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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

HELLENISTS*

Name used in Acts 6:1, 9:29, and possibly 11:20 for a distinct branch of the early church that was characterized by Greek modes of thinking. Their actual identification is disputed, and the following possibilities have been propounded: (1) Greek-speaking Jews rather than Aramaic-speaking Jews (but “Hebrews,” as in 6:1, was seldom used in a linguistic sense); (2) proselytes of “Greeks” as opposed to true Jews (the list of deacons in 6:5 makes this doubtful, for it is unlikely that they were all proselytes); (3) diasporate Jews living in Palestine (fits 6:1-6 but not the other passages); (4) pro-Hellenist sect within Judaism (this does not fit the whole tenor of the passages); (5) Gentiles who joined the church at an early date (this does not really fit the context of all three passages); (6) a general, not specific, term simply referring to one who either speaks Greek or follows Greek customs (or both). This is the best answer, as a study of the context illustrates.

In 6:1 the group was probably made up of Hellenistic Jews then living in Palestine. This is seen in the deacons chosen in 6:5. Luke used Greek names for all of them, probably not because they were Greek but to symbolize the desire of the apostles to unify the separate groups. Most Jews in the ancient world had three names—a Jewish, a Greek, and a Roman name—and used one or the other depending on the occasion. The diversity is even more apparent in 6:9. Hellenistic Jews differed sufficiently in their background and worship habits, especially in the use of Greek in the service, that there would be separate synagogues for them (there were seven such in Jerusalem alone). This created a potentially divisive situation for the early church, and the schism here was the result. The “Hebrews” would naturally tend to allocate the common pool to those they knew, and so the separation between the groups would add to the problem.

In 9:29 the “Hellenists” are members of the same group. Paul, a diasporate Jew himself, would naturally go to his old compatriots on his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. In 11:20 the manuscript evidence is equally divided between “Hellenists” and “Greeks.” As “Hellenist” is used in 11:20, it designates the Greek-speaking populace of Antioch and therefore Gentiles in general. This is different from the usages in 6:1 and 9:29.