# Acts Chapter 7 --- ## Summarrium Stephen delivers a speech to the High priest and the council of elders. He recalls how God chose Abraham and Moses demonstrating himself faithful to them even when they were rejected by Men. Stephen points out that the children of Abraham have consistently rejected the Lord turning away from God to instead to worship even Golden statues. Stephen describes the journey of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David and Solomon. He demonstrates how the infidelity of the Israelites has been a consistent issue before finally accusing the council of killing the Lords anointed. In response he is taken out of the city and stoned to death where he experiences a vision of Jesus sat at the right hand of the father before he dies. Saul is present at his execution. ## Meditatio Within the passage it has struck me that Stephen traces the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. This is an attempt to demonstrate continuity within the redemptive plan for Israel. Abraham who is childless receives the promise to be the father of many. Joseph sold into slavery rises to prominence and eventually saves his family. Moses who is called to deliver the Israelites and fails in his own efforts is called forty years later. The wanderings in the wilderness, the construction of the tabernacle and later the temple; is contrasted with the rejection and murder of the prophets; much like Jesus who Stephen accuses the Jewish leaders betrayed and murdered. Yet the response of the religious leaderships is dramatically contrasted with those who are added to the community in Acts 2. Rather than a repentant response we see in Acts 2 the people of God continue to enact the historical rejection of the redemptive purposes. The religious leadership fail to accept responsibility for their part in all this and instead continue to perpetuate this. There is an uncomfortable lesson in all this which is somewhat linked to an earlier point I raised in discussing [Ephesians 2](http://tilde.club/~chortle/log.php?type=faith&year=part3#ephesians-chapter-2). Christ is 'building' us together as a dwelling place for God based upon this foundations of the Apostles [Framework, Stability, Establishment, Tradition, Roots] and Prophets [Frame-breaking, Challenge, Innovation, Revelation, Growth]. There is something in this perspective that needs to be expanded upon. Let's unpick this a little then... The apostolic mission is providing a solid framework upon which the Christian faith is built; serving as guiding principles for believers by which to live. Yet the danger in this role is that the Religious establishment seeks to maintain its power and cohesion within the body at all costs rather than heeding the work of the spirit. The establishment has the tendency to forget that the house of the Lord is established on the both the foundation of the Apostles *and* the Prophets. By contrast prophets, can be viewed as challenging the current religious frame or paradigms within the community. The prophets bring insights, revelations, or corrections to ensure that the community remains faithful to God's will and open to His ongoing guidance. In this interpretation, the apostles provide the stable structure upon which the Christian faith is built, while the prophets serve to challenge, refine, and renew that framework as needed, ensuring its continued relevance and fidelity to God's purposes. We should also not overlook the references to Amos and Isaiah[^1]. The appointment of the Seven in Acts 6 can be seen as addressing social justice concerns similar to those highlighted by Amos. The reference to Isaiah underscores the continuity between the prophetic tradition of Isaiah and the message of the early Christian community. Stephen is pointing to the classic tension between truth as orthodoxy and truth as praxis. [^1]: Verse 43 is a quotation of [Amos 5:25-27](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+5%3A25-27&version=ESV) and Verses 49-50 a quotation from [Isaiah 66:1-2](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+66%3A1-2&version=ESV).