Perscution
In between the references to persecution comes the closing note of the Stephen narrative (v. 2). In a real sense his martyrdom drew first blood for the Jewish opposition, and they turned their fury on his Hellenist comrades. Stephen was given a proper burial by “godly men,” probably some of his fellow Jewish-Christians. It was an act of real courage on their part. Jewish law forbade funeral observances for a condemned criminal;99 and even if Stephen had been the victim of mob violence, those who stoned him surely viewed him as a blasphemer and law breaker. One is reminded of the similar courage shown by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in the burial of Jesus.
The “escalation” of his opposition to the Christians is interesting. First, he was presented as a bystander at Stephen’s martyrdom (7:58). Then we are informed that he gave full mental assent to the stoning of Stephen (8:1a). Then his consent led to full involvement. He became the church’s worst enemy (v. 3). Indeed, he is portrayed as the persecution personified. He is described as attempting to “ravage” the church (“destroy”). The Greek word is lymainō, a strong expression that is used in the Septuagint for wild beasts, such as lions, bears, and leopards tearing at raw flesh. He is said to have gone “from house to house,” possibly a reference to his breaking into their “house church” assemblies. In any event, his fury stopped at nothing. He turned against women as well as men, dragging them to court, throwing them in prison. The picture is totally consistent with his own testimony elsewhere in Acts (22:4f.; 26:10f.) and in his epistles (1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13, 23; Phil 3:6; 1 Tim 1:13). So much did he embody the persecution in his own person that the church is described as experiencing “peace” upon his conversion (9:31).
The Theodotus synagogue attracted pilgrims from abroad. If it is identified with the synagogue of the Freedmen, the Jewish hellenists may have feared that the new messianic belief could be spread through converted members to the whole Diaspora. This may further explain the zeal of Saul to persecute the Christian hellenists (Acts 7:58–8:3).