Peter the Apostle - Member of Jesus' Inner Circle, Introduction to the Catholic Religion: Beliefs, Practices and History, John Chrysostom, the Golden-Tongued Preacher, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. Second, no matter where we come from, God can use our past to shape our testimony and witness. Stephen in the Bible Was the First Christian Martyr. Before he converted, however, Saul would persecute other Christians in the name of the Sanhedrin, causing early church members to flee Jerusalem, taking the gospel wherever they went. Acts 6:8:Stephen performs various wonders and signs. 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). 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. Many early Christians were martyred in the time after Christ. Stephen's sermon is a different kind of prophetic speech. He said that the recently resurrected Jesus was standing by the side of God. Furthermore, Stephen spoke about Abraham, the supreme patriarch, who was led by the Almighty to Israel from a pagan land. Local churches were beginning to be established and there arose some problems with Greek widows being neglected in their care. Stephen recounts the stories of the patriarchs in some depth, and goes into even more detail in the case of Moses. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. At this point he was attacked, and even the one who later became the apostle Paul was consenting to his death. 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). This revolutionary message got Stephen hauled before the Sanhedrin, the same Jewish council that had condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy. It says that he saw "the Glory of God.". He came out of nowhere but was, however, an extremely righteous man. Devout men carried him to his grave ( 8:2 ). Trilingual Rajnandini has also published work in a supplement for 'The Telegraph', and had her poetry shortlisted in Poems4Peace, an international project. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 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. Instead of disputing the accuracy of their charges, he took the opportunity before the large numbers of people there to share the Gospel of Salvation, beginning all the way back with the calling of Abraham out of idolatry. 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. He asked for forgiveness as he fell asleep in his death. In Western Christianity, 26 December is called "Saint Stephen's Day", the "Feast of Stephen" mentioned in the English Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas". In this sense the speech of Stephen is a grand apology for the Christian cause which he represented, inasmuch as it shows clearly that the new religion was only the divinely-ordered development of the old, and not in opposition to it. He relied on the Holy Spirit who showed him the right path. According to Act seven where he is seen to apologize to the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, his Hellenistic dialect also had a Hebrew note to it, which gives us the idea that he was raised out of Jerusalem and was a foreign-born Jew just like many others. All rights reserved. Before he died, Stephen said two things very similar to Jesus' last words from the cross: But Stephen's influence was even stronger after his death. Zavada, Jack. We see multiple examples throughout Scripture of how God uses ones upbringing to shape their testimony and how they speak to various audiences. 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). In 439, the relics were translated to a new church north of the Damascus Gate built by the empress Aelia Eudocia in honor of Saint Stephen. Scholars think these men were freed slaves from various parts of the Roman empire. These wise words of Stephen angered the Jews even more who condemned him shortly after his speech. During this inquisition, false witnesses were set up. Stephen explained that he was a messenger of God and that he stood at the right hand of God. 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. The charge against Stephens person was a baseless accusation. God often uses the person's godly character under fire to convict those to whom he is bearing verbal witness. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Whether we live in a country full of religious freedoms or in a restricted area, we may find ourselves in situations where we have the choice to renounce our faith or die for it. Seeing a need to delegate roles, the disciples elected the first seven deacons known to the Christian faith. 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 Seven from the first were occupied with essentially spiritual work, as also the later diaconate was engaged in something far different from mere charity organization. After their false testimony, the high priest asked Stephen if these things were true. Christs words regarding the temple (John 4:20-24;Mark 13:2) not only led Stephen to see that the true worship of God was not confined to the temple, but opened his eyes as to the purely formal character of this worship in that day, which, far from being true worship, had become a mere ceremonialism (Mark 7:6), and in the words of Christ (John 2:19) he saw an intimation of the new temple which was to take the place of the old. The soul remains immortal and therefore, we must choose to stick to our faiths and beliefs. What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. Stephen was an evangelist. It is our duty to make this journey memorable and not commit any sins. [19] A different tradition is documented from the end of the Crusader period, after the disappearance of the Byzantine church: as Christian pilgrims were prohibited from approaching the militarily exposed northern city wall, the name "Saint Stephen's Gate" was transferred to the still accessible eastern gate, which bears this name until this day. After that, the relics of the protomartyr were taken in procession to the Church of Hagia Sion on 26 December 415, making it the date for the feast of Saint Stephen. Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible. 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. "He fell asleep" with a prayer for his persecutors on his lips ( 7:60 ). Learn Religions, Jan. 4, 2022, learnreligions.com/stephen-in-the-bible-first-christian-martyr-4074068. Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! He was not at all worried about his earthly existence and stood firm in his belief in Christ. [6] Stephen faced two accusations: that he had declared that Jesus would destroy the Temple in Jerusalem and that he had changed the customs of Moses. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. These apostles were Simon, James, John, Bartholomew, Philip, Andrew, Matthew, Alphaeus, Thomas, Judas, Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. Stephen was a Jew who had lived outside of Israel. 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 Sanhedrin feared this revolutionary message, which got Stephen hauled to the council. In 415, a priest named Lucian purportedly had a dream that revealed the location of Stephen's remains at Beit Jimal. The story of Saint Stephen's ordination as a deacon is found in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, which also recounts the plot against Stephen and the beginning of the trial that resulted in his martyrdom; the seventh chapter of Acts recounts Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin and his martyrdom. He also was one of the first deacons of the church. 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. Twelve of these disciples were designated by the Lord himself as apostles who spread the Gospel. Proud member Although Scripture doesnt specify how long Stephens ministry lasted, it appears he receives opposition very soon into the journey. As Christ had been drawn into controversy with Pharisees and scribes on account of these freer views, and as His word about the temple was used to frame the accusation against Him in His trial, so also in the case of Stephen. The Roman Empire persecuted members of The Way, as early Christianity was called, for the next 300 years, finally ending with the conversion of Emperor Constantine I, who adopted the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., allowing Christians religious freedom. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. As they couldn't fabricate any counterargument to Stephen's vision, they produced false witnesses against him. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. Thus, Stephen's execution sparked the spread of Christianity. Stephen more than met the requirements of the office to which he was elected (Acts 6:3); the record characterizes him as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5), i.e. Acts 7 is a beautiful example of telling the story of the whole Bible and tying it to Christ. Stephen was a gifted preacher, but the text shows God gave him wisdom and courage. [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". Acts 6:8: Stephen performs various wonders and signs. The reminder of Jesus standing by us will surely guide our path to home. He was deeply influenced by Christianity and shared a strong connection with God himself. Friedrich Justus Knecht lists the similarities of the martyrdom of Stephen to Jesus' death on the cross: 1. God's work is constantly unfolding and goes forth on his timetable. Therefore, we cannot call Stephen an apostle. He did not hesitate to preach his views, choosing the Hellenistic synagogues for this purpose, and soon became engaged in controversies there. The tasking by the apostles pleased everyone and the brethren chose seven men who were full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. This sacrifice created turmoil in Jerusalem, where the Jewish Council was forcing Christians and persecuting them. He is the patron saint of Altar Servers, bricklayers, casket makers and deacons and his feast day is celebrated on December 26. Though the name of Jesus was not uttered by Stephen in his speech and does not occur until in his dying prayer, his hearers could not fail to notice the hidden reference to Him throughout the entire speech and to draw parallels intended by Stephen: As Joseph and Moses, types of the Messiah, had been rejected, scorned and illtreated (Acts 7:9,Acts 7:27,Acts 7:39), before being raised to be ruler and deliverer, so Jesus had also been repulsed by them. 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. The Jews of the Roman empire always questioned God's grace in terms of Christianity and whenever they failed to produce an argument, oppositions and false claims were put forth by them. Both, when dying, prayed for their enemies: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Lay not this sin to their charge. 4. As an Amazon Associate, Kidadl earns from qualifying purchases. [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. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. The impression made by Stephens death was even greater than that made by his life. Due to his honesty and wisdom, he was chosen as one of the seven deacons by the young church members of early Christianity. 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