Page 56 - AlNashra issue 2 - 2023

55 Issue 2 - 2023

Greeks” (καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας).1 It is Barnabas encountered the group of Gentile
noteworthy that the adversative δέ in the clause Christians at Antioch, he regarded their faith
“Ἦσαν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν…” (However, as praiseworthy. Consequently, he assumed the
some of them...) indicates a distinctive action role of a mediator between the apostles and the

taken by those people from Cyprus and Cyrene: Gentile Christians.

Their missionary endeavors extended beyond Realizing the necessity for more assistance,
the Jewish community in Antioch to encompass Barnabas instinctively sought out Saul. Whether
Gentiles as well. This interpretation, which prompted by a close friendship with Paul or a
considers the broader reference to Greeks or discernment of Paul’s eloquence and educational
Gentiles in contrast to a narrower group such as aptitude, Barnabas invited him from Tarsus to
Jews or Greek-speaking Jews, strongly supports assist in the mission among the Greeks. The duo
the variant reading Ἕλληνας over the Nestle- spent a significant year in Antioch, devoted to
Aland28 prefered reading Ἑλληνιστὰς.2 teaching a considerable amount of believers. The

Greek-speaking Jews from Cyprus and Cyrene widespread dissemination of the Gospel, with the

engaged with the Greek community in the third diligent efforts of Barnabas and Paul, led to the

most prominent city within the Roman Empire designation of the disciples as Χριστιανοί,
of that era, acquainting them with the teachings Christians, by the Greeks in Antioch—a

of the Lord Jesus for the very first time. Upon neologism destined for transliteration or

receiving the significant news, the Church in translation into all languages. Moreover, this

Jerusalem promptly sent Barnabas, a fellow Jew development marked a seminal emergence,

from Cyprus, to conduct an investigation. When wherein the Greek language attained prominence

as the designated medium for transcribing and

1. Gerhard Schneider, Apostelgeschichte 9,1-28,31, HThKNT (Freiburg-Basel- documenting the evangelical kerygma, thereby
constituting a significant milestone in its
Wien: Herder, 2002), p. 89. evolution as the official language of Christianity.
The apostolic proclamation first delivered to the
2. This opinion is endorsed by several scholars: Martin Hengel (Zwischen Jesus Greeks in Antioch, and subsequently spread
und Paulus, Zwischen Jesus und Paulus: Studien zur frühchristlichen und früh-
jüdischen Religionsgeschichte. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen
Testament 60. (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1985) pp. 164-165), Gerhard Schneider
(Apostelgeschichte 9,1-28,31, p. 89 n. 22), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (he Acts of the
Apostles. Anchor Bible 31 (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, Double-
day, 1998), p. 476), and Luke Timothy Johnson (The Acts of the Apostles (Colle-
geville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1992) p. 203). It is contrasted with the view
of P. Parker (“Three Variant Readings in Luke-Acts,” JBL 83 [1964], pp. 167-68).