Stephen: Paul and the Hellenist Israelites

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 ofPaulestine, 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 onPaul. 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 ofPaul.

John J. Pilch, PhD, is professor of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He is author of numerous articles and books, includingVisions and Healing in Acts of the Apostles: How the Early Believers Experienced God(Liturgical Press, 2004). He is a member of the Catholic Biblical Association of America and the International Society for Shamanistic Research, among other professional organizations.