Exegesis : The Martyrdom Of Stephen

Joe Michael Pleasant New Testament Survey January 29, 2016 Paul or Saul The man that was once known as Saul is one of my favorite bible characters in the whole bible. He was by far one of the most influential people in the book of acts, and all of the New Testament. Saul was the modern equivalent of a Islamic radical pushing his religious agenda. He was a monster. The lowest of the low in the scumbag world would be hands down Saul. On top of being the tool of extermination for Satan in Jerusalem, shortly after the death of Christ, he was also extremely religious. He was a Pharisee. While extremely well educated in the religious practices of Judaism, Saul was differently a hypocrite. He completely pushed is religious agenda while he completely

St. Paul was originally called Saul. Saul was a Roman Citizen as well as a Jew from Tarsus. He was very highly educated in the Law of Moses and was a student of Gamaliel. Saul hated Christianity and wanted to destroy Christians. When St. Stephen was killed, many Christians in Jerusalem fled to Damascus and other places in order to protect themselves. Because of this, Saul went to Damascus in order to persecute the Christians there.

The book of Acts brings out Paul as one of the most phenomenal apostles in the times post the death of Jesus. The documentation of Paul’s gospel begins with a mission by the leaders of the Antioch church who were instructed by the Holy Spirit to separate Barnabas and Saul from the Mission they were being sent on. During that period Saul was involved in the persecution and killing of believers of Christ and the instruction was a difficult trivia to the Christians due to the History associated with Saul. The conversion of Saul from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle spreading the Gospel is also a manifestation of the Holy Spirit (Keener & Craig,

We first met Saul in chapter 7:58 as the one at whose feet the robes of those who stoned Stephen were laid. Acts 8:1, he consented to Stephen’s death. 8:3, he began to destroy the church by entering the homes of the believers, and dragging off men and women to prison. Saul greatly persecuted the early church and caused the believers to be scattered. We would see in 9:1 Saul was breathing threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples. Chapter 9:1-2 he sought warrants from the Jewish authorities to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem anyone who is following Jesus. We learn more about Saul in his personal testimony. In 26:9, He did many things hostile to the name of Jesus. Acts 26:10, he voted for the execution of believers. Verse 11, he punished the believers in their synagogues and forced them to blaspheme the Lord. It’s obvious that Saul hated Jesus and all who followed Him as hated the gospel. He was a murderer and zealous for the law but on the path to hell because he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Saul believed that his actions met the God’s approval because he faithfully maintained the beliefs of the Jewish religion. However, in this text we will see the transformation of his life and his name would later change to Paul. After Jesus he would become the greatest theologian, missionary, teacher and pastor and God would use him to start churches all over the world. He would

Saul did everything he could to put the church down and stop the growth of Christianity. In fact, when Stephen was killed, Saul was there watching those who were stoning Stephen. On the day Stephen was martyred, a great persecution broke out against the Christian Church in Jerusalem. At that time, Saul began to destroy the Church. Going from house to house, he dragged off Christian

This paper will unpack the oral tradition that heralded the synoptic gospels to reveal that what appears static in written word was actually a mutable story that shifted over decades. Furthermore, understanding the flexibility of the early oral gospel will invite current Bible readers to break from the rigidity of the text and create performances of the Gospel that reflect the cultural setting of today. In order to accomplish this task this paper will begin with a historical perspective in Palestine during the time of Jesus to show how information was passed along from one person to the next. Next, an examination of form criticism offers insight into the oral tradition between Jesus death and the synoptic gospels. Following, the scholarship of James D.G. Dunn will further the conversation regarding oral tradition. In the end, this examination of historical oral tradition will bring life back into the living Word by disconnecting the verses from the page and restoring them into the mouth of

