The exact date is not given in the New Testament, but most chronological reconstructions place the great persecution that followed Stephen's death between AD 34 and 35.
If we adopt our chronology, which places the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in AD 33, the sequence of events can be presented as follows:
| Approximate date | Event |
| Spring AD 33 | Death and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20) |
| Spring AD 33 | Pentecost and the birth of the Church (Acts 2) |
| 33-34 | Rapid growth of the Church in Jerusalem (Acts 2-5) |
| 34-35 | Ministry and martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 6-7) |
| 34-35 | Great persecution and scattering of the disciples (Acts 8.1-4) |
| 35 | Evangelization of Samaria by Philip (Acts 8.5-25) |
| 35-36 | Conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9.1-19) |
Why date this persecution to 34-35?
Several clues converge:
- The Church had already experienced considerable growth: several thousand believers had been added to the community (Acts 2.41; Acts 4.4).
- The apostles had already been arrested and brought before the council of the several times (Acts 4; Acts 5).
- The Seven were appointed to meet the needs of a community that had become very large (Acts 6.1-6).
- Stephen carried out a ministry significant enough to draw the opposition of the religious authorities (Acts 6.8-15).
All these events imply several months, even a year or two of development since Pentecost.
A date to be regarded as approximate
We must nevertheless remain cautious. The book of Acts gives no precise chronological indication for this period, and historians generally propose a range between AD 34 and 35. Some even extend this estimate to AD 36, but most chronologies place Stephen's martyrdom and the persecution that followed shortly before Saul's conversion.