The Jewish Annotated New Testament (238 page)

6
:
Laid their hands
, sign of appointment for divine service (Num 27.18; Deut 34.9; 1 Tim 4.14; 5.22; 2 Tim 1.6).

7
:
Priests
, formerly characterized as opponents of the apostles (5.17), join the believers (2.41; 4.4; 5.14).

6.8
–8.1a
:
Stephen’s arrest, speech, and martyrdom.
Luke models the story of Stephen’s trial and death on that of Jesus (see annotations and Lk chs 22–23; parallels Mk chs 15–16, Mt chs 26–27).

6.8
–15
: Stephen’s arrest. 8:
Wonders and signs
, actions performed by the apostles (2.43; 4.30; 5.12).

9
:
Synagogue of the Freedmen
…,
Cyrenians, Alexandrians
, most of the opposition to Stephen comes from diaspora Jews, perhaps in contrast to the Jerusalem Jews who are supportive of the apostles, perhaps because as Hellenistic Jews they encounter Stephen, whose Greek name indicates that he also might be Hellenistic. The term “synagogue” might mean “persons assembled,” “congregation,” or “building where persons assemble.” The names designate characteristics of the members, including former slaves (Philo,
Leg
.
all
. 155; Tacitus,
Ann
. 2.85) and persons from established Jewish communities in North Africa (Cyrene and Alexandria) and Asia Minor (Cilicia and Asia).

11
:
Blasphemous words
would carry the sentence of death (Lev 24.16).
Against Moses and God
, an ironic statement; Stephen’s speech and the rest of Acts claim that Jews, who reject Jesus, are the ones who are against God and “Moses,” i.e., the Torah (7.53; 11.18).

13
:
False witnesses
, also used against Jesus (Mt 26.59–61; Mk 14.55–58, though not mentioned in Lk).

14
:
Will destroy this place
, according to the Gospels, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the Temple (Mt 26.61; Lk 21.6; Jn 2.19), and he is accused of seeking its destruction (Mk 14.58).
Change the customs
, Acts often states that this accusation is false (15.21; 16.3; 21.26).

15
:
Face of an angel
, a divinely illuminated face indicates that Stephen speaks with wisdom and divine authority (Ex 34.29; 1 Sam 29.9; 2 Sam 14.17; 19.27).

7.1
–53: Stephen’s speech.

2
–8: Abraham.
Gen 12–21.

2
:
Glory
, Gk “doxa,” in LXX for Heb “kavod,” the divine attribute of honor or worthiness.
Mesopotamia
…
Haran
, locations outside Israel; Stephen points to God’s freedom of action in self-revelation apart from those in the land of promise.

3
: Gen 12.1.

5
: Gen 13.15; 17.8; 48.4.
Heritage
…
possession
, the promise is absolute: ownership, not inheritance.

6
–7
:
A country
…
four hundred years
, refers to Egypt: Gen 15.13–14; the punishment of the Egyptians and the plunder of the Israelites are not mentioned.

8
: Gen 17.10–13; 21.4.

9
–16: Joseph.

9
:
Gen 37.

10
–16
: Gen 39–50.

14
:
Seventy-five
, Gen 46.27; the number given in the LXX and two Dead Sea Scrolls; the traditional Hebrew version has seventy.

16
: The burial of Joseph in
Shechem
, in land purchased by Jacob not Abraham (Josh 24.32), may have influenced the suggestion that the ancestors were buried there, despite the tradition that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried at Hebron (Gen 49.30; 50.13).

17
–43: Moses and the Exodus. 17–19
: Ex 1 identifies only male infants as victims of Pharaoh’s command.

20
–22
: Ex 2.1–10.

20
:
Beautiful
, Philo (
Life of Moses
1.18) and Josephus (
Ant
. 2.224) comment on Moses’ attractive physical appearance.

22
:
Wisdom of the Egyptians
, ancient Jewish writers portray Moses as a master of Egyptian culture (Artapanus; Philo,
Life of Moses
1.21–4).

23
–29
: Ex 2.11–22.

