To employ the vocabulary of the modernists, the early church seemed to suffer from a classic case of xenophobia and privilege. Successful evangelical work on the part of the Church in and around Jerusalem had brought members from two diverse groups of distant brothers back into closer proximity than they had been for centuries and problems were bound to arise.

By the time of Acts chapter six, dissension had arisen between the Hellenists and the Hebraics. The accusation was favoritism.