Acts 8:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

NIV: And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

NASB: Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

CSB: Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.

NLT: Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

KJV: And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

NKJV: Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Stephen, the Christ-following deacon, has become the first Christian martyr. During his murder, the mob laid their coats at the feet of a young Pharisee named Saul (Acts 7:57–60). Luke makes sure to emphasize that Saul approves of the death (Acts 26:10).

Saul is the man we will come to know as the apostle Paul (Acts 13:9). The first part of this verse needs to be taken into context. Luke is describing to his friend Theophilus (Acts 1:1) the history of the church between the ascension of Jesus into heaven and Paul's first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28). Theophilus already knows something of Paul, and most of Luke's story focuses in on him. Now, Luke puts Paul in the context of the early church in Jerusalem led by the twelve apostles. Saul is Paul's Hebrew name. He approves of the persecution of the church and the murder of its members.

The specific inclusion of those considered "all" is unclear; Acts 8:4 seems to indicate not all the Jesus-followers left Jerusalem. The apostles stayed, as did, presumably, Jesus' brother James (Acts 15:13). "All" may be the deacons (Acts 6:1–6), including Philip (Acts 8:5), or those who were associated with Stephen in some other way. It could be that as Saul and the Freedmen seemed to be the influence behind the persecution, the target was the Hellenistic Jews. That would explain Philip the Evangelist's departure and settlement outside of Jerusalem (Acts 21:8).

Apostle is from the Greek root word apostolos. It refers to someone sent out as a delegate or messenger. Although the term is used broadly of evangelists in the New Testament, such as Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14:14), it mostly refers to the twelve disciples including Judas' replacement, Matthias (Acts 1:23–26).

Acts 8:1–3 explains how the message of salvation through Jesus spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the world. Stephen, a powerful preacher, has been martyred—the first Jesus-follower to have been killed for his faith (Acts 7:54–60). While he died, a young Pharisee named Saul watched over the cloaks of Stephen's attackers. Now Saul is leading a full-scale persecution of this new church. His plans backfire, however. The more he tightens his grip, the more Jesus-followers slip out of Jerusalem, taking the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus told the apostles they would spread the gospel (Acts 1:8) and persecution makes that happen. Upon the death of the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60), a young Pharisee named Saul builds on the momentum to arrest and, if possible, execute Jesus followers (Acts 8:1–3; 26:10). The apostles mostly stay in Jerusalem, but the church members flee, spreading the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Important encounters in this passage include a magician named Simon and the conversion of an Ethiopian court official.

Acts 1:8 gives the outline of the book of Acts; Acts 1—7 describes the spread of the gospel through Jerusalem; Acts 8:1—11:18 shows the gospel spreading in Judea and Samaria; Acts 11:19—28:31 sees the gospel spread to the ''end of the earth,'' finalizing in Rome. Ironically, although Paul is the central figure in spreading Jesus' good news to the ends of the earth, his early persecution of the church in Jerusalem is instrumental in spreading the gospel through Judea and Samaria.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.