BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: ACTS 6:1-7 2
Biblical Critique: Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews
The story of the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews, from the Acts of the Apostles, highlights
God’s commitment to creating unity among His people. In the story, the apostles know their
work to spread God’s word is essential to help spread Christianity, so they recommend creating
an advisory board to mediate the dispute. Barsky (2017) discusses that transformative mediation
allows individuals and groups to regain self-will and make more diplomatic relationships with
others. Through God’s drive for unity, forming an advisory board has many applications to
modern world issues, how school districts can approach significant changes and conflict
resolution. Groups of mediators, like the seven deacons, need to commit to compassion for
others to help individuals and groups manage conflict.
Read
Fact Verses
1. The story of the conflict between
Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews takes place in
Jerusalem.
7
2. The church begins to grow rapidly, and
there is an increase in disciples.
1
3. Hellenistic Jews file complaints about their
widows not being served food daily.
1
4. The twelve apostles are made aware of the
complaint.
2
5. The 12 apostles believed they needed to
continue God’s work and not get into the
2
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: ACTS 6:1-7 3
conflict.
6. The 12 apostles recommended the Jews
form a group to solve the conflict.
3
7. The group of seven selected must have
good reputations, be full of the Holy Spirit,
and have wisdom.
3
8. The Jews selected Stephan, Philip,
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolas as deacons to lead the resolution.
5
9. The apostles prayed over the seven and laid
hands on them to commission their roles.
6
10. The word of God continues to spread. 7
Reflect
What do you see in the passage that relates
to God’s character, man’s character, or
Jesus?
Verses
God’s character While not directly stated, this story speaks
to God’s authority because the apostles
demonstrate an adherence to God’s work
by not getting directly involved in the
conflict. The story also alludes to God’s
desire for unity among people, as
illustrated by the election of the seven
leaders to guide them through the dispute.
2-3
5-6
Man’s character The story speaks to man’s commitment to 2-4
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: ACTS 6:1-7 4
compassion, as the apostles wanted to elect
seven leaders to ensure the widows were
fed. The appointment of the seven
demonstrates man’s characteristic of
spiritual depth by requiring the seven to be
filled with the Spirit.
5
Respond
The story of the budding conflict between the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews, from the
Acts of the Apostles, has applications to the current world. Barsky (2017) recommends that when
choosing mediators, like when the seven deacons were chosen, they need to be able to recognize
cultural differences to mediate a conflict effectively. Throughout the world, many refugees are
trying to flee their homelands in search of better places for their families. Typically, these
refugees come from countries torn by war, such as the war in Ukraine and the war against the
drug cartels. As more and more refugees enter our country to escape horrors in their homelands,
our leaders must act more like the apostles and appoint mediators to help the refugees transition
while respecting their culture.
Creating an advisory council for school administrators to help solve problems is like what
the apostles did when they asked the Jews to elect seven deacons. Recently, a school district in
New Hampshire has explored the possibility of sending all middle school students to the high
school to address declining enrollments and financial difficulties. The school board appointed
representatives to form a sub-committee to investigate the proposal’s impacts and make a final
recommendation. Chan et al. (2022) found that using advisory panels to help formulate
recommendations can significantly reduce skepticism regarding a decision's outcome. At the end
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: ACTS 6:1-7 5
of the study, it was found that moving middle school students was not a fit for the district, and
the public shared the sentiment.
The process in which the impending conflict between the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews is
a classic application of mediation in conflict resolution. Mediation can be defined as a structured
process in which a mediator facilitates communication and negotiations between two or more
parties in a dispute (Barsky, 2017). In the case of the story from the Acts of the Apostles, a
disagreement was beginning because the widows of one group were not being treated equally to
another group. The twelve apostles asked the Jews to elect seven holy men full of wisdom to
create an advisory board to help solve the dispute (New American Bible, 1970/2011, Acts 6:3).
While it is not explicitly stated in the story, it is assumed that this approach of using an advisory
board to solve the issue of feeding widows was practical, as we don’t read about the two Jewish
groups battling it out.
Conclusion
The Bible, especially the story of the two Jewish tribes, contains lessons about
committing to God’s wish for unity amongst His people. One of the most effective ways to solve
conflict is to leverage a mediator, who can understand the issues on both ends of the dispute.
Chosen individuals elected to an advisory board can help larger groups solve disputes about
hungry widows, refugee management, school change initiatives, and conflict. It is written that
man should “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (New
American Bible, 1970/200, Ephesians 4:3). Through any conflict, if humans act in the way the
apostles did to solve the dispute of the Jews then there will be a better chance for everlasting
peace.
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: ACTS 6:1-7 7
References
Barsky, A. (2017). Conflict resolution for the helping professions: Negotiation, mediation,
advocacy, facilitation, and restorative justice. Oxford University Press.
Chan, Y. E., Krishnamurthy, R., Mann, J., & Sabherwal, R. (2022). Public participation in policy
making: Evidence from a citizen advisory panel. Public Performance & Management
Review, 45(6), 1308-1345. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2002.2062398
New American Bible. (2011). Catholic Book Publishing Corporation. (Original work published in
1970)
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