Глава 6

The first Christian deacons (1–6). St. Archdeacon Stephen (7–15) Acts 6:1. In these days, when the disciples multiplied, there was a murmur among the Hellenists against the Jews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of needs. Jews from pagan countries. “In these days” is an indefinite chronological indication, in any case allowing one to conclude that the events described are not so distantly close to the previous one. “With the Hellenists... on the Jews..”. those. between Hellenistic Christians and Jews. “Hellenists” are Jews who lived in different countries of the pagan (Greco-Roman) world and spoke the then common Greek language. Many of them were proselytes, i.e. pagans who accepted the Jewish faith. Hellenists sometimes moved from pagan countries to live in Palestine and Jerusalem and, in any case, considered it their duty to travel to Jerusalem for holidays, staying here for a more or less long time, and sometimes staying here for a long time on their trade and other business. Many of them also entered Christianity, fully prepared to accept it. The name “Jews” here refers to Christians from the indigenous permanent Jews - natives of Palestine, who spoke the Hebrew language. “In the daily distribution of needs..”. εν τῆ διακονια τῆ καθημερινῆ, glory: “in daily service...”, as can be seen from what follows, this was the service of “meals”, i.e. supplying those in need with food and other needs at common meals (Acts 2:46 ), who were probably located in different parts of the city, in places of public meetings of Christians. At the same time, it seemed to the Hellenists that their widows were neglected. This neglect, of course, depended not on the Apostles themselves, but, obviously, on the immediate managers of the matter. St. Chrysostom also believes that “this did not happen from ill will, but probably from inattention due to the crowds..., for in this case it cannot. there will be no difficulty.” It is possible that the spirit of some exaltation that distinguished the Palestinian Jews over the Hellenists, who were more closely in contact with the unclean pagan environment, was reflected here, which, apparently, could not be smoothed over even by the high spirit of Christianity in the first society of Jerusalem. Be that as it may, the neglect of the Hellenistic widows was obvious and caused displeasure, the danger of which, perhaps more important than external persecution, is so wisely eliminated by the Apostles at the root, from the very beginning. Acts 6:2. Then the twelve Apostles, having called together many disciples, said: It is not good for us to leave the word of God and worry about the tables. “Having called together many disciples...”, i.e. if possible, the entire Christian Jerusalem community, and not only its representatives or elected ones. The Apostles proposed to the whole society to eliminate this disorder, and not to stop it with their own power alone (cf. Chrysostom and Theophilus.). “It’s not good for us...”, “we don’t want to eat”, we don’t like it. “Leaving the Word of God”, i.e. preaching the Word of God is his main duty. Acts 6:3. So, brethren, select from among yourselves seven known men, filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom; we will put them in this service, “Choose...”, the Apostles allow the entire community of believers to choose from among their people to place them in this service. "Seven people..." A sacred number. "Filled with the Holy Spirit.." since this service also requires special gifts of the Holy Spirit, for service to the poor is not an exclusive service to their bodily needs, but also to their spiritual needs. "And wisdom.." in the ordinary sense of the word, to arrange the whole matter smartly, successfully, accurately - a purely practical, everyday virtue. Acts 6:4. and we will constantly remain in prayer and the ministry of the word. “In the ministry of the Word”, i.e. gospel preaching, as opposed to caring for tables. Acts 6:5. And this proposal was acceptable to the whole meeting; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenes, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert from the pagans; “Filled with faith” - in the sense of the special gift of the Holy Spirit - miraculous faith (1 Cor. 12:9), with which Stephen performed great wonders and signs (Acts 6:8). After “Stephen,” “Philip” is the most famous (Acts 8). Nothing more is mentioned about the rest in the writings of the Apostles. Church tradition has preserved the most important information about them: “Prokhor” was first a companion of Ap. Peter, then a companion and scribe of Ap. John the Theologian, and later bishop of Nicomedia (in Bithynia), and died a martyr in Antioch. "Nikanor" was killed by the Jews on the day of the murder of Archdeacon Stephen. “Timon” was, according to legend, the Bishop of Vostra (in Arabia), and also died a martyr. “Parmen” died before the eyes of the Apostles and was buried by them (Ch.