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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_6:8-15
8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. 10But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." 12And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council. 13They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; 14for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." 15And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.
Act_6:8 "full of grace and power" "Full of grace" refers to the blessing of God on his life and ministry. See special Topic at Act_5:17.
This term "power" relates to the next phrase, "performing great signs and wonders."
▣ "was performing great wonders and signs" This is an imperfect tense (like Act_6:7). This possibly occurred before his choice as one of the Seven. Stephen's gospel message was continually corroborated by his person (i.e., full of grace) and power (i.e., signs and wonders).
Act_6:9 "some men from. . .some from" There is the question concerning how one interprets how many groups rose up against Stephen.
1. one synagogue (men from all countries listed)
2. two synagogues
a. of Jews from Cyrenia and Alexandria
b. of Jews from Cilicia and Asia (Paul was from Cilicia)
3. one synagogue, but two groups
4. five separate synagogues
The Greek genitive masculine plural article (tôn) is repeated twice.
▣ "from what is called" The reason for this phrase is that the term "freedman" is a Latin word; therefore, it had to be interpreted for clarity. Apparently these were Jews who had been taken into foreign lands as slaves (military or economic), but had now returned to Palestine as freedmen, but still Koine Greek was their first language.
Act_6:10 Not only was Stephen's gospel message confirmed by power signs, but apparently it was logically persuasive. Acts 7 is an example of his preaching.
▣ "the Spirit" In the Greek text there is no way to distinguish capitals; therefore, this is the interpretation of the translators. A capital "S" would refer to the Holy Spirit, a small "s" to the human spirit (KJV, NRSV footnote, REB, cf. Act_7:59; Act_17:16; Act_18:25; Rom_1:9; Rom_8:16; 1Co_2:11; 1Co_5:4; 1Co_16:18; 2Co_2:13; 2Co_7:13; 2Co_12:18; Gal_6:18; Php_4:23). This may be an allusion to Pro_20:27.
See hyperlink at Act_2:2.
Act_6:11 "they secretly induced men to say" The term "induced" can mean (1) to bribe (cf. Louw and Nida, Lexicon, vol. 1, pp. 577-578) or (2) to scheme secretly (cf. Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 843). This is the same technique used against Jesus (cf. Mat_26:61) and Paul (cf. Act_21:28). Their charge was a violation of Exo_20:7, which carried the death penalty.
▣ "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses" Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 answers this charge. Whether Acts 7 was typical of Stephen's gospel preaching or a special sermon meant to answer this specific charge is uncertain, but Stephen probably used the OT often to assert Jesus' Messiahship.
▣ "and against God" These Jews put God after Moses! Their very sentence structure reveals the perception problem. Moses' Law had become ultimate.
Act_6:12 "the elders and the scribes. . .the Council" The phrase "elders and scribes" is often a shortened designation for the members of the Sanhedrin, which is referred to in this context by the term "the Council." It was the religious authority of the Jewish nation in the Roman period before a.d. 70. It was made up of
1. the High Priest(s) and his family
2. local wealthy land owners and civic leaders
3. local scribes
It totaled seventy leaders from the Jerusalem area. See Special Topic: The Sanhedrin at Act_4:5.
Act_6:13 "this man" This is a Semitic way to show contempt. This phrase is often used of Jesus.
▣ "speaks against this holy place and the Law" This phrase is an extension of the charge in Act_6:11. This may refer to Stephen's affirmation of Jesus' words about the Temple's destruction recorded in Luk_19:44-48 (also Mar_13:2), or Jesus' threat in Mat_26:61; Mat_27:40; Mar_14:58; Mar_15:29; Joh_2:19 (cf. Act_6:14). Jesus saw Himself as the "new Temple," the new center of worship, the new meeting place of God and humanity (cf. Mar_8:31; Mar_9:31; Mar_10:34). God's judgment was coming on Herod's building.
Stephen's preaching about a full and free forgiveness in Jesus was probably the source of "speaks against the Law." The gospel message reduces "the Mosaic Covenant" to a historical witness instead of a means of salvation (cf. Galatians 3 and the NT book of Hebrews).
For first century Jews this was radical teaching, blasphemy! This truly departs from a typical OT understanding of monotheism, salvation, and the unique place of Israel. The NT has a radical reoriented focus (i.e., Jesus not Israel, grace not human merit).
Act_6:14 In a sense their charges were true! These two charges were designed to stir up both the Sadducees (i.e., "destroy this place") and the Pharisees (i.e., "alter the customs which Moses handed down").
▣ "this Nazarene, Jesus" See Special Topic at Act_2:22.
Act_6:15 "fixing their gaze on him" This is a literary device often used by Luke. It denotes uninterrupted attention (cf. Luk_4:20; Luk_22:56; Act_1:10; Act_3:4; Act_3:12; Act_6:15; Act_7:55; Act_10:4; Act_11:6; Act_13:9; Act_14:9; Act_23:1).
▣ "his face like the face of an angel" This may have been similar to
1. Moses' face glowing after visiting with YHWH (cf. Exo_34:29-35, 2Co_3:7)
2. Jesus' face and body glowing during His transfiguration (cf. Mat_17:2; Luk_9:29)
3. the messenger angel of Dan_10:5-6
This was a way of metaphorically denoting one who had been in the presence of God.
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