Act 7:58-8:3 | TNotes | STEP | 7:58 Saul was the Hebrew form, Paul the Greek form of his name (see 13:9 ).

7:58 ^a Saul was the Hebrew form, Paul the Greek form of his name (see 13:9 ^b).
Summary for Acts 7:59-60: 7:59-60 ^c Stephen’s prayer, Lord, don’t charge them with this sin, is strikingly similar to Jesus’ prayer at his crucifixion (Luke 23:34 ^d). Jesus clearly taught his followers the importance of both forgiveness (Matt 6:14-15 ^e; Mark 11:25 ^f; see Luke 11:4 ^g; 17:3-4 ^h) and prayer (Luke 11:5-10 ⁱ; 18:1-8 ^j; see also Acts 1:12-15 ^k; 4:23-31 ^l; 12:5 ^m; Jas 5:16-18 ⁿ). The Lord answered Stephen’s prayer affirmatively in the case of Saul (Acts 9:1-43 ^o).

Thematic note: Circumcision in the New Testament
Circumcision (cutting off the male foreskin) was widely practiced in the ancient Near East (see Jer 9:25-26 ^p). For Jews, it had religious significance as the sign of the covenant that God had established with the people of Israel (Gen 17:9-14 ^q; Josh 5:2 ^r; John 7:22 ^s; Acts 7:8 ^t; Sirach 44:20). It was normally performed on the eighth day of a male infant’s life (Gen 17:12 ^u; Lev 12:3 ^v; Luke 1:59 ^w; Acts 7:8 ^x). The New Testament notes the circumcision of John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and Timothy (Luke 1:59 ^y; 2:21 ^z; Acts 16:2-3 ^aa; Phil 3:5 ^ab). Circumcision became a metaphor for the renewal of a person’s relationship with God (Deut 10:16 ^ac; 30:6 ^ad; Jer 4:4 ^ae; Rom 2:28-29 ^af). In the late 40s AD, some Jewish Christians tried to require Gentile Christians to undergo circumcision (Acts 15:1 ^ag, 5 ^ah; see 21:20-21 ^ai; Gal 2:4 ^aj, 11-13 ^ak), to which Paul and Barnabas objected (Acts 15:2 ^al). The ensuing church council at Jerusalem settled the matter in favor of not requiring Gentiles to be circumcised (15:19-21 ^am, 28-29 ^an).
Paul insisted that “it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised” (1 Cor 7:19 ^ao). “What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal 5:6 ^ap). In Galatians, Paul argued against vigorous Jewish opponents and insisted that everyone enters God’s family simply through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:14-21 ^aq). Circumcision is not required for acceptance by God (Gal 5:6 ^ar). The cross of Christ is the way that sinners enter into covenant with God (Gal 2:14-21 ^as; Col 2:11-15 ^at).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 17:9-14 ^au; Lev 12:3 ^av; Josh 5:2-9 ^aw; Jer 9:25-26 ^ax; Luke 1:59 ^ay; 2:21 ^az; John 7:22-24 ^ba; Acts 7:8 ^bb; 15:1-5 ^bc, 19-21 ^bd, 28-31 ^be; 16:2-3 ^bf; 21:18-24 ^bg; Rom 2:25-29 ^bh; 1 Cor 7:17-19 ^bi; Gal 2:3-5 ^bj, 11-21 ^bk; 5:6 ^bl; 6:15 ^bm; Phil 3:5-9 ^bn; Col 2:11-23 ^bo

‏ Acts 8:1-3

Summary for Acts 8:1-4: 8:1-4 ^bp Saul: Cp. 9:1-2 ^bq; 22:4 ^br; 26:9-11 ^bs; Gal 1:13-14 ^bt. The result of this great wave of persecution was that all the believers ... were scattered. Rather than having their enthusiasm dampened, however, they simply spread the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.