Synagogue of the Freedmen

Synagogue of the Freedmen - Libertines

ACTS 6 COMMENTARY ◄
Acts 6:3-7 Seven Men

Acts 6:8-15 Synagogue of the Freedmen

ACTS 6:8-9 8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

What is "the Synagogue of the Freedmen" (Acts 6:9)?
Jerusalem had one temple, the place of sacrifice, but many synagogues. The Synagogue of the Freedmen had Jews from North Africa (Cyrene and Alexandria are in Libya and Egypt, respectively) and modern-day Turkey ("Cilicia and Asia") who once had been slaves or prisoners of Rome, and who had settled in Jerusalem after being freed. The Synagogue of the Freedmen had these freed Jews and their children.

ACTS 6:10 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

Was Stephen's only gift church management?
No, he was also "full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people," and spoke with "wisdom and the Spirit" (Acts 6:10) that the Jews from the Synagogue of the Freedmen couldn't resist.

ACTS 6:11-15 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” 15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Where did they take Stephen?
"The council" (Acts 6:12), meaning the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council that had convened inside the temple precinct.

What accusations did they bring against Stephen?
"We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us." (Acts 6:14)

Did Jesus say He will destroy the temple?
No, He said that it will be destroyed, not that He will destroy it: "Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Mark 13:1-2). Jesus also referred to His body being the temple, which the Jews would destroy (see Destroy this temple). Jesus didn't say that He will destroy the Jerusalem temple, and neither did Stephen.

To what extent was Jesus' prophecy in Mark 13:1-2 fulfilled?
In 70 AD, the Roman general Titus sacked Jerusalem and razed the temple. Today, the lack of the remnant of this temple is so complete - "not one stone" is "left on another" - that the Wailing Wall - a facade for the foundation for this temple - serves as Judaism's most revered site (photos).

And did Jesus say that He will "change the customs which Moses delivered to" (Acts 6:14) the Jews?
Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-18). Jesus did destroy their "customs," but they weren't from Moses; the Jews had made those up on their own.

What really happened in this passage?
This group of Jews couldn't "resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which" Stephen spoke, so they "stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council" so that its members can have the privilege of hearing the longest sermon in the Bible preached by a disciple of Jesus.