And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Stephen calls these men fathers not out of flattery but because God appointed their office over the Church, which He had not yet abandoned. Yet respect for the place does not silence him; he speaks freely against them. The Papists make themselves ridiculous, demanding we subscribe to their wicked decrees merely for the sake of invented titles.
AI summary
The high priest speaks with a show of fairness, yet his tone is haughty and his prejudgment plain: if Stephen has spoken such words, he shall be condemned as a blasphemer. But Stephen's answer proves him a man mighty in Scripture, filled with the Holy Ghost not to reveal new secrets, but to bring the Old Testament writings to remembrance and convict his gainsayers.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 7:1-16
He calls God the God of glory because He is glorious in Himself and in all His works, worthy to be glorified by all creatures. By this title Stephen also deflects the slander that he had blasphemed God, and shows that God appeared to Abraham in glorious manifestation, not in darkness or shame.
AI summary