In Stephen's death, as in Christ's, both love and evil are seen in clear focus. Many churches and other places commemorate Stephen. Stephen relied upon the Holy Spirit to give him the Words to say, the strength to persevere under persecution, and the heart to forgive those who were responsible for his death. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. After their false testimony, the high priest asked Stephen if these things were true. ", "LXXXVIII. He also had Hellenistic roots: This articlefrom Encyclopedia Britannica says he was a Hellenistic Jew (a foreign-born Jew), which would make sense why the apostles would place him in charge of the distribution of food to the Hellenistic widows. Acts 7:55 in all English translations. As they couldn't fabricate any counterargument to Stephen's vision, they produced false witnesses against him. Seeing themselves beaten, they took recourse to the ignoble method of declaring him a blasphemer and a heretic, by using the same foul means that the enemies of Jesus had resorted to, by suborning false witnesses to the plot, by stirring up the people against him, by appealing to their Jewish prejudices and to the scribes and elders, members of the Sanhedrin, and thus eventually brought about his arraignment. Stephen was a great man of faith who came from nowhere, but because of his testimony, he was chosen by the church members to take on the role of a deacon. Luke for Everyone - N. T. Wright 2004-01-01 [2] The reason for the appointment of the deacons is stated to have been dissatisfaction among Hellenistic (that is, Greek-influenced and Greek-speaking) Jews that their widows were being slighted in preference to Hebraic ones in the daily distribution of food. St. Stephen Catholic Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. [1] According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was a deacon in the early Church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. This trivia book is perfect for people of all ages and is a great resource for families or church groups. Members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen argued with Stephen. Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible. He preached the teachings of Christ to the Greek-speaking Jews. It has been partially translated into 2,883 languages. He said that the recently resurrected Jesus was standing by the side of God. And when he had said this, he . Copyright 2010-2023 Telling Ministries LLC. Dr. Mike and his wife, Pamela Rose, live in Northeast Ohio and they have children and grandchildren that live in various states. The name Stephen is taken from a Greek word, Stphanos, which means 'wreath, crown'. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr. It is not so much a plea in self-defence as a grand apology for the cause which Stephen represents. For instance, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Jews seek to kill Lazarus as to dispose of the evidence of Gods work (John 12:9-11). Stephen is known for being the first Christian martyr. Appointed one of the committee of seven to oversee the daily ministration. He came out of nowhere but was, however, an extremely righteous man. Stephen's name is derived from the Greek name "Stfanos" and means "honor," "wreath" or "crown" and Stephen may have been the first Christian martyr . Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/stephen-in-the-bible-first-christian-martyr-4074068. At this point he was attacked, and even the one who later became the apostle Paul was consenting to his death. The Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches and the Church of the East view Stephen as a saint. God's work is constantly unfolding and goes forth on his timetable. He was likely Jewish: Jews, from an early age, memorized portions of the Old Testament. "He fell asleep" with a prayer for his persecutors on his lips ( 7:60 ). Being a Greek-speaking Jew himself, Stephen went to the synagogue for Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem to try to turn his fellow Jews to Christ. Third, and most importantly, Stephen shows us the cost of faith. It is in reality a philosophy of Israels history and religion, and in so far it was a novum. He contributed majorly to the growth of the church and also helped the apostles in their work of spreading the Almighty's words, just like the patron saint. It may seem odd that a man who receives mention and dies within two chapters of the Bible has a great impact on believers today, but Christians can glean a lot of information from this saint. He deserves as well to be called the first great apologist for Christianity, since it was this that brought on his death as a martyr (circa 36 or 37 AD). But instead, they turned against him (Acts 6:11). He also was one of the first deacons of the church. Stephen now represents those that Jesus had prophesied would be told what to say when they stood before the authorities. Furious at Stephens words, the Jews rushed upon him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death (Acts 7:54-60). ( Mark 16:19) The men shouted out and plugged their ears! These are some of the lessons Stephen's life left people with. Stephen prayed that the Lord would receive his spirit and his killers be forgiven, sank to his knees, and "fell asleep". Well send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out. Even before his death, he asked for forgiveness of his murderers, just like Jesus. Important churches and sites dedicated to Saint Stephen are: This article is about Deacon Stephen, the first martyred saint. These deacons had to be full of wisdom and the Spirit. These deacons would take charge of the distribution of food to the widows, among other duties. In the