Multiculturalism and the Church in Acts
6.28. Acts and Jesus of Nazareth
I do not think that this subject of 'Multiculturalism and the Church in Acts' will be complete if no word is said about Jesus Christ of Nazareth without whom, there would have been no Christianity or even this research on this topic. Jesus Christ is the central figure and the hub in which everything hinges and evolves on. We will briefly look at the life and ministry of Christ from a Jewish perspective and a Jewish background and heritage.
Jesus came from the Galilean town of Nazareth, that is, from the north of Palestine, which also boasted a fair number of Hellenistic cities. His family was Jewish, which is clear from the names of his parents (Joseph and Mary) and his brothers ( James, Joses, Judas, and Simon). Jesus' father was a building artisan or a carpenter (Math.
13:55), as was perhaps Jesus himself (Mark 6:3). According to Justin, he made yokes and ploughs. Jesus' mother tongue was Galilean Aramaic, or perhaps even a Hebrews dialect that had survived in Galilee. Presumably Jesus could also speak Greek. Many of his sayings, which were preserved in Greek derived from an Aramaic original. Aramaic must therefore have been the language of his proclamation. No reliable information about Jesus' education has been preserved.
But it must be assumed that Jesus was by no means uneducated; he was certainly able to read and write.
At some point after he had joined the sect of John the Baptist, Jesus parted from them and began his own ministry as an iterant preacher and teacher. His ministry was marked by many outstanding miracles. Some of them were: the turning of water into wine; the raising of Lazarus from the dead; walking on water; the feeding of the five thousand. Miracles of heatings and the casting out of demons were common in Jesus' ministry. He lived a simple life and illustrated his teachings with many parables. He was known in many Jewish circles as a 'Rabbi' (teacher). Some believed that he was the promised Jewish Messiah who was to come, whilst others took him as a prophet; still others, especially the religious leaders, saw Christ as an
impostor and a blasphemer. His famous 'Sermon on the Mount' spoke about love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation.
The places where he was active are not known with any certainty, because most of the specific place names in the gospels were added to the tradition at later date. But it is striking how strongly Galilee stands out as the place of his activity, and how completely the most important Hellenistic cities (Caesarea, Sepohoris and Tiberias) are missing in the· tradition. But the essentially non-Jewish areas in the north (Caesarea Philippi) and east of Galilee (Gadara east of the Galilean Sea) are occasionally mentioned. It can therefore be concluded from the outset, that Jesus never visited pagan countries. How often Jesus travelled to Jerusalem must remain uncertain; since according to the Synoptic gospels it was only once, while according to the Gospel of John he did so several times (at least three times). Jesus certainly did not exclude Judea from his ministry. Jesus was arrested while in Jerusalem for the Passover, probably in the year 30, and that he was executed.
As for the question of who was primarily responsible for Jesus' execution, it attempts to shift the major responsibility further and further onto the Jewish authorities. In Matthew, Pilate even washed his hands in innocence (Matt. 27:24), and a later tradition claims that Pilate had already come to believe in Jesus in his heart, but that the Jews had forced him nevertheless to go a head with the execution.
There were two reasons says Koester (1982) which led to the execution of Jesus: - Firstly, The Jewish authorities did not have the right of capital punishment, which was the exclusive reserve of the Roman prefect. The only two cases which seem to suggest that the Jewish court could sentence a person to death are the stoning of Stephen and the murder of Jesus' brother, James. But the former was a case of mob lynching, while the latter occurred during a vacancy in the prefect's office. This means these two cases cannot prove the point. The Jewish authorities were indeed not permitted not to put anyone to death (JohnI8:31). They certainly would never
be able to do so in the presence of the Roman governor, who regularly came from Caesarea to Jerusalem on the high holidays in order to prevent any possible unrest.
Secondly, The reason for Jesus' condemnation was not the blasphemy that is reported in the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 14:64). All the gospels agree in reporting the inscription on the cross: 'Jesus of Nazareth, king ofthe Jews' (Mark 15:26; John 19:19). This inscription says only too clearly that there was a substantive reason for Jesus' condemnation by the Romans. Whatever Jesus' own claims might have been, in the eyes of Pilate he was an actual or potential political agitator. One may, assume that the leading circles in Jerusalem were usually interested in cooperation with the governor, as they may done in the case of the proceedings against Jesus.
