The text describes a conflict at the very beginnings of
Christianity about the nature of
Jesus of
Nazareth. Stephen appears on the scene and recounts
Revelation as a literal truth, to which the crowd declares
blasphemy, and
Caiaphas has him arrested and beaten. The text then has Stephen appear before
Pontius Pilate, whom he tells to not speak, and orders him to recognize Jesus. The tale is set before Paul of Tarsus' conversion, and so it proceeds to describe how Paul persecutes Stephen by having him crucified. However, an angel rescues Stephen, so Saul/Paul has molten lead poured into his mouth and ears, and nails into his heart and feet, but an angel heals him again. The next day, the text proclaims that Stephen was led out to be judged before the crowd, but instead Stephen recounts a supposed prophecy by
Nathan of Jesus's coming, which annoys the guards to the extent that they bind him and take him to the head of the guard. The
Sanhedrin decide that Stephen should be stoned, but
Nicodemus and
Gamaliel (the Jewish scholar) try to defend him with their bodies, dying in the process. After ten hours, Stephen eventually dies, and is buried in a silver coffin by Pilate, against Stephen's wishes. An angel moves the body to where Stephen wished to be buried, leaving Pilate shocked by the loss of the bodies. Pilate then receives a vision of Stephen and converts. Likewise, the memory of Stephen is said by the text to have made Paul convert. ==Analysis==