Explicit quotations from Genesis within the context of Stephen's speech in Acts

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to offer a limited contribution to ongoing studies on the Book of Acts, particularly in the area of the manner in which the New Testament quotes and expounds the Old. The discussion confines itself to an examination of the two explicit quotations from Genesis, (Gen 12:1, and 15:13) which are identified with introductory formulae, in the Stephen discourse of Acts 7. The study first seeks to situate the Genesis texts in their original context, after which attention is paid to their appearance in the Stephen speech in Acts. Firstly a brief overview of the differences between the pertinent Old Testament textual traditions (e.g., MT, LXX, etc), and the New Testament is provided, with the aid of a table. This will assist in understanding the most obvious changes and modifications present in Luke's reading of his original material. Secondly and finally, the discussion will seek to provide an assessment of Luke's theological and hermeneutical framework, reflected within the Genesis quotations of the Stephen speech.