As we follow the record of Acts, we find that the separation of the Jewish followers of Jesus from their fellow Jews, who did not accept the new preaching, began with attempts by members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council, to ban the activities of the apostles in Jerusalem. The same High Priest, Caiaphas, who had sent Jesus to Pilate (John 18:28) ordered the apostles not to preach any more about Jesus (4:1-21). As Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin were responsible for the arrest of Jesus it seems surprising that the apostles were not treated more severely, but the reason is indicated in 4:21; many people had been impressed by the miraculous cure by Peter of a lame man. However, the refusal of the apostles to be silent or to take any notice of the order of the Sanhedrin, resulted in their arrest and imprisonment. The apostles were miraculously delivered from prison and went straight back to their preaching and were again arrested. Their witness before the Sanhedrin to the Resurrection of Jesus so angered the Council members that they wanted the apostles killed; but one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel (with whom Paul studied), advised caution (5 :38-39). The apostles were released after being beaten and commanded again to stop their preaching. Despite the opposition to the apostles from the religious leaders, many priests from the Temple accepted the new faith (6:7).

Increasing opposition from fellow Jews finally broke out into violence when Stephen, one of the Greek-speaking Jewish believers, was accused falsely by other Jews of blasphemy 'We heard him speaking against Moses and against God!' (6: 11). Stephen was taken before the Sanhedrin; his speech in his defense, which ended with his accusation that the Sanhedrin were breakers of God's Law and the murderers of God's righteous Servant, so angered them that he was dragged outside stoned to death. At this point in the narrative, Luke introduces, dramatically, the man who later becomes the hero of Acts. Saul Tarsus, a young Pharisee, looked after the cloaks of the men who stoned Stephen to death. 'And Saul approved of his murder' (Acts 8: 1).

Acts 8 describes the immediate effect of the violent persecution w broke out against the Jewish believers from their fellow Jews. Saul Tarsus was one of the leading opponents of the believers. Many of the believers had to leave Jerusalem and dispersed into Judaea and Sam but wherever they went, they took their message with them, even as far as Antioch in Syria and the island of Cyprus (11 : 19-20), and Damascus (9:1-2).

8: 14-17 records a significant development; many people of Sam were baptized and received the Holy Spirit when Peter and John laid hands on them, after they had believed the Good News from Philip had gone to Samaria from Jerusalem. 8:25 tells us that Peter and Jo preached in many villages of Samaria on their way back to Jerusalem. This contrasts with what is described in Luke 9:51-55 when James John showed angry hostility to the Samaritans through whose area t were passing with Jesus. Acts 8 shows the power of the Holy Sp breaking down the barriers between Jew and Samaritan.

Even more significant is what is referred to in Acts 11:19-21, that the first time there was preaching to Gentiles and many believed. The spread of the Good News to the Gentiles later becomes the major theme of Acts.