Thematic Bible: In persecuting stephen

And Saul fully approved of his murder. At this time a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and all except the Apostles were scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria. A party of devout men, however, buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul cruelly harassed the Church. He went into house after house, and, dragging off both men and women, threw them into prison.

But some members of the so-called 'Synagogue of the Freed-men,' together with some Cyrenaeans, Alexandrians, Cilicians and men from Roman Asia, were roused to encounter Stephen in debate. They were quite unable, however, to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they privately put forward men who declared, "We have heard him speak blasphemous things against Moses and against God." read more.
In this way they excited the people, the Elders, and the Scribes. At length they came upon him, seized him with violence, and took him before the Sanhedrin. Here they brought forward false witnesses who declared, "This fellow is incessantly speaking against the Holy Place and the Law. For we have heard him say that Jesus, the Nazarene, will pull this place down to the ground and will change the customs which Moses handed down to us." At once the eyes of all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin were fastened on him, and they saw his face looking just like the face of an angel.

Upon this, with a loud outcry they stopped their ears, rushed upon Stephen in a body, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments and giving them into the care of a young man called Saul. So they stoned Stephen, while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."