A Collection of Biblical Questions
by Pastor Walter Snyder

Q: Are all Prophets (in the Bible) Jewish? I also mean minor prophets (Joel, Jonah, etc.)
and female prophets (Deborah, Miriam) and any other I might not yet know of.

A: First of all let's tighten up the terminology: While people often use "Jewish" to speak of all of
Israel's history, the term actually belongs to the Babylonian Captivity and subsequent years. After
the death of Solomon, the kingdom split. The Southern Kingdom consisted of the tribe of Judah,
the remnant of Benjamin, and many of the Levites living among them. The rest of the tribes
composed the Northern Kingdom, which kept the name "Israel" for itself. "Jew" comes from
"Judah" and began to be used during the exile and became common during subsequent years.

This being said, the first person Scripture calls "prophet" was Abraham. However, Noah shows
prophetic traits. Both of these lived before Israel was even a people, let alone a nation. Within the
family of Israel (Jacob), Joseph displayed prophetic gifts, although the Bible doesn't actually title
him as a prophet. The first (and greatest) of Israel's "certified" prophets was Moses. Of all the
early and later (or "writing") prophets of the Old Testament, no evidence points to any of them
being non-Hebrew. However, following the coming of Jesus, who was the Great Prophet, the
Lord expanded the prophetic gift to include Gentile believers in the New Testament Church.

Q: Who is the author of the Acts of the Apostles and how do you know? What do you know
about Jesus' childhood? Where did Jesus travel during his ministry? What role did the
wise men play in Jesus' birth? Who were the Pharisees and the Sadducees?

A: Luke is the author of Acts. It forms a continuation of the Gospel account he composed for the
same Theophilus he addressed in the Gospel: "It seemed good to me also, having followed all
things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.
(Lk 1:3)" As he continued, he wrote in Acts 1:1, "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt
with all that Jesus began to do and teach." Thus whoever authored the one also wrote the other.
While he never claimed authorship within the Biblical text, the author includes himself as a
traveling companion of Paul in several places by using "we" and "us" language. We know from
Acts and from his Epistles that Luke was Paul's companion during these times.

We know very little about Jesus' childhood: He was born in Bethlehem (Lk 2:1-20), circumcised
and named on the eighth day (Lk 2:21), presented at the temple (Lk 2:22-38), hidden in Egypt for
a time because of Herod's jealousy (Mt 2:13-15), and then lived in Nazareth in Galilee (Mt 2:23).
Aside from these, the only account prior to His baptism, tempting, and public ministry (after his
thirtieth year) involves a visit to the Temple with his parents at age twelve (Lk 2:41-52).

Jesus' travels included Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and some of the surrounding territories.

The wise men came some time after Jesus' birth. We don't know if it was a few days or up to two
years later. Their direct role incorporated Gentile people in the life and coming work of the
Savior. Their visit also precipitated the family's departure to Egypt and subsequent move back to
Galilee, where God desired His Son to be raised in Nazareth.

As for the Pharisees and Sadducees, both were political and religious parties in Judea. The
Sadducees apparently came from upper class priestly families. Often rude and antagonistic, they
controlled much of the nation's wealth, were likely to accommodate foreign rule, and tended to
disregard Scripture outside the five Books of Moses. They seemed to disregard the possibility of
supernatural influence, angels, and bodily resurrection. They died out with the destruction of the
Temple in AD 70.

The Pharisees seem to have grown out of the conditions of the Babylonian Exile. Since temple
worship was impossible, their forerunners emphasized Scripture study and close adherence to
God's Law. These traits continued following the return to the Promised Land. The Pharisees
tended to appeal more to the general public, accepted more of the Hebrew Scriptures as
doctrinally normative, and believed in the immortality of the soul. Some believed in a subsequent
resurrection of the dead while others taught reincarnation.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version~<TM>, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Ask the Pastor © 2005 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this
disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution.
Translations into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate
international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book
~What Do Lutherans Believe.~