were absolutely unconnected not merely with the Temple, but even with the Holy Land itself. Stephen, like Paul in later times (cf. Rom. iv.; Gal. iii.), goes back behind the Law and the priesthood to the time of Abraham, and grounds his position upon the undeniable facts connected with the religious experience of the great founder of the Jewish people. 2. The God of glory. Compare with this unusual expression the similar phrases," the King of glory' (Ps. xxiv. 9) and "the Lord of glory," which is applied to Christ (1 Cor. ii. 8; Jas. ii. 1). When the word "glory" is used of God it generally carries with it the idea of Divine manifestation. The phrase, therefore, is most appropriate in the present connection, because Stephen is speaking of the Divine manifestation to Abraham. These appeared . . . in Mesopotamia. words are emphatic. The point is, of course, that God's manifestation to Abraham took place in a foreign land, and not in the Temple at Jerusalem. before he dwelt in Charran. There is a discrepancy between this statement and Gen. xii. 1–5, where it is said that the call came to Abraham after he had left Charran. There is another tradition which has been preserved in Philo and Josephus, and is implied in Gen. xv. 7; Josh. xxiv. 2,3; Neh. ix. 7, that the call came to him at Ur of the Chaldees. Stephen seems to have followed this tradition in preference to the statement of Gen. xii. 1-5. Charran (or Haran, as it is spelt in the R.V.). A city in the N.W. of Mesopotamia, and S.E. of Edessa, where Abraham lived after leaving Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. xi. 31). 3. Get thee out of thy country. This verse forms part of the promise made by God to Abraham (Gen. xii. 1, 2). In Genesis the promise continues : "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless them that bless thee," etc. 4. when his father was dead. According to the facts stated in the Book of Genesis, Terah lived for sixty years after Abraham's departure from Charran (Gen. xi. 26, 32, xii. 4). The version given by Stephen appears also in Philo. The modification in the tradition was due probably to the desire of the Jews to save Abraham from the imputation of unfilial conduct. he removed him. he-God. 5. gave him none inheritance. According to Gen. xxiii. 13, Abraham purchased a field from the sons of Heth. There is no discrepancy, however, because the emphasis is here laid on the word 66 'gave." 6. And God spake. The quotation in this verse is substantially in agreement with the words recorded in Gen. xv. 13, 14. four hundred years. This is a round number, and there is no discrepancy between it and the more precise figure - 430 — which is given in Ex. xii. 40 and Gal. iii. 17. 9. sold Joseph into Egypt. In keeping with his main argument Stephen hurries over the history of the patriarchs in Palestine. His point all through this part of the speech is to show how God revealed Himself in foreign lands. 14. threescore and fifteen souls. The Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament differ as to the precise number, the former giving it as 70, the latter as 75. Stephen follows the Greek, with which as a Hellenist he would, of course, be more familiar. 16. Sychem = Shechem. There are two irreconcilable discrepancies between this verse and the statements in Genesis. (a) According to Gen. xlix. 30 and 1. 13, Jacob was buried "in the cave of Machpelah, before Mamre," and not at Shechem, as is stated here. (b) The piece of land at Shechem, purchased from the sons of Hamor (= Emmor), was bought, according to Gen. xxxiii. 19, by Jacob, and not by Abraham. The same variation from the received text of Genesis is also found in the apocryphal Book of Jubilees, and this is no doubt the source of Luke's statement here. The reference to the burial of Jacob, which seems at first sight absolutely irrelevant, is probably introduced to prove that the patriarchs possessed no land in Palestine except the buryingground. the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. The best MSS. read here, "the sons of Hamor in Shechem," and this is the rendering in the R.V. STEPHEN'S GREAT APOLOGY-(continued). 17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in 18 Egypt, till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young 20 children, to the end they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up 21 in his father's house three months: and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished 22 him for her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in 23 deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into 24 his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian : 25 for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they under26 stood not. And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to 27 another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the 30 land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame 31 of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the 32 Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not 33 behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes. from thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy 34 ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I 35 will send thee into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused,. saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the 36 angel which appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilder37 ness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him 38 shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively 39 oracles to give unto us: to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned 40 back again into Egypt, saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of 41 him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their 42 own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the 43 wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. In the second section of Stephen's speech the main point of the argument seems to change. The history of Moses is narrated chiefly for the purpose of proving that the Jews had always resisted and rejected the Divinely appointed deliverer (see especially vers. 24-26). The opponents of Christ had their representatives in the time of Moses. But though this is undoubtedly the dominant note of the passage, yet the other line of thought is by no means absent. Great stress is laid, for instance, upon the fact that it was "in the wilderness of Mount Sina," and not in Palestine, |