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The early Christians were Jews because Lord Jesus had not gone out of Judea and Samaria to preach the gospel of the kingdom, the Jews were the only benefactors of the oracles of God and were supposed to have been the recipients of the kingdom age promises, if they believed God's Christ and accepted him as messiah, which they failed to do and therefore were set aside(not replaced,ammilienenists) and to fulfill God's predestined plan of redemption of all those in the world (Jew and Gentile,a.k.a., the body of Christ)who would believe that Jesus Christ, the only God man, who died for mankind's sins and rose again the third day for our justification (by grace through faith are ye saved,and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God). Now, Stephen was a Jew, as all the early disciples of the church were, and was stoned for following the faith of Jesus Christ, a sin against the Jewish religion who were as responsible for the death of Christ as the Gentiles were by Pontius Pilate(Acts.4: 27For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness]. .
The gentiles were not part of the law age dispensation and did not come under the grace of God until God sent one Apostle to the gentiles with the gospel of the grace of salvation, the grace age dispensation God started in the person of Christ by revelations given to Paul the Apostle only. Would to God all would read the Pauline epistles to see the truth, the book of Acts is the chronological account of God extending his grace to the gentile world for the first time after the flood using the Apostle Paul, who before time was a Jewish religious zealot who came to know that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, messiah.
And so began the Church age,now some 2000 years old, when the doctrines of God provided by the person of the Holy Spirit to holy men of old, not to be changed by anyone until Christ returns after the tribulation period and just before the kingdom age, the age God rules his kingdom from Israel in the person of Jesus Christ, who will reign on the earth for 1000 years; yea, the government of God on the earth to save all those who survive the wrath of God's seven year tribulation on unbelievers, those survivors descendants who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and serve and follow him .

Good Prince Vaclav [for St. Stephen's Day, 12/26]

A few considerations on St. Stephen's martyrdom

**The early Christians were Jews **

That's correct. They went to the temple on Saturday and then they held their sacramental meals (Mass) in small groups in homes on Sundays. That is how the Catholic Church got started -- celebrating the Eucharist. They were following the instructions of Christ when he said, "Do this in memory of me."