Acts 6:1-7 Community in Conflict
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Proch′orus, and Nica′nor, and Timon, and Par′menas, and Nicola′us, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
The idyllic communal life of the early Jerusalem Church didn’t last long. But to their credit, the Twelve heard the “murmuring,” paid attention to the emerging division, looked into its causes and took wise and creative practical steps to restore good order and peace.
The problem began with bringing two different cultural groups together into one community. The majority were “Hebrews.” These were natives of Palestine and others who spoke Aramaic (the language of Jesus) and worshipped in Hebrew. They would have attended Hebrew synagogues. The Hellenists were also Jews, but they were Jewish immigrants from the “diaspora” across the Roman Empire and spoke Greek. They were more comfortable hearing the Jewish scriptures and teachings in Greek and would have attended one of the Greek synagogues in Jerusalem, of which there were several.
As new followers of Christ they were brought together into one worshipping community. The immigrant Hellenists were the minority and felt this keenly, especially when they perceived that their widows were being neglected in the charitable distribution of food and alms.
Once they heard the murmuring the Twelve looked into the issue and realized that this internal problem could mushroom, split the church and distract everyone—especially the apostles—from their outward- looking mission to bring Christ to the world. So they enlisted the help of the congregation and gave them the task of finding seven capable and trusted administrators who could ensure that everyone would be satisfied by how the daily distribution was carried out.
At this point there is a hugely significant detail: all seven names are Greek. This means that the Hebrew majority agreed to choose all the helpers from the offended minority Hellenists. They wanted to guarantee that the minority would be able to trust the administrators, and so chose Greeks to distribute the food and alms fairly to all, especially to the Greek widows. And so to complete this collaborative conflict resolution, the congregation set these men “before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.”
Saint John Chrysostom draws a direct connection between the peaceful resolution of this conflict and the subsequent success of the apostolic mission. “And the word of God,” it says, “increased: and the number of the disciples multiplied.” It is not for nothing that he says this: it shows how great is the virtue of alms and good order.
Saint John goes on to remark that even some of the Jewish priests, the very same who had persecuted Jesus and the apostles were accepted into the church. This, he says, shows that the community was actively following Christ’s example of forgiveness and love of those who crucified him.
Him therefore let us also imitate. He received them, and did not cast them out. So let us requite our enemies, who have done us even numberless ills. Whatever good thing we may have, let us impart to them: let us not pass them by, in our acts of goodness…
I beseech you, let us be imitators of Christ: in this regard it is possible to imitate Him. This makes a person like God. This is more than human. Let us hold fast to Mercy: she is the schoolmistress and teacher of that higher Wisdom. The one who has learned to show mercy to the distressed, will learn also not to resent injuries; he that has learned this, will be able to do good even to his enemies. Let us learn to feel for the ills our neighbors suffer, and we shall learn to endure the ills they inflict. (On Acts, Homily XIV)
Philadelphia and RBO
On Sunday, I served the Divine Liturgy with Father John Bohush at Saint Nicholas Church in Philadelphia and met with parishioners afterwards at coffee hour. The parish was once Dutch Reformed but was purchased by Russian immigrants and became Saint Nicholas Church in 1918.
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Yesterday evening and this morning Metropolitan Tikhon, Father Eric Tosi, Melanie Ringa and I have been meeting with the leadership of the “Russian Brotherhood Organization of the U.S.A.” The RBO (which has its offices in Philadelphia) has been in existence for 114 years and was instrumental in helping generations of Russian and Carpatho-Russian immigrants and their descendants purchase insurance to protect their families.
The R.B.O. was born of necessity. In the early 1880’s many of our forefathers and fathers migrated to this country from Eastern Europe. They knew neither the language nor the customs of this country, and many of them settled in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. If a person were injured or killed in the mines, he or his family would receive no compensation as compensation laws were not yet in existence at that time in the coal industry. That is why they organized lodges for the purpose of paying sick or death benefits. The outgrowth of these lodges culminated in the establishment of the R.B.O.
The RBO is a “fraternal benefit society” which continues to offer insurance and enroll new members, but an important aspect of their work has included support for scholarships, cultural events, churches and seminaries, and humanitarian organizations like International Orthodox Christian Charities, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross.