Acts (Part 12) - The Persecution
Stephen has been stoned. Immediately (“there arose on that day…” 8:1) a persecution commences on the church in Jerusalem. I would suppose that a surface-level look at this passage would put in mind that Caiaphas and his cronies, having been irritated first by Peter and the apostles, now with the stoning of Stephen the blasphemer, has determined that he must wipe out this new “Way.” So he forms several brute squads (allusion to The Princess Bride) and sets someone at the head of each, Saul being one of those someones. Then with Caiaphas at the helm, the brute squads spread through Jerusalem and beyond, beating and imprisoning Christians in some kind of Jewish inquisition. But, actually, the text doesn’t lend itself toward that understanding. In fact, looking closely, I think we discover that it is Saul, apart from Caiaphas, who forms and leads this persecution.
Our first hint is in how the trouble all began with Stephen. Stephen was a Hellenist—a Greek-speaking Jew. He no doubt was brought up in some other country and had returned to Jerusalem later in life. He joined on the Sabbath with other Hellenists who felt more comfortable in a synagogue in which Greek was the preferred language (rather than the Aramaic of the other synagogues). Here is the point: Saul was also a Hellenist, being from Tarsus (a Greek-speaking city in south central Asia Minor). Saul, no doubt, also attended the Hellenist synagogue. And when Stephen proclaimed Christ on those Sabbaths, Saul was also no doubt one of those—perhaps the main one of those—who “rose up and disputed with Stephen” (6:9). Very possibly, Saul was frustrated by Stephen’s wisdom and the Spirit and was the one who instigated the false witness accusations that sent Stephen to trial.
Next there is the statement by Luke that, at the trial, the council saw Stephen’s face “like the face of an angel” (6:15). Luke (according to historian Eusebius) was born in Antioch of Syria. He met Paul during Paul’s missionary journey. Luke was not a member of the Sanhedrin; he was not even in Jerusalem during Stephen’s trial. How did Luke know what Stephen’s face looked like? Well, much knowledge of the writers of Scripture may have been divinely conveyed, but rarely of the exact details of events. Most likely Luke learned of Stephen’s angelic countenance from somebody who was at the trial. Most likely, that person was Paul. As the accuser instigator, Saul was there. Many believe that Saul actually had a seat on the council. Luke knew Paul and traveled with him. It seems hardly a stretch of speculation for us to understand that during some evening discussion during their travels, Paul disclosed to Luke an image that haunted him—Stephen’s face with the calm, joy-sustained, secure, hopeful face of an angel. It haunted him because that angelic face, burned into his memory, was tied inextricably to the memory of his own cruelty and murderous activity. Just the fact of Luke’s mention of this apart from more comment seems to seal the connection that this piece of information was indeed from Paul.
Have you ever wondered why the stoning executioners placed their coats at Saul’s feet? Sure we have all been told that Saul acted in some kind of official capacity or simply that it showed Saul consented to the stoning. But why place their coats at his feet? Was this some kind of custom or legal practice? No, it wasn’t. The stoners were not the whole council rushing out en masse in the murder. Saul, who had instigated the argument, accusations, and trial itself, had his own band of followers who, after the council’s anger and pride determined that stoning was in order, followed Saul (their leader) out with Stephen in their clutches. They came to a steep drop-off outside the city gates (probably over the Kidron valley), and cast Stephen down. Then, to be less encumbered, they took off their coats, and put them down right there as they were gathered around their leader Saul. So Saul stood in command with their coats as they began pelting the fallen Stephen with rocks, increasing the