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

72 speech. Three major possibilities exist which explain the meaning of the Stephen incident in reference to the book of Acts: (1) a rejection of Law and Temple, (2) rejection of the Jewish people and Jerusalem and (3) rejection of the message of Jesus by the leadership. Rejection of Law and Temple Neil summarizes this view of Stephen's speech: He is demonstrating that everything in Israel's past history and experience pointed forward to God ' s culminating act in his plan for the redemption of the world in sending Christ. The witness of Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David in one way or another underlined the transitory nature of existing Jewish institutions and the hollowness of Jewish claims to have the monopoly of the way to salvation. The presence of God could not be restricted to one Holy Land or confined in one holy Temple , nor could his Law be atrophied in the ceremonialism of the Sadducees or the legalism of the Pharisees. Such a critique . . . was under the guidance of the Spirit, the cause of the next great advance in the expansion of the Church. 62 As we have seen, however , Stephen's speech demonstrates only the highest reverence and faithfulness to the institutions of Israel. The Law is held high , being of divine origin (7: 53) 63 and valid (7 :38) . 64 Likewise, Stephen's words are not directed against the law per se but, in the traditions of Solomon and Isaiah , against its abuse by sinful men . In the words of Hur t, "' A declaration that Jesus means to change and supersede the cultus and the Law of Judaism' is hardly obvious in Acts 7 and seems to be drawn instead from the 'false' charge of 6: 14. " 65 62 eil, The Acts, 116. 63 While in Galatians the role of angel seem to be an argument for the eakn of the Law (3: 19), here tephen view the involvement of angel a a mark of di in int r t and approval. 64 Hur t note , " ... even if Luke wi he hi reader to ·Hebrew' nd 'Helleni t' hri tian a on f attitud [ on a f argum nt], to m ke the point f departur th p 1 1 1mpos ible," Hur t, The pistle to the Hebrew , 91- n hi h Hur t gr nt nl ard th 1 6 I id , 8 "W 11 on . simil r to that of t ph n in hile nd mn ti n f th J link d t turnm t th mil , 1 o u h id a an t und in ound th 1 turning m a fr m