I Appeal To Caesar!

then releases it to smash into the breast of Stephen. No question remains, the victim is dead. Stephen has gone to be with his beloved Savior. Critical voices go silent. The subdued crowd begins to disburse, relieved that the ordeal is over. Silent and somber, the witnesses retrieve their garments. No words are spoken; all coarse talk is past. The participants have been humbled by the martyr’s behavior. The excitement is gone, turned to dust in their mouths. None will forget the dying Martyr’s prayers. Some remember the light on Stephen’s face and believe. The subdued crowd disburses, relieved that the ordeal is over. Silent and somber, the witnesses retrieve their garments. No words are spoken; all coarse talk is past. * * * * * Saul of Tarsus approaches the broken body. He crouches and examines: no pulse or heartbeat, much bleeding, facial features unrecognizable, several limbs in grotesque positions. Stephen is dead . . . Stephen is gone . . . . As Saul slowly straightens up, he is conscious that six “devout” men have encircled him and the bloody remains. Embarrassed, he recognizes three men from the Sanhedrin! With bowed head and tears streaming down his face, Gamaliel his former teacher and mentor speaks softly in Hebrew: “Rabbi Saul, Stephen was a holy man, some say a prophet, and he was a true Jew . . . of the tribe of Benjamin, your own tribe. Rabbi, now lead us in saying the Shema over his remains.”