The successful progress of their labors had now gathered around them a
great church, numbering among its members a vast throng both of Hebrew
and of foreign Jews. The apostles being devoted wholly to their high
duties of prayer and preaching, were unable to superintend particularly
the daily distribution of the means of support to the needy, out of the
charity-fund which had been gathered from the generous contributions
of the wealthy members of the church. Among the foreign Jews who had
joined the fraternity of the disciples, were many of those who, by
education, language and manners, though not by race or religion, were
Greeks. These, with the proselytes, being fewer than those who adhered
to the genuine manners and language of Palestine, had comparatively
little weight in the administration of the affairs of the church, and
had no hand in the distribution to the church poor. Being a minority,
and being moreover looked on with invidious eyes by the genuine Hebrews,
as a sort of half renegades, they were overlooked and put back, in
the daily ministration to the needy, and to such a degree, that even
the helpless widows among them were absolutely suffering through this
neglect. The natural consequence was, that murmurs and open complaints
arose among them, at this shameful and unbrotherly partiality. As soon
as the report of the difficulty reached the ears of the twelve, they
immediately called a full church-meeting, and laid the matter before
it in these words. “It is not proper that we should leave the preaching
of the word of God, to wait on tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye
out among you seven reputable men, full of a holy spirit and of wisdom,
whom we may intrust with this business; while we continue to give
our time up wholly to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This wise
plan pleased all parties, and the church proceeded to elect the proper
persons for the charge. To soothe the feelings of the Hellenists, the
whole seven were chosen from their number, as the names (which are
all Greek) fully show. This makes it probable that there were already
persons appointed from among the Hebrews, who had administered these
charities from the beginning, and whose partial management of these
matters had given offense to those whom they slighted. The seven
Hellenists now chosen to this office, were Stephen, resplendent
in spiritual and intellectual endowments; Philip, also highly
distinguished afterwards by his successful preaching; Prochorus,
Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch; by
which last circumstance, (as well as by the case of Barnabas,) is shown
the fact that some Hellenist converts, from a distance, had settled
at Jerusalem, and permanently joined the followers of Christ. These
seven being formally elected by the church, were brought in before the
apostles, for approval and confirmation. And after they had prayed,
they laid their hands on them, in token of imparting to them the
blessing and the power of that divine influence which had inspired
its previous possessors to deeds so energetic and triumphant. The
efficiency of this prayer and benediction, in calling down divine grace
on the heads thus touched by the hands of the apostles, was afterwards
most remarkably demonstrated in the case of two of the seven, and in
the case of the first of them, almost immediately.
_Greeks._――The original word here is not Ἑλληνες, (_Hellenes_,)
but Ἑλληνιστοι, (_Hellenistoi_,) which means not _Grecians_,
but _Grecizers_; that is, those who imitated Grecian language or
customs.
_Genuine Hebrews._――By these are meant those who used the Hebrew
language still in their synagogues, as the only sacred tongue,
and looked with much scorn on the Hellenists, that is, those
foreign Jews, who, from birth or residence in other lands,
had learned the Greek as their sole language in common life,
and were thus obliged to use the Greek translation, in order
to understand the scriptures. This matter will have a fuller
discussion in another place. Lightfoot has brought a most
amazing quantity of learned and valuable illustration of
this difference, from Talmudic literature. (Horae Hebraica et
Talmudicae in Acts vi. 1.)