Discrepancies in Acts 7?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Augustine3
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Augustine3

Guest
The American Bible points out a few discrepancies found in Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:2-53 as follows:

“God . . . appeared to our father Abraham . . . in Mesopotamia: the first of a number of minor discrepancies between the data of the Old Testament and the data of Stephen’s discourse. According to ⇒ Genesis 12:1, God first spoke to Abraham in Haran. The main discrepancies are these: in ⇒ Acts 7:16 it is said that Jacob was buried in Shechem, whereas ⇒ Genesis 50:13 says he was buried at Hebron; in the same verse it is said that the tomb was purchased by Abraham, but in ⇒ Genesis 33:19 and ⇒ Joshua 24:32 the purchase is attributed to Jacob himself.”

Can anybody harmonise this?
 
This is truly a difficult one to reconcile, but I do believe that it is not a contradiction, there is a reasonable answer.
These two accounts do not conflict; rather, they only differ. Consider all the facts as we know them: (1) Abraham bought a field and a cave in Hebron (Genesis 23:17); (2) Abraham bought a sepulcher in Shechem (Acts 7:16); (3) Later, Jacob bought a parcel of ground or a field (Joshua 24:32) also in Shechem (Genesis 33:19).(3) Later, Jacob bought a parcel of ground or a field (Joshua 24:32) also in Shechem (Genesis 33:19). It could be that Jacob merely bought the land whereupon the sepulcher of his grandfather stood.
 
I like to see you be a hundred percent accurate when people are ready to throw stones at you. Seriously, he was about to be stoned to death, looking down the barrell of the gun in our culture. It would not surprise me if he made memory mistakes in recalling historical facts. Under such a situation it would not surprise me if someone says “constanine sailed the ocean blue.”
 
I doubt if it was the intense moment that contributed to his nervousness for these discrepancies remember the Bible is inerrant, there must be another explanation perhaps Jewish tradition?

God bless,
 
Augustine3 said:
The American Bible points out a few discrepancies found in Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:2-53 as follows:

“God . . . appeared to our father Abraham . . . in Mesopotamia: the first of a number of minor discrepancies between the data of the Old Testament and the data of Stephen’s discourse. According to ⇒ Genesis 12:1, God first spoke to Abraham in Haran. The main discrepancies are these: in ⇒ Acts 7:16 it is said that Jacob was buried in Shechem, whereas ⇒ Genesis 50:13 says he was buried at Hebron; in the same verse it is said that the tomb was purchased by Abraham, but in ⇒ Genesis 33:19 and ⇒ Joshua 24:32 the purchase is attributed to Jacob himself.”

Can anybody harmonise this?
Click to expand...
Hi,
The city of Haran is in country of old Mesopotamia.
 
Big_Dummy said:
I like to see you be a hundred percent accurate when people are ready to throw stones at you. Seriously, he was about to be stoned to death, looking down the barrell of the gun in our culture. It would not surprise me if he made memory mistakes in recalling historical facts. Under such a situation it would not surprise me if someone says “constanine sailed the ocean blue.”
Click to expand...
Stephen was not afraid.

Prior to Pentacost, the disciples locked themselves in the upper room out of fear. After Pentacost they went out to the streets and preached boldly, fearing nothing, not even fearing their own deaths. That was the effect of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentacost - removal of fear and the power to preach the Gospel boldly. Even with so called discrepancies, Stephen’s whole discourse from verse 2 through verse 50 is an outstanding summary of the entire story of the Old Testament. It is at the conclusion of his summary which contains the discrepancies that Stephen boldly accuses the priests of being murderers of not only the prophets who fortold the comming of the Messiah, but he accuses them of murdering the Messiah himself.

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it." When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. (Acts 7:51-54)

It is at that point that the drive him out ad stone him, not before. The discourse containing the discrepancies about Hebron vs Sechem come before this accusation and the rage which results. Whether the priests and crowd propose to stone Stephen before his discourse or after, Stephens accusations are not the words of a man who is blabbering because his life is threatened. Stating that the priests are “uncircumcised in heart and ears” would have been an amazing insult them. No, these are the words of a man filled with the Holy Spirit, unafraid of any human power or bodily harm - a man who is sure of the ressurection of the dead and everlasting life.

Catholics often don’t realize that by virtue of the sacrament of confirmation, we share in that very same power which the disciples recieved at Pentacost.

-Tim-
 
Augustine3 said:
The American Bible points out a few discrepancies found in Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:2-53 as follows:

“God . . . appeared to our father Abraham . . . in Mesopotamia: the first of a number of minor discrepancies between the data of the Old Testament and the data of Stephen’s discourse. According to ⇒ Genesis 12:1, God first spoke to Abraham in Haran. The main discrepancies are these: in ⇒ Acts 7:16 it is said that Jacob was buried in Shechem, whereas ⇒ Genesis 50:13 says he was buried at Hebron; in the same verse it is said that the tomb was purchased by Abraham, but in ⇒ Genesis 33:19 and ⇒ Joshua 24:32 the purchase is attributed to Jacob himself.”

Can anybody harmonise this?
Click to expand...
Hi,

"Gn.50;13 says Abraham bought a burial sight from Hebron, not that he was buried at Hebron.
Which means that the burial sight was at Shechem that he bought from Hebron.
Acts 7:16 Jacob was buried at Shechem in the tomb that Abraham bought.​

Gn. 33;19 Jacob also bought a piece of land at Shechem to pitch his tent.
Jos. 24;32 It says that Joseph was buried there at Shechem, not Abraham. Although it
it says it was land that Jacob bought.​

So all this seems to say that both Jacob and Joseph were buried at Shechem but on
different sites at Shechem, one bought by Abraham and another bought by Jacob.

It is a bit confusing but correct.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top