And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented: and kept the garments of them that killed him.
και οτε εξεχειτο το αιμα στεφανου του μαρτυρος σου και αυτος ημην εφεστως και συνευδοκων τη αναιρεσει αυτου φυλασσων και φυλασσων τα ιματια των αναιρουντων αυτον
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
See how he ends his speech, with the strongest argument. He says that he himself was a persecutor of Christians, and not only persecuted them, but with a thousand hands killed Stephen. Here he reminded them of the most inhuman murder.
"And when the blood of Stephen was being shed," and so forth. He reminded them of one cruel murder. When Stephen reproved them at that time, they could not endure it.
At the entrance to the fortress, on the stairs, the Apostle Paul asked the tribune for permission to speak to the people. He then addressed them and, in defense of himself, recounted the history of his wondrous conversion to Christ; see the interpretations on chapter 9.
Having escaped danger, Saul then went to Jerusalem. There was no longer any place for him among the Jewish elders, and he had to seek refuge among his new brethren, the Christians.
Even while he was still a persecutor, he had probably heard of the Apostle Peter. Peter stood out among the other apostles by his courage in preaching and was renowned for miracles. Saul resolved to “see” him, so as to find in him a courageous friend and teacher.
The Apostle Peter received him with his characteristic warmth. Saul stayed with him about fifteen days, and during that time he also became acquainted with James, the brother of the Lord.
Some of the other apostles were not in Jerusalem at that time. Others still regarded the converted fierce persecutor with distrust. They supposed that his conversion was only a treacherous device to discover all the secrets of life among the Christians.
But the generous Barnabas, himself a Hellenist, became closely acquainted with Saul. At last he convinced the apostles that before them stood no longer the former persecutor, but a humble Christian, counted worthy of a dread revelation on the road to Damascus.
Then Saul, having been received into the company of the apostles, was fully strengthened morally. Once more he came forward to preach Christ in the Jewish synagogues. He boldly disputed with the Hellenists, at whose head he had once defended the Old Covenant against Stephen.
This passing over to the side of his former opponents naturally aroused extreme irritation among the Jews. The lot of Saint Stephen threatened him.
Saul was in deep despondency. Once, while praying in the temple, he was carried so far in prayer that he fell into a trance. At that time he received a new revelation of Christ. Christ commanded him to depart from Jerusalem and at the same time gave him the great commission to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
“Go,” Christ said, “for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
Humbly accepting this great commission, Saul, with the help of the disciples, secretly boarded a ship. Thus escaping the danger that threatened him, he went to Caesarea. From there he was sent on to Tarsus, where he remained fourteen years, preparing for his great calling, the apostleship among the Gentiles.
"When the blood of Stephen was being shed," and so forth: see the note on Acts 7:58-8:1.
Paul’s report that he answered the Lord’s summons to preach among the Gentiles, rather than in Jerusalem, also aimed to show the apostle’s attachment to all that was native to him. This attachment appeared doubly, for he did not wish to leave Jerusalem. He thought that his zeal for the Law, known there, would serve the greater vindication of the truth.
But the Lord is more wise and far-seeing, and therefore He sent him away from there. How the Jews could look back on his former zeal was shown by Paul’s present hearers.
Until this moment they had not yet hindered him from speaking. But when he pointed to his participation in the killing of Stephen, they completely lost patience. Paul’s speech was involuntarily cut short.
“Where they especially ought to have been convinced, knowing his former zeal, there they were not convinced. See,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “with what he ends his speech: with the strongest proof. He says that he himself was a persecutor of Christ. He not only persecuted, but with a thousand hands slew Stephen. Here he reminds them of that most inhuman murder. After this they could no longer endure it, for they felt the reproof and saw the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Great is the zeal, strong is the reproof, bold is the speech of the witnesses of Christ’s truth! The Jews could no longer listen to the whole speech. Inflamed with anger, they cried out loudly.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 22 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS