Jerusalem 33 A.D.
His name was Stephen and all agreed he was a very kind young man. He was stoned to death by a mob on Tuesday.
As he fell, when a rock hit him on the head, he prayed: "Do not hold this against them." Minutes later he was dead.
The Palestine Times asked on Wednesday: "What is becoming of our country? An inoffensive young man is murdered because of nothing other than his strange beliefs. Who among us is safe?"
However, the Moon tabloid, on its front page, announced, "Where Lies Lead . . ." over a report on the killing of Stephen. "He denigrated our people. He blamed us for Abraham's problems. He blamed us for Moses's problems. He blamed us for the death of that vagabond Jesus who, outrageously, he said was the son of God. `We have always persecuted prophets,' he said. He got what he deserved."
The Times demanded the Roman authorities intervene and "bring civility back to our city. It is clear our religious authorities, in particular, either have lost control of or do not wish to exercise control over elements who have murder in mind". It referred to the recent crucifixion of the preacher Jesus "in circumstances where due process was demonstrably not adhered to", and called for an independent investigation into both it and "the killing of Stephen".
A spokesman for the High Priest, Dr Caiaphas, dismissed this as "typical of the anti-religious stance of that newspaper". He pointed to the investigation into Jesus's death, "which exonerated this office totally". He said a similar investigation was under way into the death of Stephen and added that "if some find these investigations unsatisfactory we will not stand in the way of an inquiry conducted by people outside the Sanhedrin (the Council of Chief Priests)".
Stephen had recently become associated with the Peter group, which was formed some time after the death of the preacher Jesus.
He was one of seven young men chosen to help the group with its campaign, and which has met with unexpected success in convincing the people Jesus was the Messiah.
He outraged the Sanhedrin however, when he was brought before it, by asserting that they had murdered the son of God and those sent before him. "God-murderers, that's what he's calling us," said one outraged chief priest, before Stephen was set upon in a most unruly scene.
The Sanhedrin had previously brought Peter and his friend John before it. They commanded them to stop saying Jesus was the Messiah.
Sources say they were surprised at the courage of two such "simple, illiterate, uneducated men", as one source put it. "But it would be more in their line to be back in Capernaum controlling their children," he said.
Peter and his group however continued as before, convincing as many as 5,000, (some claimed) of what they said. Peter himself seemed to have acquired the charisma of Jesus where crowds were concerned. They believed he too could perform miracles.
On the instruction of the religious authorities, Peter and members of the group were arrested and jailed but, astonishingly, they escaped.
They were arrested again and brought before the Sanhedrin where a respected man, called Gamaliel, advised that they be left alone. He recalled similar groups in the past, of whom nothing had been heard of since, and said: "Leave them to God. If there's any truth in what they say there's no use fighting them. If there's not, they'll just dissappear." It was agreed the group should be flogged and let go.
They then resumed their campaign. That was when they were joined by Stephen.
This series concludes next Monday.