Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 7:38

"This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:" — Acts 7:38 (ASV)

Tension is now beginning to build up in Stephen’s speech. Starting from the rather placid historical narrative of vv.2–34 and moving to the more strident conclusion in vv.35–36, the speech peaks with a passionate treatment of the Moses testimonium passage in Dt 18:15 and of the significance of Moses himself there. This probably reflects a method of interpreting Scripture common to nonconformist Jews in general (cf. comments on 2:16) and points to the crux of Stephen’s argument. Stephen in no way disparages Moses. Indeed, in referring to Moses as being “in the congregation in the wilderness, with our fathers and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai,” he was speaking in a complimentary way. Likewise, Moses received “living words” that he passed on—an expression that implies the opposite of any disparagement of the Mosaic law. But Stephen’s point is that in Dt 18:15 Moses pointed beyond himself and beyond the instruction that came through him to another whom God would raise up in the future and to whom Israel must give heed; therefore, Israel cannot limit divine revelation and redemption to the confines of the Mosaic law. In the first century A. D., Judaism was generally looking for a Messiah who would in some way be “like Moses.” Numerous contemporary Jewish documents suggested a parallel between Israel’s first redeemer Moses and Israel’s expected Messiah-Redeemer, who would be like Moses. Stephen’s argument from Dt 18:15–18, therefore, was generally in accord with Jewish eschatological expectations. And he evidently used it, as Peter did before him (cf. 3:22–23), expecting it to be convincing.