Stephen\u27s Speech Missiological Implications of Stephen\u27s Speech In Luke-Acts

Stephen\u27s speech leaves us with many questions. Our study will help to answer some of these questions. Chapter One of this study deals with some background issues, i.e., Who Stephen is among the Seven Deacons, and Who the Hellenists are, whose complaint threatened the unity and harmony of the church in Jerusalem. Chapter Two seeks to determine how the reporting of speech in ancient literature is to be understood. This is an attempt to defend the authenticity, and thus, the reliability of the ancient records of various speeches. The third chapter, the main body of the work, handles the issues dealt with in Stephen\u27s speech. Special attention will be given to the following questions: How is Stephen unique in treating and understanding the three patriarchs at the beginning of the speech? How does Stephen use the Old Testament to highlight his points? Is Stephen suggesting that the tabernacle is more divine than the Jerusalem temple? How does Stephen relate his hearers with their ancestors? Chapter Four builds on Chapter Three by arranging and analyzing the speech under three distinctive themes, i.e., Pilgrim theme, Samaritan theme, and Rejection theme, which will lead us to see the missiological implications of the speech in the Book of Acts. We will seek to draw some points focusing on questions like, how the speech might have influenced the development of the first century mission, what the significance of this speech is for the church\u27s mission today, and what insights can be gained from this speech