Verses 51-53
51-53. We agree with those commentators who hold that Stephen is here, by some interruption or sign of disapprobation from his audience, turned from his intended train of discourse.
From the four great revolutions in Israel’s past history he has shown negatively that there is no blasphemy in expecting a similar great change to come which should perfect, rather than fundamentally destroy, the previous. Next, following positively the lines of Peter’s argument at Pentecost (Acts 2:22-36) and before the Sanhedrin, (Acts 3:12-20,) he would bring the affirmative proof from prophecy and living testimony that the new epoch was Christianity and the new personality Jesus-Messiah, and then he would press them to repentance and acceptance of him.
That at the commencement of this paragraph, by the gift of “the discerning of spirits,” he saw in them a complete obduration of heart to their own destruction, was an ample justification of his burning rebukes. The terms are less severe than the Baptist’s “O generation of vipers,” etc., (Matthew 3:4,) or our Lord’s “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers; how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Hence we see no demand for Kuinoel’s palliation of the martyr’s “bad temper,” drawn from his subsequent noble behaviour.
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