“Damascus was one of the ten towns the Romans did not rule. These towns had their own rulers. It was an important city about 242 kilometers (150 miles) from Jerusalem. It was in Syria and many Jews lived there. Saul needed letters from the most important priest. Then he would have authority. He could catch any believer that he found. People called the early Christians ‘those who followed the way of the lord”.” Acts 1: 1-2. (The sword bible translators notes). He was a witness in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. He met with Jesus on his way to Damascus and he was charged with a message to the Gentiles. Ananias was commanded by God to go to the street call straight and pray for Saul who later became Paul to receive his sight. Ananias was

I think Saul/Paul is the main character in the book of Acts. I know of no other person, other than Jesus himself, which shaped the history of Christianity like Paul did. Paul was transformed by God from a Pharisee and tent maker, a persecutor of Christians, and prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus, to a preacher for Christ.

In mystery plays, the unknown author often dramatizes Biblical material to educate an illiterate medieval audience on Christian history. This is an idea that is reflected in the York play of the Crucifixion. While the unknown author of the play faithfully retains some details of the Crucifixion depicted in all the Gospels, he or she seems to favour particular aspects of one gospel and alter the presentation of the characters to reflect the message in that specific gospel. By analyzing the York play of the Crucifixion and the four gospels, this paper will argue that the unknown author of the York Crucifixion play draws extensively from the Gospel of Luke and alters the presentation of the characters in order to stimulate a sympathetic response from their medieval audience that reflects God’s own sense of forgiveness for humanity.

The Acts of the Apostles is a historical and biblical book detailing the activities of the founders of the Christian church, immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is the fifth book of the New Testament and it tells of the founding of Christianity and the spread of its message to the Roman empire. The Acts translates the words, actions, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and it forms the basis of much of Christian beliefs today. The Acts and the Gospel of Luke making up a two-part work known as the Luke- Acts; written by an anonymous author who was believed to be one of the apostles by the name of Luke. Although the Acts talks mainly about two apostles,

In interpretation of Mark’s gospels it is important to take into account various elements of historical, theological, and literary context. Mark sets out to appeal to his audience by conveying messages that the audience can relate to. Mark 6: 30-44 is an example of a miracle story with a message that can impact many. There seems to be direct correlation among other gospels and stories throughout the Old and New Testament (NRSV, 1989).

The sermon that was outlined before Stephen repentance could of have something to do with Stephen’s wrong mindset. This sermon was to demonstrate the power that people would have through Jesus Christ, power that Stephen aspired for. “Further the priest

Thesis: To understand the impact of Christ’s intervention in Saul’s life, we need to focus on three separate descriptions of Saul that Scriptures teach: Saul of Tarsus before his conversion, Saul’s encounter with Christ and his supernatural conversion, and Saul’s name changed to Paul after Christ converted and called him to preach and write much of the New Testament.

Jesus affected those who knew of him; whether it was a favorable or displeasing impact, people’s lives transformed. Scholars believe that Jesus was born around six to four B.C. E. in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ birth story is found in the Gospels for further understanding. Furthermore, at a young age, Jesus sought to learn more about God. Although his works are more prevalent in his thirties, Jesus may have begun performing his works during his unknown life period (ages 12-30). Several people consider Jesus to the founder of Christianity due to his focus on sharing the Gospel of God to those around him. However, another person had a strong part in the early Christian movement. Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a Pharisee who persecuted Christians. The high priest entrusted Saul with the mission to travel to Damascus to persecute Christian men and women. On his road to Damascus, Saul encountered Jesus as a vision, where he went from a persecutor to a believer, and from Saul to Paul. This paper will focus on noting the differences between the Gospel of Jesus in Mark, and undisputed Paul. I will accomplish this by arguing that Paul’s gospel is similar to current Christianity in the sense that it focused more in the heavenly salvation, rather than earthly salvation. To do this, I will emphasize on Paul’s belief of justification through faith; his belief that he was appointment by God to preach the gospel, concluding on his view of Jesus’ crucifixion.

6:8–10 Stephen, a church administrator whom the Apostles elected, underwent opposition from the Synagogue’s member; however, Stephen overcame the situation because of the Spirit.