What was the dispute between the Hebrew and Grecian Jews?

Answer 1

If you are referring to the dispute between Hebrew and Grecian Jews found in Acts, then you can find the answer in Acts 6:1. "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists [Grecian Jews], because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution (NKJV)." Basically, the Hellenistic widows, since widows were not allowed an inheritance in their day, were dependent upon the help of others, as were the Hebrew widows. The church helped out the situation by distributing food to the widows daily. However, there seemed to be some sort of "racism", as we would call it today, among those who distributed food. They were not giving the Hellenistic widows the daily distribution of food. And this is the dispute which initiated the choosing of the seven.

Answer 2

Grecian Jews means those who spoke Greek only; i.e. Hellenizing Jews. These included the assimilationists. The Jews who spoke Hebrew (in addition to Aramaic and sometimes Greek) tended to be more traditional, since Hebrew was (and is) the language of Jewish prayer and Torah-study.

The Hebrew-speakers did not pursue conflict. But it was forced upon them when the Hellenizers instigated persecutions upon the religious Jews at the hand of the Syrian-Greeks, culminating in the events surrounding Hanukkah.

See also the Related Links.

Link: About Hanukkah

Link: The Hellenized Jews

Answer 3

The traditional view is that sacred scriptures are developed in the following three stages:

1. the events themselves,
2. oral or written reports or testimonies about the events,
3. the collection of various reports (the traditions) into scriptural form.

However, we now know a great deal more about the development of the gospels than was formerly the case. For example, we know that all the New Testament gospels were originally anonymous, that Mark's Gospel was the first New Testament gospel to be written and that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were substantially based on that original gospel, with further sayings material taken from the hypothetical 'Q' document. There is also a substantial scholarly opinion that John's Gospel was loosely based on Luke's Gospel, with some material taken direct from Mark. So, the three stages of the gospels become:

1. The author of Mark's Gospel writes his first New Testament. Around the same time, the 'Q' document is developed, probably in stages.
   
2. Matthew and then Luke are written, largely based on Mark and Q.
3. John's Gospel is written early in the second century, probably inspired by Luke, with some direct input from Mark.