way he lived and died, Stephen catapulted the early Christian church from its local Jerusalem roots to a cause that spread across the entire world. Bible References: Stephen's story is told in chapters 6 and 7 of the book of Acts. The emotional appeal lies in the reverential and feeling manner in which he handles the history sacred to them all. Our Blessed Lord was sentenced to death on the charge of blasphemy, because He had affirmed on oath: I am the Son of the living God, and hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God. In the same manner Stephen was stoned on the assumption that he was a blasphemer, and because he professed his belief in the Divinity of Jesus, and said: I see heaven open, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 2. Saint Stephen is also commemorated on 4 January (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Although we dont have much information presented about Stephen in the sixth chapter of Acts, we can derive the following from the text provided. [27] The feasts of both 26 December and 3 August have been used in dating clauses in historical documents produced in England. The primary focus of this program is to cover historical and biblical content about the early church Fathers, the Apocryphal accounts, the canon, textual criticism, and the scripture itself. the deep earnestness and spirituality, by which he spake so convincingly (Acts 6:10;Matthew 10:19,Matthew 10:20). Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. This enrages the members of the Sanhedrin, and they order Stephens death by stoninga practice used in the Old Testament to put to death blasphemers and other doers of great acts of evil. Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible. 1,000 Trivia Facts About the Bible?is a fun, informative, and entertaining way to see how well you know the Good Book. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? Learn more about Dr. Mike at Christianity Every Day. 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. This language is important. The Bible says that Stephen spoke with such spiritual wisdom that his Jewish opponents were unable to refute him (Acts 6:10). What Stephen's Name Means. Although he was just one of seven men chosen to make sure food was fairly distributed to the Grecian widows, Stephen soon began to stand out: Exactly what those wonders and miracles were, we are not told, but Stephen was empowered to do them by the Holy Spirit. It is noteworthy, however, that the Jewish legal forms were observed, as if to give to the violence the appearance of legality. In addition, Stephen was also the first martyr of the church. In defending his preaching, Stephen gave an outline of Israels history, his aim being to demonstrate two main points. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Furthermore, Stephen spoke about Abraham, the supreme patriarch, who was led by the Almighty to Israel from a pagan land. Stephen [N] [H] [S] one of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to be responsible over the distribution of food to widows in the early church after a dispute arose and the apostles recognized they needed help. "[Acts 8:1] In the aftermath of Stephen's death, the remaining disciples except for the apostles fled to distant lands, many to Antioch. Seeing a need to delegate roles, the disciples elected the first seven deacons known to the Christian faith. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. See 1 Timothy 5:1-16). Stephen then told how they, being set in their stiff-necked unbelieving ways, resisted the Holy Spirits conviction just as their fathers before them had resisted the preaching of the prophets who told of Jesus coming. Among the most notable are the two sites in Jerusalem held by different traditions to be the place of his martyrdom, the Salesian monastery of Beit Jimal in Israel held to be the place where his remains were miraculously found, and the church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome, where the saint's remains are said to be buried. Satan does not sit idly by when his realm is challenged. But Stephen, ansported with enthusiasm and inspiration, was vouchsafed a vision of the glory of God, which he had mentioned in the beginning of his speech (Acts 7:2), and of Jesus, whose cause he had so gallantly defended (Acts 7:55). The Catholic churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Anglican, Lutheran, and Oriental Orthodox churches refer to Stephen as a saint who is much closer to God than the high priest, and therefore, he is often regarded as Saint Stephen. This resulted in the number of new disciples in Jerusalem increasing along with a large number of priests being saved. Both, before dying, commended their souls to God: Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit. Lord Jesus, receive my soul! [17]. The result, however, was that Christianity spread throughout the region, as the expelled Christians preached the gospel wherever they went (Acts 8:4;Acts 11:19). They responded by conspiring to lie about him in an effort to stir up the people and members of the local synagogue. Although we have only this two-chapter narrative of Stephens life, he has left a legacy that serves as something to consider by believers today. Election and Ordination of Deacons. He was extremely courageous to stand against the entire Jewish council and took this opportunity to reach out to a wider audience with his preachings. Now the audience could restrain its rage no longer, and the catastrophe followed immediately. Her modern-day Daniel, Blaze, (Illuminate YA) released in June, and the sequel Den releases July 2020. He performed miracles. 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