Stephen: Paul and the Hellenist Israelites (Paul's Social Network - Brothers and Sisters in Faith series) - Softcover

Pilch, John J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814652298 ISBN 13: 9780814652299

Publisher: Liturgical Press, 2008

Synopsis

It is difficult to appreciate how Stephen qualifies as a friend of someone who attended and approved of his murder (Acts 7:58; 22:20). Yet Stephen belonged to the very group of Israelites to whom Paul later brought the Good News: the Hellenists. These Israelites lived mainly outside of Paulestine, thoroughly acculturated in the Greek language and culture of their habitat, and they practiced their traditions in a very modified way. These modifications created great difficulty for Stephen and other Hellenists who resumed residence in Jerusalem, as we read in Acts 6 '7. In this account we learn who Stephen was, what he said, and how he died 'al things that made a huge impression on Paul. That experience set the stage for Paul's commissioning by the risen Jesus to evangelize Hellenists (Acts 9). In Stephen: Paul and the Hellenist Israelites, John J. Pilch reflects on Stephen as a Hellenist Israelite, a collectivistic person, a deacon (the word does not appear in Acts), and one who true to his tradition communicates with the world of God in alternate states of consciousness. Paul has much in common with Stephen, so to know Stephen is to gain a better understanding of Paul.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Human beings are embedded in a set of social relations. A social network is one way of conceiving that set of relations in terms of a number of persons connected to one another by varying degrees of relatedness. In the early Jesus group documents featuring Paul and coworkers, it takes little effort to envision the apostle?s collection of friends and friends of friends that is the Pauline network. The persons who constituted that network are the focus of this set of brief books. For Christians of the Western tradition, these persons are significant ancestors in faith. While each of them is worth knowing by themselves, it is largely because of their standing within that web of social relations woven about and around Paul that they are of lasting interest. Through this series we hope to come to know those persons in ways befitting their first-century Mediterranean culture. It is difficult to appreciate how Stephen qualifies as a friend of someone who attended and approved of his murder (Acts 7:58; 22:20). Yet Stephen belonged to the very group of Israelites to whom Paul later brought the Good News: the Hellenists. These Israelites lived mainly outside of Palestine, thoroughly acculturated in the Greek language and culture of their habitat, and they practiced their traditions in a very modified way. These modifications created great difficulty for Stephen and other Hellenists who resumed residence in Jerusalem, as we read in Acts 6?7. In this account we learn who Stephen was, what he said, and how he died?all things that made a huge impression on Paul. That experience set the stage for Paul?s commissioning by the risen Jesus to evangelize Hellenists (Acts 9). In Stephen: Paul and the Hellenist Israelites, John J. Pilch reflects on Stephen as a Hellenist Israelite, a collectivistic person, a ?deacon? (the word does not appear in Acts), and one who true to his tradition communicates with the world of God in alternate states of consciousness. Paul has much in common with Stephen, so to know Stephen is to gain a better understanding of Paul.?John Pilch?s discussion of Stephen is by no means just another book on him. Like a householder who brings forth old and new from his store, Pilch both presents old Christian materials about Stephen and offers new cultural perspectives to interpret Luke?s narrative. The result is an informed, enlightened, and innovative treatment of Stephen. Like all of Pilch?s writings, this book is an accessible study, a rewarding read and an inventive exploration. The cultural lenses for interpretation have been clearly and carefully handled. ?Rich? and ?rewarding? best describe this book.? Jerome Neyrey, SJ Department of Theology University of Notre Dame?Stephen is a provocative look at the character in the Acts of the Apostles which integrates historical, grammatical, and social scientific sources to give us a fresh look at the Hellenistic martyr, which informs, corrects, and challenges the ?popular? and ?received? views. This is mandatory reading for those who wish to move beyond anachronistic and ethnocentric readings of the texts and contexts concerning Stephen.? Bishop F. Josephus Johnson, II Presiding Bishop of the Beth-El Fellowship of Visionary Churches Senior Pastor of The House of the Lord Akron, Ohio

About the Author:

John J. Pilch, a highly-regarded biblical scholar and author, taught at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and passed away in 2016. Among his numerous publications are The Cultural World of Jesus, The Cultural World of the Apostles, and The Cultural World of the Prophets series published by Liturgical Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0814652298
• ISBN 13: 9780814652299
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 104