Acts 7:44Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Although there was a tabernacle, there were not yet sacrifices. That there were none the prophet says clearly: "Did you offer sacrifices and grain offerings to Me?" (Amos 5:25).

There was the tabernacle "of witness," but it brought them no benefit, and they were perishing. Likewise, signs brought them no benefit, either before or afterward.

But why, someone will say, is the tabernacle called "the tabernacle of witness" (μαρτυρίου)? Because it existed so that they might have God as witness (μάρτυρα). For this alone it existed.

"According to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Ex 25:40). Therefore its pattern was shown on the mountain. It was carried in the wilderness and did not stand in one place.

It is called the tabernacle of witness for no other reason than the wonders and commandments. Yet neither it nor they had a temple. And since its very pattern was shown, it was therefore shown by the angel himself.

"Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness." They had it so that they might have God as witness. He calls it the tabernacle of witness, that is, of wonders and commandments.

"As He who spoke to Moses commanded." Thus its establishment took place on the mountain. In the wilderness it was portable and did not remain in one place.

Even if the one who spoke with Moses on the mountain was an angel, still he spoke with him in God's name. There are many such things in divine Scripture. Thus in Exodus it says that the Angel of the Lord said to Moses, "Moses, Moses, do not draw near here" (Ex 3:2-5). A little later this Angel says, "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham" (Ex 3:6), and other such things.

Since they asserted that Stephen was stirring up the people against the holy place, he shows from Old Testament examples that the Lord does not highly value adorned stones. Rather, He desires to see the beauty of heavenly souls.

By this he wishes to say that, just as the tabernacle was forgotten when the temple was completed, so they should understand that the temple itself would be destroyed when a better state of the world arrived. This accords with the ancient prophecy of Jeremiah, who said, "Do not trust in deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord'" (Jer 7:4).

Finally, Stephen also defends himself against the charge of insulting the temple. In this case he tries to show, from the very history of God's guidance of the Israelite people, that the temple should not have eternal significance as the only place of true worship of God.

God accepted worship from the fathers of the Israelite people in Mesopotamia, in Egypt, and in the wilderness of Arabia. Even here, in the promised land, at first there was not only no temple, but not even a tabernacle.

Then God commanded Moses to make the tabernacle. By this same point Saint Stephen expresses his holy reverence for the God-established place of Old Testament worship. The tabernacle was made by Moses not only according to God's command, but also according to the pattern shown by God (v. 44).

"The tabernacle of witness was," and so forth. By confessing the greatness of Moses, Stephen justified himself against the accusation brought against him, as though he had spoken blasphemous words against Moses (Acts 6:11; Acts 6:14).

At the same time he indicated that their fathers, that is, the fathers of his judges, were disobedient to Moses and to God Himself. He concluded this with a prophetic word.

Now he begins to justify himself against the other accusation, namely, that he never ceased speaking blasphemous words against this holy place, that is, against the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 6:13-14 and note). He also concludes this part of the defense with a prophetic word (vv. 49-50).

The true tabernacle, in which there was the real presence of God, manifested and witnessed by wondrous appearances of God's majesty (Num 7:89; Ex 25-27), was made according to a special divine will. It followed the pattern mysteriously shown to Moses (cf. Ex 25:9, 40 and Heb 8:5), and was not made like the tabernacle of Moloch.

"Our fathers possessed it," says Archdeacon Stephen. He is silent about how they served in it, since he had spoken of this earlier. Now his speech is evidently directed toward showing that he honors holy places, beginning with the tabernacle. In saying a little about it, he nevertheless said much.

Consequently, the accusation that he blasphemed holy places is false.