23
:
Forty years old, Sifre Deut
. 357 (a postbiblical tradition).

25
: Stephen emphasizes the fact that Moses’ own people did not understand him. On misunderstanding or rejecting a divinely chosen servant or God see vv. 35,39,51,53.

30
–34
: Ex 3.1–10.

30
:
Forty years had passed, Sifre Deut
. 357.

35
–43
: Luke juxtaposes the image of Moses as simultaneously appointed by God (vv. 36–38) and rejected by his people (vv. 39–43).

36
:
Wonders and signs
, Acts 2.22,43; 4.30; 5.12; 6.8.

37
: Acts 3.22; cf. Deut 18.15.

38
–39
: The brief mention of the giving of the Torah is followed immediately by the report of Israel’s disobedience.

38
:
Angel
, belief in the presence of angels at Sinai was common among Jews (Deut 33.2 [LXX];
Jub
. 1.29;
Ant
. 15.136;
Pesiq. Rab
. 21.7–10) and Christians (Gal 3.19; Heb 2.2).
Living oracles
, the teaching given to Moses.

40
: Ex 32.1,23.

41
: Ex 32.4–6.
Works of their hands
, idolatry; see similar language applied to the Temple, v. 48.

42
–43
:
God turned away
, Ex 32.9–10; unmentioned is God’s repentance (Ex 32.14).
Host of heaven
, astral deities. Am 5.25–27; the accusation is that Jews practiced idolatry (i.e., disobedience against God) from early times.
Moloch
…
Rephan
, Moloch was one of the supposed gods in Canaan; Rephan is not otherwise known.

44
–50: Places of worship.

44
: Ex 25.8–9; 33.7.

45
: Josh 3.14–17.

46
:
Found favor
, 2 Sam 15.25.
Find a dwelling place
, 2 Sam 7.2.

47
: 2 Sam 7.13; 1 Kings 6.

48
–50
: Stephen argues that building the Temple was contrary to God’s wishes. Most Jewish tradition maintained that although God is universal, the Temple is no less a legitimate location where to worship (2 Macc 14.35;
Ant
. 8.107).

48
:
Most High
, common term for God (Deut 32.8; Ps 91.1,9).
Does not dwell in houses made with human hands
, while the general sentiment accords with Jewish tradition (1 Kings 8.27),
made with human hands
implies that the building of the Temple was an idolatrous act (Isa 2.8; 37.19; Mic 5.13 [MT 5.12]; Ps 115.4; 135.15).

49
–50
: Isa 66.1–2.

51
–53: Final condemnation. 51
:
Stiff-necked
, Ex 32.9; 33.3,5.
Uncircumcised in heart and ears
, Lev 26.41; Jer 6.10.
Your ancestors
, Stephen had spoken of
our ancestors
(vv. 2,11,12,15,19,38,39,44,45), but now separates himself from his Jewish audience and associates them with their rebellious and murderous ancestors (also v. 52).

52
:
Prophets
…
persecute
, a common motif in the “Lives of the Prophets,” an ancient Jewish work.
Murderers
, Stephen suggests that those who do not accept Jesus have make themselves guilty of his murder.

53
: Stephen answers the original question (6.13–7.1) by turning the tables on his accusers. He is not guilty of saying things against the Torah (6.13); rather they are the ones who continually violate it.
Ordained by angels
, see v. 38.

7.54
–8.1a: The stoning of Stephen.
The story is modeled on the death of Jesus. Christian tradition understands Stephen as the first martyr.

54
:
Ground their teeth
, image used of God’s enemies (Lk 13.28; Ps 35.16; 112.10; Job 16.9).

55
:
Right hand
, position of power, as of a judge (cf. Ps 110.1).

56
:
Son of Man
, see Lk 22.69. Outside the gospels, the term (often denoting Jesus as judge) appears only here and in Rev 1.13; 14.14.

58
: Stoning was the main method of execution in the Tanakh (e.g., Lev 20.2); here, however, it seems to be a spontaneous mob action, like a lynching; as noted in John 18.31.
Saul
, the first appearance of Paul.