Thanks for your encouraging messages, Harvey. I love the quote from Asamoah-Gyadu!
Concerning Pentecost, I wonder whether you may be claiming too much, with the idea that (by taking Acts 2:5 absolutely literally), on that day, "No language was too insignificant and no people group too small to be left out." That idea surely does apply, I agree, to the command and aspiration for ongoing mission ("all nations" can be absolutely literal in Luke 24:47). But you give the impression of suggesting that, among the various miracles of Pentecost (especially of speaking and of listening) there was also the miracle of God arranging for Jews to belong in every single people-group on earth (even in the yet-to-be-discovered-by-west-Asians continents of the Americas, Australia etc.!?) and then to travel to Jerusalem to be present at Pentecost. (Mormons do claim that sort of ancient, cross-continental connection as their heritage; but there is no credible archaeological evidence to support their claim.)
I agree that the Jews assembled that day can be seen as, symbolically, representing all the nations; but not necessarily literally including at least one Jew from every people-group. Here, the phrase "from every nation under heaven" could reasonably be interpreted as "from all over the currently-known world, to which Jews have migrated."
"All" or "every" does not always need to be absolutely literal e.g. Acts 3:18 ("all" the prophets is a broad generalisation which is not inappropriate, even though none of the recorded prophetic words of Jonah seem to have been fulfilled at all, let alone fulfilled in Christ). If Luke wanted to emphasise that God had miraculously populated every people-group with Jewish immigrants and miraculously gathered these representatives from unreachable corners of the earth, he would have had to explain that far more explicitly than he does. But, rather, he lists only known and accessible nations in vv. 8-11.
I agree, these Jews ARE portrayed as representatives of all of us, whatever our people-group; but not necessarily because some of them literally came from our home-place, whoever we are. After all, there is more to the story, and we Gentiles have to wait til Acts 8 and 10 before we get a clear affirmation that the Good News truly is for us too, not only for the Jews among us. I join you in celebrating that!
Thanks for your encouraging messages, Harvey. I love the quote from Asamoah-Gyadu!
Concerning Pentecost, I wonder whether you may be claiming too much, with the idea that (by taking Acts 2:5 absolutely literally), on that day, "No language was too insignificant and no people group too small to be left out." That idea surely does apply, I agree, to the command and aspiration for ongoing mission ("all nations" can be absolutely literal in Luke 24:47). But you give the impression of suggesting that, among the various miracles of Pentecost (especially of speaking and of listening) there was also the miracle of God arranging for Jews to belong in every single people-group on earth (even in the yet-to-be-discovered-by-west-Asians continents of the Americas, Australia etc.!?) and then to travel to Jerusalem to be present at Pentecost. (Mormons do claim that sort of ancient, cross-continental connection as their heritage; but there is no credible archaeological evidence to support their claim.)
I agree that the Jews assembled that day can be seen as, symbolically, representing all the nations; but not necessarily literally including at least one Jew from every people-group. Here, the phrase "from every nation under heaven" could reasonably be interpreted as "from all over the currently-known world, to which Jews have migrated."
"All" or "every" does not always need to be absolutely literal e.g. Acts 3:18 ("all" the prophets is a broad generalisation which is not inappropriate, even though none of the recorded prophetic words of Jonah seem to have been fulfilled at all, let alone fulfilled in Christ). If Luke wanted to emphasise that God had miraculously populated every people-group with Jewish immigrants and miraculously gathered these representatives from unreachable corners of the earth, he would have had to explain that far more explicitly than he does. But, rather, he lists only known and accessible nations in vv. 8-11.
I agree, these Jews ARE portrayed as representatives of all of us, whatever our people-group; but not necessarily because some of them literally came from our home-place, whoever we are. After all, there is more to the story, and we Gentiles have to wait til Acts 8 and 10 before we get a clear affirmation that the Good News truly is for us too, not only for the Jews among us. I join you in celebrating that!