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Acts 6
New Catholic Bible
Acts 6
New Catholic Bible
Jerusalem, First Center of Diffusion[a]
Chapter 6
Institution of the Seven Deacons.[b] 1 In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews,[c] asserting that their own widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2 And so the Twelve called together the entire community of disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, we direct you to select from among you seven[d] men of good reputation, men filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we may assign this task. 4 We will then be able to devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 The entire community found this proposal to be acceptable, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch who was a convert to Judaism. 6 They then presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid hands on them.[e]
7 The word of God continued to spread ever more widely. The number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Accusation against Stephen.[f] 8 Stephen, a man filled with grace and power, began to work great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, people from Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as others from Cilicia and Asia, came forward to debate with Stephen. 10 However, they were unable to refute him because of his wisdom and the Spirit who inspired his speech.
11 So they bribed some men to say, “We heard this Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 After this, stirring up the people as well as the elders and the scribes, they seized Stephen, placed him under arrest, and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 Then they called forward false witnesses who claimed, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. 14 For we have heard him assert that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the traditions that Moses handed down to us.” 15 All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared like the face of an angel.
Footnotes
- Acts 6:1 The community at Jerusalem lived in the impetus of the Resurrection and of the Spirit. It could not stay by itself and remain sheltered from the threats of religious authorities. Its energy made it go out into the world and tell the good news.
- Acts 6:1 The Church decides on the ministers needed in order to maintain her freedom to pray and preach. The “deacons,” all of whom have Greek names, are not limited to an economic function; we also see them in the service of the Gospel, as in the case of Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (Acts 8:6; 21:8), who also baptizes (Acts 8:12-13). The laying on of hands is a sign of the official investiture of those who have been appointed by the choice of the assembly.
- Acts 6:1 Hellenists . . . Hebrews: although the Church at this time was composed of Jews, these were of two types: Hellenists and Hebrews. The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews born outside Palestine who followed a Grecian philosophy. Hebrews spoke Aramaic and followed Jewish customs.
- Acts 6:3 Twelve . . . seven: the Twelve are representative of the twelve tribes of Israel; the Seven represent the Gentiles dwelling in Canaan (see Acts 13:19; Deut 7:1).
- Acts 6:6 Laid hands on them: the Jewish practice of assigning someone for a task and calling down God’s blessing on that person to carry it out (Num 27:18, 23; Deut 34:9).
- Acts 6:8 The first Christian martyr has his gaze fixed on Christ in profound attachment to his person (Acts 7:55) and in an interior imitation of Christ’s suffering and death. Unlike the Passion of Jesus, however, that of Stephen is accompanied by a lengthy discourse that has as its basic theme God present in the midst of humanity in Jesus Christ. The lengthy interpretation of the history of Israel, made up of citations from the Old Testament, is less a demonstration than an indictment of a religion that is locked into its past.
Acts 6
New International Version
Acts 6
New International Version
The Choosing of the Seven
6 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) 2 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. 3 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) 4 and will give our attention to prayer(J) and the ministry of the word.”
5 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. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed(N) and laid their hands on them.(O)
7 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
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs(R) among the people. 9 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
- Acts 6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture
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