Waiters or Preachers: Acts 6:1-7 and the Lukan Table Fellowship Motif

Since the seminal work of Ferdinand Christian Baur, the account of the selection of the Seven¹ in the context of the dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists (Acts 6:1-7) has attracted the attention of many who are interested in the historical reality that lies behind this portrayal of the early church.² Critical discussions often focus on three historical problems: the identity of the "Hellenists" and the "Hebrews," the ideological differences between these two groups, and the historical framework within which one should understand the caring for the widows in the early church.

On the identity of the "Hellenists" (Ἑλληνιστής) and the "Hebrews" (Ἑβραῖος), a majority position seems to have emerged, although a consensus has yet to be reached. Despite the protests by some,³ many consider language preference to be the primary distinguishing factor: "'Hellenists' means Greek-speaking Jews, as opposed to the 'Hebrews' or Aramaic-speaking Jews."⁴

As far as the ideological differences between the Hellenists and the Hebrews are concerned, many acknowledge the contribution of Baur but refuse to follow him in seeing the contrast between the Hellenists and the Hebrews primarily as the competition between the "liberal" and "conservative" understandings of the temple and the law. Not only can this contrast lead to "an unfair stereotyping of non-Pauline Jewish Christianity as backward, severe, and legalistic," but it also assumes a simplistic view of the history of the early church in which uniform bodies of opinion can be identified behind two groups of Jews divided by their language preferences.⁵

On the historical practices of caring for widows among the Jews of the first century, some have pointed to the relevance of the later rabbinic material,⁶ while others have pointed to parallels among the Essenes.⁷ Most would agree, however, that the data provided in Acts 6 are insufficient to reconstruct the detailed arrangements of the early Christian community in Jerusalem.

While scholarly attention has focused on these historical matters, most commentators also recognize a significant problem in Luke's presentation in this account:⁸ "why men chosen to allow the Twelve to preach rather than to 'serve tables' appear later only as preachers and evangelists."⁹ Although this apparent inconsistency between the assigned role of the Seven and their actual function in the subsequent narrative is not commonly the focus of scholarly discussions, most commentators feel the need to explain it. Almost all proposed explanations appear to assume, however, that this seeming inconsistency is the result of Luke's careless writing. Consequently, the significance of table service in this account is downplayed, and the literary function of this episode becomes unclear. It is the purpose of this article to revisit this apparent inconsistency and to argue that it represents an intentional strategy of the author in his presentation of the development of the early Christian movement.

I. Historical Reconstructions

Assuming that this apparent inconsistency represents the failure of Luke to present a coherent and sustained narrative of the development of the church, many have resorted to various forms of historical reconstruction to explain the presence of such an inconsistency. Drawing on the contributions of Baur, James D. G. Dunn detects the "residue of suspicion" behind Acts 6.¹⁰ This "residue of suspicion" finds its roots in the Maccabean revolt, in which the conservative Jews fought against their Hellenistic counterparts. Ernst Haenchen, among others, sees behind this inconsistency an intentional covering up of the deeper rift between the Hellenists and the Hebrews, who represent two different ideological orientations.¹¹ To these scholars, Luke's attempt to downplay these conflicts leads to the presence of the apparent inconsistencies in the account itself. The division of labor that appears in the final text is but a literary strategy to create space for the coexistence of the two camps.

Another kind of historical reconstruction understands the Seven as already leaders of a separate community: "The 'Seven' are in reality not men who care for the poor . . . but the leading group of an independent community, the 'Hellenists.'"¹² This position is...