50ff.). This social role of the Church in supporting those who can find no support elsewhere, is, as both the Lukan author and Fitzmyer believed, as important in the life and growth of the Church as an institution as its purely religious functions. Works Consulted Blount, Brian K., ed. 2007. True to Our native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Minneapolis: Fortress. Coll, Stephen, "The Secret Plans for Kashmir." NPR, Fresh Air Accessed 2009, Feb. 24. Conzelmann, Hans. 1987. A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. Hermeneia. James Limburg, A. Thomas Kraable, and Donald H. Juel. trans. Philadelphia: Fortress. Fitzmyer, Joseph A. 1998. The Acts of the Apostles. Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday. Martin, Francis, ed. 2006. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament: vol. 5 Acts. Downers Grove IL. Meeks, Wayne A., ed. 1989. The HarperCollins Study Bible. San Francisco: HarperCollins. 12 vols. New Interpreters Bible. 1994. Nashville: Abingdon. Pervo, Richard I. 2009. Acts: A Commentary. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress. Veyne, Paul. 1990. Bread and Circuses. O. Murray, trans. London: Penguin. Wallace-Hadrill, Anrew, ed. 1989. Patronage in Ancient Society. London: Routledge. Read More