-Min., 1st July 28). "Nicholas", a proselyte, an Antiochian, whose election shows the wisdom of those who chose, for he, without a doubt, belonged to the Hellenists, whose widows were neglected, which aroused discontent. It is not known whether he maintained the height of his ministry, only his name is not inscribed among the saints. Acts 6:6. They were placed before the Apostles, and they, having prayed, laid their hands on them. “They were set before the Apostles” - for the actual installation of them. It is not the electing society itself that supplies them, but rather provides this to the Apostles, who alone had the right and power to carry out the very installation of the elect by their laying on of hands. “Praying” - of course, that the grace of God, healing the weak and replenishing the insufficient, would entrust the chosen ones to their special service to the Church of God. "They laid hands on them." The method and together is an external symbolic sign of the outpouring of special gifts of the Holy Spirit on the ordained person. This ordination (cf. Num. 27:18) followed the prayer, as a special symbolic action from it, and not a simple accompaniment of prayer. This was precisely the act of consecration of the elect, or the external side of the sacrament. “Notice,” Chrysostom says here, as a writer he does not say anything superfluous; he does not explain how, but simply says that they were ordained with prayer, for this is how ordination is performed. A hand is laid on a person, but God does everything, and His right hand touches the head of the one being ordained, if the laying on of hands is done as it should." Acts 6:7. And the word of God grew, and the number of disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem; and many of the priests submitted to the faith. “And the Word of God grew,” a remark that allows us to conclude about the subsequent calm of Christian society and the increased success of the Apostolic preaching, thanks to the concentration of their activities entirely on this preaching. The success was especially expressed in the fact that many even among the priests submitted to the faith in Jesus the Messiah, overcome in their stubbornness by the irresistible persuasiveness of the Apostolic preaching. Acts 6:8. And Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. “Filled with faith and power” - faith, as the cause or source of miraculous power, - power, as a special manifestation and action of faith. Here for the first time there is mention of the performance of great signs and wonders not only by the Apostles, but also by other believers - for the more successful spread of the Church of Christ. Acts 6:9. Some of the so-called synagogue of the Libertines and Cyreneans and Alexandrians and some of Cilicia and Asia entered into dispute with Stephen; Acts 6:10. but they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke. “Some... entered into a dispute”, ανέστησαν δέ τινες ... συζητοῦντες τψ Στεφάνω ..., more precisely famous: “The netsy rose up... contending with Stefan.” Those who entered into a dispute with Stephen were Hellenists, which, apparently, was Stephen himself, judging by his name and speech (Chapter VII), in which he cites Old Testament passages according to LXX. Tradition says that he was even a relative of Saul, and this one, as is known, was from Tarsus in Cilicia (Ch.-Min. Dec. 27). Those who entered into a dispute with Stephen were, further, “from the so-called synagogue of the Libertines and Cyreneans and Alexandrians and” - “from Cilicia and Asia.” There were about 500 synagogues in Jerusalem at that time, according to the calculations of the rabbis, among which are those mentioned 5. “Libertines” are Jews resettled by the Romans (especially under Pompey about 60 BC) as prisoners of war to Rome, but then released and, as free, returning to their fatherland (many of them, however, chose to voluntarily remain in Rome). It was these freedmen (libertini) who, upon their return, formed their own synagogue, the Libertines. “Cyrenians and Alexandrians” - Jews who moved to Jerusalem or temporarily stayed in it from Cyrene and Alexandria. In Cyrene (a city in Libya, in the West of Egypt), according to Josephus, a quarter of the inhabitants consisted of Jews, and in Alexandria (in lower Egypt) of the five parts of the city, two were inhabited entirely by Jews (Archaeol. XIV, 7, 2; XVI, 6, 1; XIV, 10, 1; XIX, 5, 2). They lived