the 30s AD

The choosing of the Seven, the martyrdom of Stephen, and the dispersion of the "Hellenists"

A conflict arose between the "Hebrews" and the "Hellenists" within the Jerusalem Jewish-Christian community. Because of it, the apostles appointed seven men to a ministry, all bearing Greek names.

One of them, Stephen, preached in the synagogues. He was accused of insufficient reverence for the Temple and condemned to death by the Sanhedrin. He thus became the church's first martyr ("martyr" meaning "witness").

The first persecution was directed mainly against the "Hellenist" Christians. The apostles themselves were able to remain in Jerusalem. Scattering through Judea and Samaria, the "Hellenists" for the first time carried Christianity beyond Jerusalem. They brought the message to Samaria, Damascus, Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. In Samaria Philip founded a church that recognized the apostles' authority, and converted an Ethiopian official. It was then that the Gentile Cornelius came to believe.