TWO ADDITIONAL WITNESSES, Chapter 8 of Who Crucified Christ by Ogden Kraut.

TWO ADDITIONAL WITNESSES, Chapter 8 of Who Crucified Christ by Ogden Kraut. 

Stephen and Paul

Witness: as the most direct mode of acquiring knowledge of an event is by seeing it, “witness” has acquired the sense of a person who is present at and observes a transaction. (Black’s Law Dictionary, p. 1231)

Neither did Stephen and Paul actually witness Christ’s crucifixion, but they did personally witness the hatred and bitterness of some of those who were responsible for it. Their testimony should be recognized because of both their position and their integrity.

Stephen

Stephen was one of seven men selected to assist the Twelve Apostles. They were determined to be “of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” (Acts 6:3) And “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” (6:8)

Stephen became involved in a dispute between members of the Greek “Hellenists” and the “Hebrews” of the Palestinian Jewish Christians. He proposed that the Jews should consider the teachings and ordinances of Christ more important than many of the existing temple rituals, and said that the Mosaic law was being fulfilled. But the higher principles and practices of Christ created more opposition than agreement.