Stephen's speech

Abstract

"Stephen's speech is different from the other speeches in Acts. It is longer and more polemical; it is more apologetic than evangelistic. Other speeches are organized around the Christocentric kerygma, Stephen men- tions Jesus by name only after his speech has been interrupted and his audi- ence transformed into a lynch mob. In the Acts speeches of Peter and Paul the OT is cited only by brief quotations or through allusions to events or predictions believed fulfilled by Jesus. In contrast most of Stephen's speech comprises a survey of almost a millenium of OT history and used both quotations and descriptions of OT events, not merely to support his argu- ment, but as his primary method for presenting it. This historical element in Acts 7 invites study, not only of the author's theology and place in early Christianity,) but also of his historical method"