But Pilate would have exercised his legal authority in any case, however interested he might have been in the cooperation of the Jewish authorities. Executed by the horribly cruel method of crucifixion, Jesus died a painful death; he was buried in a tomb, but rose again from the dead on the third day (Koester 1982: 75-76).
6. 29. Summary and Conclusion
In summarising this chapter, Luke, in Acts, gives an account of the beginnings of the Christian Church, starting from the day of Pentecost, to the imprisonment of Paul. The identity of the groups on the day of Pentecost were mainly Hellenists- Greek speaking Jews from the Jewish diaspora. The Jerusalem Church in its initial setting were predominantly Jewish Christians of the diaspora. The early apostles were originally from the Jerusalem Church. Some of the prominent leaders were James, and Peter. James seemed to be the 'resident apostle'.
There were cultural diversities with the fact that there were Jews and Gentiles.
Cultural disputes were settled, especially with the widows of the Hellenists being neglected in their 'daily ministration'. Seven officers were chosen to 'serve tables', whilst the apostles gave them self to the spiritual ministry of prayer and preaching.
The early church lived in community:.. 'koinonia', and they practiced community of goods.
Because of persecution, the church began to spread to other communities. The Church began to spread to the Gentiles. An Ethiopian eunuch embraces the Christian faith through the preaching of Phillip. At first, Peter is seen as the one who first took the gospel to the Gentiles. This came about when Peter saw a vision on the house-top in relation to the evangelising of the Gentiles. The house of Cornelius, a Roman from the 'Italian band' embraces the Christian faith. Later, it was Paul, the apostle who is seen as the 'apostle to the Gentiles'
The first Gentile Church is established in Antioch by those disciples who were scattered abroad, because of the persecution. Antioch also becomes the first 'multicultural church' in the book of Acts. Not long, cultural, religious and doctrinal issues began to spring up within the early Church. Acts 15 and Galatians 2, gives some insight to the problems that were dealt with. The main issue was whether Gentiles must be circumcised and observe Jewish laws and customs, for them to be truly 'saved'. The Jerusalem Council, sometimes referred to as the Apostolic Council, through James, advised the churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia of their decision. The letter was taken by Paul and Barnabas to the churches mentioned.
InActs 21, the account of Paul's visit to Jerusalem, and the meeting with James, brings out some very controversial issues. Paul is taken to task by James of his alleged attack against the Jews. Itwas alleged that Paul taught that believing Jews ought not to circumcise their children, and not to keep Jewish customs. James then asks Paul to prove what he taught was false, to take a vow with four men and pay for their purification as well; Paul submits to this instruction. After this, Paul is almost killed by a lynch mob, but the Roman tribunal comes intime to save Paul from the hands of the mob.
The period of foreign missions is especially attributed Paul, through his missionary journeys. Some of them who accompanied Paul in his journeys were, Bamabas,
Mark John, Silas, Timothy who was circumcised by Paul 'because of the Jews', and Luke the author of Acts.
In. conclusion, the Church in Acts which began with predominantly Jewish believers, was not meant to be just a Jewish Church. God intended the Church to be a Church that reaches out to other cultures and nations of the world. The Church was meant to cross cultural boundaries, overcome racial intolerance and be the Church God intended it to be - a church that embraces all cultures and nations, irrespective of rac, colour, language, or social status. If cultural differences should exist, it must be overcome by meaningful fellowship, interaction and dialogue, just as the Jerusalem Council was able to resolve its cultural problems and through wisdom was able to bring about peace and harmony.
The early Church thrived amidst persecution from the religious leaders, and cultural differences of its day. The Church made an impact and a difference in the fabric of the then known society, and made inroads into other cultures and ethnic groups.
Nothing was able to divide the Church, not even cultural differences. The words of the apostle Paul rings out, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians
3:10).
In the light of what has been discussed in this chapter, we can ask ourselves, how did the 20thcentury Church fare? What were the challenges it faced, and how did it overcome these challenges? How can we contextualise the Gospel in Acts with multiculturalism and the Church in South Africa?
The next chapter will feature multiculturalism and the Church in South Africa, in the light of the book of Acts. Itwill focus on the different denominations of the Church in South Africa, and its cultural and multicultural context, its diversity, ethnicity and challenges.