“This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”
'Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him -' - Stephen reviews Israel's history as a pattern of rejecting and killing prophets. 'They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One' refers to the martyrs of Israel's history who prophesied concerning the Messiah. The climactic accusation: 'And now you have betrayed and murdered him' - direct indictment of the crucifixion, for which Stephen holds the Sanhedrin accountable. The Righteous One (ho dikaios) is Jesus, the ultimate prophet.
Church Fathers on Acts 7:37
This is very suitable to the matter in hand. This Moses, he says. This, the man who had been in danger of losing his life; the man who had been set at naught by them; this the man whom they had declined: this same, God having raised up, sent unto them. Whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler? just as they themselves (the hearers) said, We have no king, but Cæsar. John 19:15 He here shows also, that what was then done, was done by Christ. The same did God send by the…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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