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

63 God's promise to Abraham (Gen 15: 13-14) to express God's ultimate intention of the exodus , that " they will come out and serve Me in this place" (7:7). Given the wording of the charges against Stephen, that he "spoke incessantly against this place" (6: 13-14) it is likely that he is directly answering those accusations. 4 1 Stephen sees the Temple as more than an afterthought in the mind of God; it has been a fundamental part of his plan for the nation since the earliest promises to Abraham. Despite the idolatrous history of the nation from the exodus to the exile (7 :39- 43), Stephen affirms that the tabernacle was made exactly according to the plan of God as He had directed Moses (7 :44). That God was pleased with it as a place of worship is implied by his driving out the nations of Canaan as the tabernacle accompanied the people upon their entrance into the land (7:45). This happy tradition continues through the time of David who found fa.vor with God and sought to build another house for God (7 :46). While some charge ., that Stephen found the Tabernacle acceptable while repudiating the Temple, 42 he clearly paints David , with whom, humanly speaking , the original intention to build the Temple was born, in the most divinely approved terms. He found "favor " (xcip tv) with God (7 :46) . Some suppose that at this point in the narrative Stephen's attitude toward the Temple changes . 43 The argument is that while David envis ioned a dwelling place (axii wµa , 41 Boismard , "Le Martyre D 'Etienne: Actes 6:8- 8:2," 186-89 . For evidence that 'thi place" is a reference to the Temple ee note number 34 above on page 59 . 42 Paul Trudinger , " tephen and the Life of the Primitive hurch," Biblical Theology Bulletin 14 (1984): 20 . n gau 1e a tl n . H p b th p d o t ntati u m nar h , h r nt fr m th in pr h , i t nt t u ' il tru t th