This is why we don't see attacks of the apostles until nearly 44 AD). The Hellenistic Jews...
Weren't the apostles attacked much earlier?
James the brother of John was beheaded during Herod's reign.
Peter was put in prison to suffer the same fate the next day, but was delivered by an angel. (Acts 12)
Hellenism, as I understand it, was basically accepting Greek culture and language. True the Jews living outside of Jerusalem were generally Greek speaking, but Hellenism was NOT Christian, the term carries heavy connotations of paganism, eroding far more than the legalistic attitude of Pharisees. The Jewish Sadducees were largely Hellenistic while the Pharisees were seen as the law upholding ones before there were any Christians. This was a major issue of contention amongst the Jews.
While there was definitely a conflict between legalism vs righteousness and justification by faith in Jesus, in the early church, I do have a problem with linking those preaching righteousness by faith with Hellenism. Though quite possibly many Pharisees may have viewed it as such. But the Sanhedrin was run by chiefly Sadducees who were also considered Hellenistic?
Stephen was stoned, not because of Hellenism, but because he plainly told the Jews they had rejected Christ their Savior from sin.
Hellenism, or Greek culture and philosophy is what polluted the Christian church and gave rise to papal doctrines.
I guess I'm a little troubled by calling the Christian Jews who believed in righteousness by faith (Hellenistic).
Yes, James was beheaded by Herod, the Bible seems to place it towards the end of Herod's life, which was in 44 AD. This also places the visit by Peter to Cornelius, and that those who fled from Saul's persecution, going places were they were sharing the gospel with the gentiles, and the shock for church leadership at this action.
The Sanhedrin consisted of 70 elders, both Pharisees and Sadducees. Now the Sadducees were in a lot of ways Hellenistic, and they were corrupt puppets of Rome. They were not very religious and the typical Jew were very critical of them. The Pharisees were seen as the religious leaders (although there was a range of responses to them; as they themselves covered the whole range of experiences from living up to what they understood about God, to those who wanted that type of relationship with God but tried to get it by actions, and those who were just hypocrites who just wanted the respect for being so good, and others could see through this.)
What we find in Acts is that Rabbi Gamliel gave a wise "wait and see" response which placed the followers of Jesus under his protection. Yes, Stephen was stoned because he plainly told the Jews that they had rejected Christ their Savior from sin. But he was very involved with the bilingual/bicultural ministry of the early church. Saul was a member of the synagogue of the freedmen.
Archaeology had added to what we know about the synagogue of the freedmen. They were NOT your typical Jewish synagogue. The members tended to be or the children of those who had been made slaves of Rome, usually for some rebellion. They needed to work for, if I recall correctly, approximately 20 years, working 7 days a week and eating only what they were fed. At the end of the time they were given their freedom, with full Roman citizenship and full Roman citizenship to their decedents.
Many of these returned to Jerusalem where they formed their own synagogue where they wanted to prove that despite their years of working on the Sabbath and eating whatever they were fed, that they were still better Jews than their privileged others who kept each and every Sabbath and ate only kosher. They wanted to prove that they were better Jews than the Pharisees. They called all their extra Jewishness "the works of the law". They became ultra right wing; far beyond the typical Jew. If you came to visit the parking lot would be full of donkeys wearing the bumper sticker "Welcome to Jerusalem, now learn Hebrew (or at least Aramaic)" They wanted to give up any non-Jewish thing that they could give up. They were not a group that would have been tolerant of bilingual/bicultural anything.
As they heard the sharp message from someone with an open attitude towards bilingual/bicultural ministry that just added to their anger. And again, the followers of Jesus were under Rabbi Gamliel's protection. Being Gamliel's student, Saul was able to make an exception of Gamliel's protection, and if Gamliel did not like it he would punish his student. (How much of Saul's conversion was related to the prayers of his teacher for this prejudiced, closed minded, but brilliant student?). We find the apostles living and practicing their faith freely during this time. In Acts 10 we find that it was the Hellenistic Jews who had to flee Saul's persecution. Then when we get to around 44 AD Herod beheaded James (indicating that Rabbi Gamliel had either died, or was too old to be effective, so he could no longer protect them). Peter visited Cornelius, the church looked with caution into reaching out to gentiles, was shocked to find that among the Hellenistic Jews who fled from Saul's persecution had been sharing the gospel with gentiles for 10 years. And Peter placed in prison to face the same as James but was delivered by an angel. (Now, while most likely a being from heaven, the word means "messenger' and while not likely, is possible for it to have been someone who believed that Gamliel's protection should continue and helped to carry it out.) And at this rise of Herod's persecution to all the Christians, no longer limited to the Hellenistic, had God's intervention with his death.