The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-20
LESSON STORY.

L. Christians in Jerusalem
fiercely prosecuted and scatt-
red,--vs. IA.
The martyrdom OF Stephen was the
beginning of long continued and re-
Ientless persecution of the Christians in
Jerusalem.
Against the church the Sadducees
and Pharisees now combined, Before
this time. subsequent to the cruciixion.
the Pharisees had been at least mega
lively friendly to the followers of the
Nazarene; the shared with Christians
the hope of Immortality, seem
to have assumed that Christianity
would be new sect of Judaism. The
Sadducees. meanwhile, had intensely
abhored all believers in the Risen
Christ. The Sadducean faith, we re-
member, if faith it could be called, was
aggressive materialism; hence strenuous
denial of immortality. Owing to the
sharp and bitter quarrel between Phari-
sees and Sadducees, as we'll as because
of the partial favor shown to them by
the Pharisaic party, the Christians had
hitherto been dealt with by their Jewish
opposers in a somewhat lenient fashion.
But now, as it became apparent that
Christianity was religion that must in
due time formally separate itself from
outgrown Judaism; after Stephen had
unequivocally preached, what Jesus had
previously taught, the universal Father
hood of God and the heirship of all man.
kind in the Gospel of hope,-the enc
mics of the Nazarene made common
the first time. all the Jews became active
and violent in prosecuting the church.
Deuout men buried Stephen and made
great lanentation oUer him. Here was
new fuel for the rage against the Christ
tians. The funeral of Stephen, accord
ing to the custom, occurred on the day
of his martyrdom, The law required
the bodies of the worst of the criminals
to be burned; yet it was according to
both custom and law that the body of
one who had been executed for heresy
should be returned to his friends for
burial, When, therefore, the mangled
body of the martyr was given into the
hands of the Christians, it was their
privilege, if they chose. to publicly bury
the sacred dust with funeral honors. In
fact the funeral of the martyr became, n
Christian ovation to Stephens ms, ncrv
Certain men who had been h,tnerto
known as "devout men" ..aenr The .Jss,,
that is. specially fai.. nful observer Of
the Law-Were n.9w conspicuousis ok.
toiling Stephe AZ fame. After tho ORR
entail RASH on, mourning for the martyr
became great lamentation.
VI course this was the very gall of bit
t1sness to the Sanhedrim. vt was inter.
preted az defiance of theJowish authori.
ties. 1t was indeed threatening to the
continued existence of the Sanhedrim;
Cor it was now plain, Fiat unless the re.
volt against the.pere scutors was quelled
the entire temple;party. including Sad
drcees and Pharisees, would be driven
INTO obscutity. In self-defence, there
fore. the desperate Sanhedrim became a
unit in its warfare against the Chris
tians.
In their attempt to exterminste the
Nazarenes, the Jews were. no doubt. in
danger of being arrested by the Roman
authorities as murderers. 1t is, however.
probable that there was at this period
less than the usual Roman vigilance ex-
ercised over the un'estful Jewish popu-
lace of Jerusalem. Yet it was, from its
own viewpoint. strategic for the San
hedrim to make its campaign of violence
against the Nazarines expeditions, re-.
lentless and decisive.