Beyond Religious Law System	Ref	Location	Disciple and 'outsider'
1. . Power is in the person not a system	6:8-8:3	Outside Jerusalem	Stephen & Saul

6:8-8:3 Stephen who was full of grace and power did great signs and wonders amongst the people. But there was a group in the synagogue who were called Freedmen. They were Cyrenians and Alexandrians and people from Cilicia and Asia. They were disputing with Stephen but were not able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated men to say "We have heard him speaking blasphemy against Moses and God." They stirred up the people and the elders and scribes. Coming at him they seized him and led him to the council. False witnesses stood there saying "This man does not stop speaking against this holy place and the law. We have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us." Looking at him all those sitting in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. 7:1 The high priest said "Have you done these things?" He

said. "Brethren and fathers listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham who was living in Mesopotamia before he lived in Charran. God said to him "Go out of your land and your kindred and go to the land that I show you." Then going out of the land of the Chaldaeans he lived in Charran. And after that his father died and God moved him on into this land where you now live. Yet he did not give him an inheritance in it - not a foot's space. (Rather) he promised to allow himself and his descendants to live in it, even though he had no child. God told him that his seed would live in a land (c/f Egypt) that belonged to others. These others would enslave (his descendants) and would ill-treat them for four hundred years. God said "in whichever nation they will serve I will judge it. (Then) after these things they will come forth and will worship me in this place." He (God) gave (Abraham) a covenant of circumcision. And so he fathered Isaac and circumcised

him when he was eight days old. Isaac fathered Jacob and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs (when they were young men became jealous sold Joseph into Egypt. God was with him and rescued him from all his afflictions and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The latter appointed (Joseph) governor over Egypt and all his household. But a famine came over all of Egypt and Canaan with great affliction. Our fathers had nothing to eat. But Jacob heard there was corn in Egypt. He sent our fathers first. The second time Joseph made himself known to his brothers and the race of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. Sending, Joseph called his father Jacob and all his family of seventy-five people. Jacob went down to Egypt and died there with our Continued (Note: Text is mainly a paraphrase of the Literal translation in the RSV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 1988)

Continued fathers. He was transferred to Sychem and was put in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a price of silver from the sons of Enmor in Schem. As the time drew near for the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people multiplied in number in Egypt. (This happened) until another king rose up over Egypt who did not know Joseph. This man was dealing craftily with our race and ill-treated the fathers so as to expose their babies so that they would die. It was at that time Moses was born and he was fair in the eyes of God. He was reared for three months in his father's house. When he was exposed Pharaoh's daughter picked him up and reared him as her own son. So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was powerful both in his words and works. But when he was forty years old the time came in his heart to visit his brothers and the sons of Israel. On seeing one of these being injured he defended him. He wrought vengeance for them and struck the Egyptian. Now he supposed that his brothers would understand that God would give them salvation through his hand. But they did not understand. On the next day he appeared they were fighting. He attempted to reconcile them into peace saying "You are brethren. Why do you injure each other?" But the one who was injuring his neighbour

pushed him away saying "Who appointed you ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me in the same way as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" So Moses fled at this word and became a dweller in the land of Midian where he fathered two sons. And when forty years were fulfilled an angel appeared to him in the desert of mount Sinai in the flame of a burning thorn bush. Moses marvelled on seeing the vision. As he approached to take a better look there was a voice of the Lord. "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob". But Moses was trembling and dared not take notice. The Lord said to him "Loosen your sandal from your feet for the ground on which you are standing is holy. I have been seeing the ill-treatment of my people in Egypt and I have heard their groan. I have come down to rescue them. So come and I will send you to Egypt." (Stephen continued in his address). "It was this Moses whom (someone amongst his people) denied saying "Who appointed you a ruler and judge?" It was this man that God sent, both as a ruler and as a redeemer with the hand of the angel that had appeared to him in the bush. It was this man who led them (God's people) out and (afterwards) did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, in the Red Sea and in the desert over forty years. It was this Moses who was saying to the sons of Israel "God will

raise up a prophet from amongst you as he has raised me." This is the one (Moses) who was raised up in the congregation in the desert. The angel spoke to (Moses) in Mount Sinai (with the giving of the commandments) and (also spoke) with our fathers. They received living oracles (commandments) to give to you. But our fathers did not wish to become obedient. They thrust (Moses) away and turned in their hearts (back) to Egypt. They said to Aaron (Moses' brother) "Make gods for us which will go before us. We do not know what has happened to this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt." (because he was still up on Mt Sinai). And so they made the model of a calf in those days and brought up a sacrifice to this idol and worshipped what they had made. And so God turned and delivered them to worship the host of heaven (instead of himself ) as it has been written in the roll of the prophets." "You did not offer victims and sacrifices to me in the forty years (you spent) in the desert O house of Israel. (Rather) did you not take up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha and the idols that you made in order to worship them?" (After they turned back to the Lord) Our fathers had the tent of witness in the desert. Moses directed the one who made this to do so according to the model which he had seen. Having received (the Continued

Continued tent) our fathers brought it (into the land) with Joshua when he took possession of the land from the nations (who had been here beforehand ). And so (the tent) was, until the days of David. David found favour before God and wanted to build a place of dwelling (rather than a tent) for the house of Jacob. It was Solomon (his son) who built a house for (God.)" (Stephen continued) "But the Most High (God) does not dwell in places made by hand. As the prophet says "Heaven is a throne for me and the earth is a footstool for my feet". The Lord says "What house can you build for me? Or what place of rest? Did not my hand make all of these things? and uncircumcised in the heart and ears as you are you always oppose the Holy Spirit."

(Stephen then spoke directly to the council.) "Hard-necked as your fathers also. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who were announcing beforehand about the coming of the righteous one (Jesus). You became betrayers and murderers (of him). You received the law given by angels and did not keep it." On hearing these things they (members of the council) were cut to their hearts and raged at (Stephen). But being full of the Holy Spirit he gazed into the heavens. He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said "Look I see the heavens opened up and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." Crying out with a great voice they closed over their ears. They rushed with one mind upon him. Casting him

outside the city they stoned him. The witnesses took off their garments and put them at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they stoned him Stephen called upon God saying "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Kneeling down he cried out with a great voice "Lord do not place the blame of this sin upon them." And so saying he fell asleep. Saul approved of the killing of him. 8:1-3 That day there was a great persecution started against the church in Jerusalem. (Its members) all scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria except for the apostles. Devout men recovered the body of Stephen and mourned greatly for him. But Saul ravaged the church. He went (around) house by house, entering in and dragging both men and women out to be delivered to prison.

There are a number of levels being addressed in Stephen's self-defence made to the Jewish Council. Luke is giving Theophilus, his non-Jewish reader, a quick overview of Jewish salvation history. He is making the point that the law of the Jews was given

to them by God. This remains the case even if the Jews of the day were breaking it. Luke also recalls how major figures in Jewish history "moved out" Abraham began this by leaving family and country. Then Jacob went to Egypt. Later Moses moved out of Egypt and took his people out as well. Finally, after the speech, Stephen himself is 'moved out'. There is an echo here of the way Jesus was cast out of Nazareth. As Stephen is dying there is a deliberate echo of the way that Jesus died. He commends his spirit. He asks forgiveness for those who killed him. On another level again Luke starts to address ways of dealing with the tendency that a law-based society has, to be narrow and enclosed. He introduces a young firebrand named Saul (to be re-named Paul). Even as other Christians are 'moving out' of Jerusalem, the apostles will be challenged to 'move out' towards the acceptance of someone (Paul) who has persecuted them.