Before Saul of Tarsus was
taught the gospel, Ananias addressed him as “brother Saul” (Acts 9:17). What
does this mean?
A form of the word “brother” (Greek adelphós) appears in the Acts narrative around
fifty-seven times (textual variation notwithstanding), used in at least three
different senses: (a) biological male sibling (1:14; 7:13; 12:2, 17); (b) ethnic
kinsman (2:29, 37; 3:17, 22; 7:2, 23, 25, 26, 37; 13:15, 26, 38; 22:1, 5, 13;
23:1, 5, 6; 28:17, 21); and (c) spiritual brother in Christ (1:15 [or
‘disciples’]; 6:3; 9:30; 10:23; 11:1, 12, 29; 14:2; 15:1, 3, 7, 13, 22, 23, 32,
33, 36, 40; 16:2, 40; 17:6, 10, 14; 18:18, 27; 21:7, 17, 20; 28:14, 15).
However, for the first thirteen chapters the distinction between (b) and (c) is
somewhat blurred (cf. 1:16), seeing that the disciples to whom the term applies
were all ethnic Jews. It is not until 14:2 that Gentile Christians are
specifically called “brothers.”
In the sense of “ethnic kinsmen,” the
non-Christian Jews on the Day of Pentecost, before having heard the complete
gospel message, are addressed as “men and brothers” (Acts 2:29; equivalent to
“men of Israel,” v. 22) and then refer to the Jewish apostles the same way (v.
37). When Stephen stood before antagonistic, unbelieving Jews, he called them
“brothers” (7:2), applying the same designation to Moses’ fellow Israelites
(vv. 23, 26). In the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch, the local Jewish leaders,
before knowing Paul and Barnabas were Christians, called them “men and
brothers” (13:15), a common Jewish expression reciprocated in v. 26. When Paul
stood before an angry Jewish mob wanting to kill him, he addresses them as
“brothers” (22:1), refers to other non-Christian Jews as “brothers” (v. 5),
then recalls Ananias’ words to him as a fellow ethnic Jew, “brother Saul” (v.
13).
-- Kevin L. Moore
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