The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

47 It is clear that Scott and others have based their conclusions on several assumptions. At this point we will investigate three key areas: (1) the meaning of hellenist ('EAATJYLaTtj<;), (2) whether Stephen was one, and (3) the implications of this for the understanding of Stephen's speech. The Meaning of Hellenist C E1i11nvwuic;} The alleged meaning of this term covers the spectrum from one which denotes drastic differences in lifestyle and philosophy 7 to one which merely denotes a difference in the individual's primary language. In general usage it meant nothing more than the elegant command of the Greek lan– guage. . . . In antiquity it was perfectly possible to speak or write fluent Greek and at the same time be a zealous and self-confident Jew. It was precisely that position which was eloquently defended by the Greek-writing author of 2 Maccabees. 8 suggests Simon, probably existed as a marginal sect within Judaism even before the time of Jesus' ministry . They held some fairly unorthodox views, particularly about temple worship, and when some of them were later attracted to the Christian message (originally within Judaism), they brought with them their particular emphases- in fact it may have been their very unorthodox views that they found had an echo in some of Jesus ' teaching . This would have meant that in some ways they were opposed to the apparently orthodox group who gathered around the Twelve, and later around James the brother of Je u . ' The Seven ma well have been the leading lights among these Helleni t ectarian Jew before their acceptan e of Jesu ' message" p . 19 . Cf. also John B. Polhill , 'The Helleni t Breakthrough: t 6- 12 , ' Review and Expositor 71 (1974): 475-86. 7 cott, " tephen' Defen e and the World Mi ion of the People f G d," 1 2- adbury would even go further, a erting that the· AATJYLaTa( of A . 6 : 1 are impl Gr k living in Jeru alem, H. J . adbury, "The Helleni t " in The Beginning of 'hri tianity, Part ne : The Act of the Apo tle , ed . . J . oake and Kir pp L k (Gr nd Rapid : Bak r Bo k Hou e , 1966), 4 :64 . Thi po ition eem parti ularl diffi ult t u tain, h r becau it i out f keeping with th immediate chapter f t . ir t , if G ntil alre dy a part o th Jeru alem church , P ter ' t r in hapt r t n and 1 n m k n en e c nd , P ul ' di putin ith r k in J ru l m ( : ) i qu 11 ut f pl f. H Wmdi h , ·· ,. ,.,.TJ ," Theologi al Di tiona ofth ew Te tament TD , d . ( r nd Rapid rdm n , 1 7 ) , :51 nd J ph B. T t · 1 7 R ulau n m I I hn ti nit , " Per pe ti in Religzou 10 1 , Paul and th J wz h Lm · Halakha m th Letter of the 4po ti to th 1um Iud 1 um d UJ t m ntum , d h 1 nd