<p>6:9 <i>Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen</i>- These were probably Jews or their children who had been taken to Rome as slaves and then been made free on the basis that they were Jews. They were therefore very sensitive to any possible problem with Rome and anything which meant that they were to cease identifying as Jews and identify instead as something else, in this case, the followers of the Lord Jesus and citizens of His invisible Kingdom. Opposition to the Gospel is often from those who perceive, even subconsciously, that they have something to lose, or that their historical positions will have to be rejected.</p><p><i>(Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen</i>- Cilicia is where Paul was from. One wonders if he was involved in some way with these people.</p>