Now Stephen, a man full
of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs
among the people.
opposition arose, however, from members of the
Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and
Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men
began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his
wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
Then they secretly
persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words
of blasphemy against Moses and against God."
So they stirred up the people and the elders and the
teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the
Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This
fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the
law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will
destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to
us."
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently
at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an
angel.