選立執事

那時,門徒的人數與日俱增。當中有些講希臘話的猶太人埋怨講希伯來話的猶太人,說對方在日常分配食物的事上怠慢了他們的寡婦。 於是,十二使徒召集所有的門徒,對他們說:「我們不應該忽略傳上帝的道,去管理膳食。 弟兄姊妹,請從你們中間選出七位聲譽良好、被聖靈充滿、有智慧的人來負責膳食, 而我們要專心祈禱和傳道。」

大家一致同意,便選出充滿信心、被聖靈充滿的司提凡,此外還有腓利、伯羅哥羅、尼迦挪、提門、巴米拿,以及曾信過猶太教、來自安提阿的外族人尼哥拉。 大家將這七個人帶到使徒面前。使徒把手按在他們身上,為他們禱告。

上帝的道興旺起來,耶路撒冷的門徒大大增多,連許多祭司也皈信了。

司提凡被捕

司提凡得到極大的恩典和能力,在百姓中間行了驚人的神蹟奇事。 但有些來自古利奈、亞歷山大、基利迦和亞細亞、屬於「自由人[a]會堂」的猶太人聯合起來與司提凡辯論。 10 他們無法駁倒司提凡,因為他靠著智慧和聖靈說話。

11 於是,他們暗中唆使一些人誣告司提凡說:「我們聽見他說褻瀆摩西和上帝的話!」 12 又煽動百姓、長老和律法教師抓住司提凡,把他押到公會。 13 他們還派人作偽證說:「司提凡常常講侮辱聖地[b]和律法的話。 14 我們聽見他說那個拿撒勒人耶穌要毀壞聖殿,還要摒棄摩西傳給我們的規矩。」 15 在場的人都盯著司提凡,只見他的容貌好像天使一樣。

Footnotes

  1. 6·9 自由人」指的是原為奴隸,後來獲得自由的人。
  2. 6·13 聖地」指「聖殿」。

Chapter 6

The Need for Assistants. [a]At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.(A) [b]So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.[c] Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. (B)They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them.[d] The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.(C)

Accusation Against Stephen. [e]Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, 10 but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.(D) 11 Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”(E) 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They presented false witnesses[f] who testified, “This man never stops saying things against [this] holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”(F) 15 All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Footnotes

  1. 6:1–7 The Hellenists…the Hebrews: the Hellenists were not necessarily Jews from the diaspora, but were more probably Palestinian Jews who spoke only Greek. The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and who may also have spoken Greek. Both groups belong to the Jerusalem Jewish Christian community. The conflict between them leads to a restructuring of the community that will better serve the community’s needs. The real purpose of the whole episode, however, is to introduce Stephen as a prominent figure in the community whose long speech and martyrdom will be recounted in Acts 7.
  2. 6:2–4 The essential function of the Twelve is the “service of the word,” including development of the kerygma by formulation of the teachings of Jesus.
  3. 6:2 To serve at table: some commentators think that it is not the serving of food that is described here but rather the keeping of the accounts that recorded the distribution of food to the needy members of the community. In any case, after Stephen and the others are chosen, they are never presented carrying out the task for which they were appointed (Acts 6:2–3). Rather, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, are presented as preachers of the Christian message. They, the Hellenist counterpart of the Twelve, are active in the ministry of the word.
  4. 6:6 They…laid hands on them: the customary Jewish way of designating persons for a task and invoking upon them the divine blessing and power to perform it.
  5. 6:8–8:1

    The summary (Acts 6:7) on the progress of the Jerusalem community, illustrated by the conversion of the priests, is followed by a lengthy narrative regarding Stephen. Stephen’s defense is not a response to the charges made against him but takes the form of a discourse that reviews the fortunes of God’s word to Israel and leads to a prophetic declaration: a plea for the hearing of that word as announced by Christ and now possessed by the Christian community.

    The charges that Stephen depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses (Acts 6:13–14) were in fact true. Before the Sanhedrin, no defense against them was possible. With Stephen, who thus perceived the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus, the differences between Judaism and Christianity began to appear. Luke’s account of Stephen’s martyrdom and its aftermath shows how the major impetus behind the Christian movement passed from Jerusalem, where the temple and law prevailed, to Antioch in Syria, where these influences were less pressing.

  6. 6:13 False witnesses: here, and in his account of Stephen’s execution (Acts 7:54–60), Luke parallels the martyrdom of Stephen with the death of Jesus.

The Choosing of the Seven

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,(A) the Hellenistic Jews[a](B) among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows(C) were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.(D) So the Twelve gathered all the disciples(E) together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God(F) in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters,(G) choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit(H) and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them(I) and will give our attention to prayer(J) and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen,(K) a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit;(L) also Philip,(M) Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed(N) and laid their hands on them.(O)

So the word of God spread.(P) The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,(Q) and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Stephen Seized

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs(R) among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene(S) and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia(T) and Asia(U)—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.(V)

11 Then they secretly(W) persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”(X)

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.(Y) 13 They produced false witnesses,(Z) who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place(AA) and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place(AB) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”(AC)

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin(AD) looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture

Seven Chosen to Serve

In those days, as the number of the disciples(A) was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews[a] against the Hebraic Jews[b] that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.(B) Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters.[c] Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation,(C) full of the Spirit(D) and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry.” The proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen,(E) a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch.(F) They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed(G) and laid their hands on(H) them.[d]

So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied(I) greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some from what is called the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

11 Then they persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!”(J) 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, dragged him off, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.(K) 14 For we heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”(L) 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 6:1 Jews of Gk language and culture
  2. Acts 6:1 Jews of Aram or Hb language and culture
  3. Acts 6:2 Or to serve tables
  4. Acts 6:6 The laying on of hands signified the prayer of blessing for the beginning of a new ministry.