The Jews had to get permission to execute Jesus, yet it seems to me that they acted on their own for most of the other executions mentioned in the NT. I haven't come across anything saying that there were repercussions for these killings (esp. Stephen), and yet I don't see the Jews seeking permission to execute as they did with Jesus (mob rules?).-- Ryan Cartwright (Calgary)

Mob action (usually) rules. But in the case of Jesus, the authorities were much more cautious. They knew that if this were mishandled, a disaster could be on their hands. So they tried to keep things more or less "legal."

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