Date
8-6-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)
Chair
Kyoohan Lee
Keywords
Stephen, Temple, Mission, Acts 7
Disciplines
Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Recommended Citation
Franquiz, Robert, "The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth: The Role of the Temple and Mission in the Expansion of the Church as Seen through Stephen’s Sermon in Acts 7" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7281.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7281
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to answer the research question: How does Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 set a theological trajectory for the church by redefining the temple and reimagining the mission of the early church, thus propelling the church into a global movement? The findings help to fill a gap in scholarship regarding the view of the new temple as the early church moved away from the temple in Jerusalem and into mission. The research question was addressed by the study, which employed a biblical-theological hermeneutic design, incorporating Particular hermeneutics related to intertextuality to achieve a faithful exegesis of the biblical text. The research assumed that Luke was giving an accurate reconstruction of Stephen’s speech as found in Acts 7. The goal of examining Stephen’s speech and his use of the Old Testament is to arrive at an understanding of his view of the temple in Jerusalem and, ultimately, God’s work in the world. This study reveals Stephen’s vision of the heavenly temple, which becomes the new temple for believers, allowing them to move beyond the land of Israel and fulfill Jesus’ command for His followers to be His witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8)