in both cities for a long time, either as prisoners of war or by moving here voluntarily. Alexandria was the center of Jewish-Greek learning, the imprint of which probably bore the Alexandrian synagogue in Jerusalem. “Kiliki I and Asi I” are two regions of Asia Minor, in which many Jews also lived, and immigrants or those temporarily staying in Jerusalem from them also had their own special synagogues here. All these 5 synagogues rebelled against Stephen in the person of some of their members and tried to challenge him, i.e. his teaching and rights of influence on the people. "They could not resist wisdom." Wisdom - not in the sense of Judeo-Hellenic learning, but in the sense of true Christian wisdom, in enlightenment by the truths of the Gospel teaching and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:8). Acts 6:11. Then they taught some to say: We heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 6:12. And they aroused the people and the elders and the scribes and, attacking, seized him and took him to the Sanhedrin. It is remarkable that the enemies of Christianity in the case of Stephen manage to arouse the people who were hitherto on the side of the Christians and the Apostles (cf. Acts 5, 13, 26). This is achieved precisely by charging Stephen with blasphemy - the most serious crime under the Law of Moses. As with the judicial accusation of the Lord himself, the people frivolously gave faith to this slander and were cunningly driven to indignation and indignation against the imaginary blasphemer and those among whom he belonged. The deliberateness of the accusation of Stephen and the indignation of the people against him is clear from the fact that the Sanhedrin was already completely ready for the trial of Stephen when he was openly seized and brought to the Sanhedrin. Thus, the secret dream of the enemies of Christ was fulfilled - to organize a pogrom in Christian society by inciting popular rage, if not personally against the Apostles, then first against one of the newly ordained deacons, and then against the entire society with the Apostles at its head. Acts 6:13. And they presented false witnesses who said: This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and against the law. “They presented false witnesses”, i.e. those who attributed to Stephen something completely different from what he really said, and who distorted his speeches. “He, perhaps, talked very frankly and spoke about the cessation of the law, or rather, he did not speak, but hinted, because if he had spoken clearly, then these “some” would not have needed false witnesses” (Theophilus). “To this holy place”, i.e. Temple of Jerusalem, “and to the law”, i.e. Moses, the main basis of all Old Testament life. Just as when condemning the Lord Jesus, false witnesses reinterpreted one of His sayings about the destruction of the church (Matthew 26:61; cf. John 2:19) to present Him as a blasphemer, so now Stephen’s false witnesses probably reinterpreted some of his sayings, where he expressed the transformative effect of Christianity and his attitude to the Old Testament. This was probably during his disputes with the Hellenists, and happened more than once (“does not cease”). Acts 6:14. For we heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us. “We heard him say...”, ακηκόαμεν γάρ αυτοῦ λέγοντος, heard him saying that.. . further words are not Stephen’s own words, but put into his mouth by false witnesses and interpreted by them in their own way. “Jesus of Nazareth...”, in the Greek and Slavic text with the addition of the contemptuous “this” (οῦτος). Acts 6:15. And everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin, looking at him, saw his face like the face of an Angel. “We saw his face like the face of an angel.” This was all the more surprising because it was more unnatural for an ordinary defendant, whom everyone expected to see with an expression of fear, despondency, or at least the hostile mood inherent in someone offended by slander. Filled with completely different feelings, Stefan’s pure soul was expressed by the courageous calm of his face and triumphant animation, which imparted - in contrast to the atmosphere of the accusers with their anger and fury - a truly angelic lightness and pleasantness to his young face. This should be all the more understandable because if Stephen had previously been filled with the special power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:8), then at this decisive and solemn moment for him, he, without a doubt, received special illumination from the Spirit of God, which transformed his very appearance into an angel-like one. 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