=5. The extreme poverty= of the little band of apostles, as a whole, is evident;[181] but after the Pentecost some of those who were added contributed to the general fund, and there was no suffering after the organization was complete, Acts 4:34. Even those who immediately after the crucifixion returned to their trades were enabled to devote their whole time to mission work, so far as we have any records of them, Acts 6:4. THE IMMEDIATE SUCCESS. =6. From the various notices= of additions to their number and from the official appointment of seven men of ability to disburse the funds and attend to the needy, Acts 6:3, it is evident that the numbers of the early church before the first great persecution began must have amounted to many thousands, Acts 2:42, 47; 5:14; 6:1, 7. THE FIRST PERSECUTION. =7. Of the seven men= appointed to attend to the management of the general treasury and to the claims of the poor, the chief was Stephen. His exceeding prominence in public work, his very extensive knowledge of the Law, and his aggressive ability in defending the gospel gave great offence to some of the Jews. The result was his arraignment before the Sanhedrin and examination upon the two points which to the Jews were the dearest of all, namely, the sanctity of the Temple and the supremacy of the Law. Stephen answered the inquiry of the high-priest, Acts 7:1, by a history accompanied by unmistakable Scripture proof that although Solomon himself was the builder, the Temple was no better than the worshippers, and he quoted the prophecy of Isaiah, 66:1, 2, to show that the temple which the Lord honored was the poor and contrite spirit. He then immediately charged the Sanhedrin as being unworthy of the Temple themselves and in heart violaters of the Law in that they had both betrayed and murdered the one of whom the Law spoke, thus ending the address with the most terrific charges of infidelity both to the Temple and to the Law. No such words had ever been uttered before the Sanhedrin since it had existed. He was immediately dragged out of the city and stoned to death. Stephen was the =first Christian martyr=. =8. This death was the signal= for the first persecution. The immediate effect of this persecution was to scatter the members of the Christian community of Jerusalem not only throughout Samaria and Galilee, but even to Phœnicia, Antioch, and Cyprus, and they went preaching the same doctrines which had been taught in Jerusalem, Acts 11:19. The city of Samaria was at this time one of the most beautiful in Palestine. It was presented to Herod the Great by Augustus, and in honor of the emperor Herod named it Sebaste.[182] =9. One of “the seven,”=[183] of whom we have spoken was Philip, who went to this city and preached the new doctrine with great success.