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ANANIAS

… a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.  (Acts 5:1-2)

Ananias is a Jewish name derived from חֲנַנְיָה Chananyah, which means ‘God has been gracious’; it is common enough that it is given to three different men in the Acts of the Apostles.

Ananias was the High Priest during the establishment of the church and he confronts Paul at the apostle’s trial in Jerusalem.  Not realising his identity Paul insults him (ibid 23:3) calling him a ‘white-washed wall’ (a common term for a hypocrite, similar to that which Jesus himself used, Matthew 23:27).

Another Ananias also featured in Paul’s life, but this time to bless and heal the newly converted apostle (Acts 9:10-18).

However, Luke records the troubling tale of a further Ananias, in that he is judged and summarily slain for his sin.  

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PHILIP

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  (Acts 8:5)

Philip was a common Greek name, Φίλιππος (Philippos) a compound of philos and hippos, it meant ‘lover (of) horses’, and features several times in the New Testament.  Matthew (14:3) tells us that Herod the Tetrarch’s brother was called Philip and also that one of the twelve disciples is a Philip (10:3).

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STEPHEN

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit… (Acts 6:5)

Stephen was among the founding members of the church in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ ascension.  His name is Greek, Στέφανος (Stephanos) and it means ‘crown’.

Stephen was one of seven ‘deacons’ (from διακονέω diakoneó to serve ‘waiting tables’) chosen to oversee a dispute arising from perceived inequity in dispensing alms to the widows within the church.  We need to remember that at this early juncture the church bar a very few exceptions (such as the author of Acts) was Jewish, but Luke’s text shows that there were two types of Christian Jew, those who had kept the Law of Moses, and others who had adopted the ways of the prevailing culture and become ‘Greek’, these Luke refers to as Hellénistés, or Hellenists.

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PARTY (or sect)

But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.  (Acts 5:17-18)

The word ‘party’ translates the Greek noun αἵρεσις (hairesis) and stands for people who strongly self-identify with each other (the verb hairéomai means ‘to personally select’), in other words to cohere as a sect or a religious or philosophical group.

The Romano-Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, writing in the second half of the first century AD, identified four distinct groupings of Jews.  For ‘party’, it is best not to consider them in modern terms like political parties, or even organisations (with rules and membership) rather imagine a cross between a faction and a coterie or socio-religious affiliations, although ‘sect’ can certainly be applied in one instance.

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HATE (mortality)

 ‘Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’  (John 12:25).  

The word ‘hate’ translates the verb μισέω miseó and it embraces both the unconditional: ‘detest’ and comparative: ‘love less than’.

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CUP (of wrath)

But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another.

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.  (Psalm 75:7-8)

The Hebrew word translated ‘cup’ is כּוֹס kowc, which is a small owl (possibly with saucer-like eyes).  The cup of judgment is figure used employed by Jesus and later John.

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SELF-INTEREST (and altruism)

Do nothing according to self-interest or according to vain conceit, but in humility be esteeming one another surpassing themselves. (Philippians 2:3; Berean Literal)

The word in Greek is ἐριθεία eritheia, and means mercenary or self-seeking.  At a casual glance, this might rule out self-interest as Godly, but a fuller quotation suggests otherwise:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others… (ibid 2:3-4 ESV)

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HERESY

I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

(1 Corinthians 11:18-19)

The word that is translated ‘differences’ is αἵρεσις hairesis or heresy.

The English language borrowed words from other languages (notably Greek) for concepts our pagan forebears did not have before becoming Christian.  For example, standing in alignment (rihtwis, the right-wise or way) with your king was critical, so we have righteous; but how and why you chose your deity was not: Frige, Thor, Wotan, Tiw, take your pick; mix and match!  

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TONGUE – the power of speech

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  (James 3:5b-6)

The word ‘tongue’ translates γλῶσσα glossa which, as in English, means both the organ of speech and speech itself, in other words, language.

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DELIBERATE (SIN)

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgement, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.  (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Humanity is in an adversarial relationship with God, that is our natural state.  The writer of Hebrews says that once that realisation has dawned, in other words, been revealed by God, the soul is in a parlous position.  For thereafter continuing to behave as we have been has dire consequences which are eternally lethal.

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