God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, [Acts 7:30-32] and inspired Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. Even though he was appointed by the Twelve, Stephen was a full-fledged prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit. Stephen saw before any other man in the church saw, that the gospel of Christ was not for Jews only, but was for all men; that all men might be saved if they would believe in Jesus; and this great truth Stephen began to preach with all his power. We see multiple examples throughout Scripture of how God uses ones upbringing to shape their testimony and how they speak to various audiences. Furious at Stephens words, the Jews rushed upon him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death (Acts 7:54-60). He was likely Jewish: Jews, from an early age, memorized portions of the Old Testament. Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside the EU if you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information. FACTS is a podcast that is based out of Explore Christianity (www.explorechristianity.net). In a similar fashion to Socrates on trial, Stephen gives a point-by-point rendering of the Old Testament and how it related to Jesus work through his death and resurrection. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.". In Western Christianity, 26 December is called "Saint Stephen's Day", the "Feast of Stephen" mentioned in the English Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas". Best Known For: Saint Stephen is recognized as a saint and the first martyr in Christian theology. The disciples chose Stephen, and six others, and prayed over them as they began their ministry. 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. This article contains incorrect information, This article doesnt have the information Im looking for. The Glory of God. Dr. Mike has worked in the information technology field for many years and he uses his talents and experience in the ministry for the glory of the Lord. [Acts 11:1920][11], The exact site of Stephen's stoning is not mentioned in Acts; instead there are two different traditions. In the current norms for the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, the feast is celebrated at the Eucharist, but, for the Liturgy of the Hours, is restricted to the Hours during the day, with Evening Prayer being reserved to the celebration of the Octave of Christmas. Acts 6. Stephen (Greek: Stphanos, meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity. [4] Artistic representations often show Stephen with a crown symbolising martyrdom, three stones, martyr's palm frond, censer, and often holding a miniature church building. "Stephen in the Bible Was the First Christian Martyr." This church was destroyed in the 12th century. [Acts 6:5, 8], It seems to have been among synagogues of Hellenistic Jews that he performed his teachings and "signs and wonders" since it is said that he aroused the opposition of the "Synagogue of the Freedmen", and "of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia". This language is important. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Find out more about her here. He was the first martyr who was condemned by the devout Jews. When the counsel and others heard this they were furious and offended and began screaming and insulting him. 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. The accusation which they brought against him, through the introduction of false witnesses, included a twofold charge, one against his person, a charge of blasphemous words against Moses which would make him also a blasphemer of God, and one against his teaching, charging him with revolutionary and radical statements concerning the temple and the Law. St. Stephen's Church, Thope, is one of the parishes of the first diocese of India, Kollam. [27] The feasts of both 26 December and 3 August have been used in dating clauses in historical documents produced in England. Read full chapter Acts 6 Acts 8 New International Version (NIV) Psalm 82:3 King James Version (KJV 1900) 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and needy. This resulted in the number of new disciples in Jerusalem increasing along with a large number of priests being saved. Stephen's death had the unexpected consequence of forcing Christians to flee persecution in Jerusalem. When Stephen performs great signs and wonders, he draws opposition from a group called the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Stephen is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church. Stephen is stated to have been full of faith and the Holy Spirit and to have performed miracles among the people. Furthermore, Stephen spoke about Abraham, the supreme patriarch, who was led by the Almighty to Israel from a pagan land. I want to draw four lessons from Stephen's death: 1. It has been partially translated into 2,883 languages. Local churches were beginning to be established and there arose some problems with Greek widows being neglected in their care. [31][32][33], In 428 (when Saint Theodosius II the Younger Roman Emperor) relics of saint: Stephen, Nicodemus, Gamaliel and Abibas were translated from Jerusalem to Constantinople and relics have been placed in Saint Lawrence church, and after preparations were made relics were moved to specially prepared Saint Stephen church in Constantinople, this event took place on 2 August.[34][32][33]. His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. Read full chapter. The significance of this difference is borne out by the fact upon which Stephens refutation hinges, namely, the fact, proved by the history of the past, that the development of the divine revelation and the development of the Jewish nation, so far from combining, move in divergent lines, due to a disposition of obstinate disobedience on the part of their fathers, and that therefore not he but they were disobedient to the divine revelation. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him[Acts 7:5153] and was then stoned to death. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. His testimony began with Abraham and ended with the exile by way of a quote from Isaiah 66. [5] As another deacon, Nicholas of Antioch, is specifically stated to have been a convert to Judaism, it may be assumed that Stephen was born Jewish, but nothing more is known about his previous life. 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. bible, Learn more about Dr. Mike at Christianity Every Day. He showed firstly that God had never limited himself to one location (Acts 7:2;Acts 7:9;Acts 7:30;Acts 7:44;Acts 7:48), and secondly that the people of Israel had always rejected Gods messengers (Acts 7:9;Acts 7:25;Acts 7:35;Acts 7:40). Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible. I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God!" Election and Ordination of Deacons. Thus, Stephen's execution sparked the spread of Christianity. in such a way that they might better understand and judge the present and adjust their conduct to it accordingly. In itself that is not surprising, for in the early Christian church every Christian was at once a witness for Christ, and lay-preaching was common. What Does It Mean That "Your Life Is Hidden with Christ"? She is fond of classic British literature. Through this speech, he tried to enlighten the minds of everyone and reminded them of their continuous slavery in idolatry and their rebellion against God's will. Psalm 82:3 New Living Translation (NLT) 3 "Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Dr Michael L has written 155 articles on What Christians Want To Know! Acts 6:8: Stephen performs various wonders and signs. The Imperial Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire includes a relic known as St. Stephen's Purse which is an elaborate gold and jewel-encrusted box believed to contain soil soaked with the blood of St. Stephen. The Old Testament is the first section of the Bible, covering the creation of Earth through Noah and the flood, Moses and more, finishing with the Jews being expelled to Babylon. In Stephen's death, as in Christ's, both love and evil are seen in clear focus. Furious at this humiliation, they suborned false testimony that Stephen had preached blasphemy against Moses and God. The Arrest of Stephen 7 So the word of God continued to spread. Stephen the First Martyr", "Golden Legend Invention of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr", "Translation of the Relics of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr", " - ", " - ", " (415)", "Finding of the relics of Saint Gamaliel", "Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen", "THE TRANSFER FROM JERUSALEM TO CONSTANTINOPLE OF THE RELICS OF THE HOLY FIRSTMARTYR STEPHEN", "Orthodox Calendar. 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. (1912), I. God often uses the person's godly character under fire to convict those to whom he is bearing verbal witness. ", "LXXXVIII. Stephen was a gifted preacher, but the text shows God gave him wisdom and courage. Bible References: The apostle James is mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in Acts 12:2. His sacrifice and sufferings taught us a very important lesson about the cost of faith. Through the life and work of Jesus, everything had changed. These freer views of Stephen, though possibly attributable to his Hellenic culture, were certainly not of Hellenistic origin, for just their promulgation is what brought him into controversy with the Hellenistic synagogues of Jerusalem. He shows how Israelites in the Old Testament failed to see past their stubbornness and turned away from God and persecuted and killed anyone who spoke Gods word (several of the prophets were martyred). 9 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and . Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. He was also the first Christian martyr, stoned to death for preaching that Jesus was the Christ. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. It was false as an implied insinuation that he impugned the divine origin and character of the temple and the Mosaic Law, but it was true as far as he conceived both to be only of a temporary nature and serving a merely provisional purpose, which, as we have seen, constituted the peculiarity of his teaching. Using the God given wisdom provided by the Holy Spirit, Stephen was able to cut through their weak arguments. 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. They then drove all the other Greek-speaking Jewish Christians out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-3). Known best as the proto-martyr of the Christian church, introducing the heroic period of persecutions. He asked for forgiveness as he fell asleep in his death. They had killed the prophets who had protested against the dead ritualism of the temple-worship and raised their voice in behalf of a true spiritual worship as that of the tabernacle had been (Acts 7:44-50,Acts 7:52). 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. Both, before dying, commended their souls to God: Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit. Lord Jesus, receive my soul! [17]. Thus also his conception of the transitory nature of the Mosaic Law may be traced to Christs teaching as to the Sabbath, the laws of purifying, the fulfillment of the Law and Jewish customs of the day (Matthew 5:20) and of a better righteousness than that of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 9:16). And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:60; compare1 Cor 15). The material world is nothing in comparison to the afterlife. Many Jews grew up outside of Jerusalem due to an event known as the Diaspora. (b) The Jews to whom these revelations were granted, so far from being thankful at all stages of their history, had been slow to believe and understand them because they would not be obedient (Acts 7:39,Acts 7:57). Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew, called a Hellenist, and had ample knowledge about the Scriptures. Stephen prayed that the Lord would receive his spirit and his killers be forgiven, sank to his knees, and "fell asleep". Martyrdom of Stephen. He was also "full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people" ( Acts 6:8 ). It harkens back to times when God's presence was visibly manifest before His people in the Old Testament. A young man watching the murder was Saul of Tarsus. He did not hesitate to preach his views, choosing the Hellenistic synagogues for this purpose, and soon became engaged in controversies there. 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. The strong appeal to the will is made by holding up the figure of Moses type of the Law, in its vital significance, in such a way as passionately to apply it to the fundamental relation of divine plan and human conduct. As Stephen by his life and work marks a period of transition in the development of the early Christian church, so his name is connected with an important new departure within the organization of the church itself, namely, the institution of the office of the Seven (Acts 6:1ff), who were entrusted with the administration of the work of relief in the church at Jerusalem the foundation of the diaconate. At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. St. Stephen Catholic Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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. Quick Facts It meant Christianity was not just another Jewish sect but something entirely different: a New Covenant from God, replacing the Old. Thanks for stopping by! a Greek-speaking Jew. 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. He was a man full of the Holy Spirit, strong in faith, gifted in the working of miracles and brilliant in debating with the opponents of Christianity ( Acts 6:1-10 ). And insulting him, Stephen was mentioned for the first diocese of India, Kollam to times when &... 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