facts about stephen in the biblefacts about stephen in the bible

Since the name "Stephanos" is Greek, it has been assumed that he was one of these Hellenistic Jews. (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). Act seven talks about the tremendous wisdom that he possessed. Father: Zebedee Mother: Salome Brother: John Hometown: He lived in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. He performed great wonders and miraculous signs, was known for his wisdom, and spoke with power (Acts 6:3-10). Members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen argued with Stephen. (2022, January 4). Little is known about Stephen in the Bible before he was ordained a deacon in the young church, as described in Acts 6:1-6. [9], The criticism of traditional Jewish belief and practice in Stephen's speech is very strong when he says God does not live in a dwelling "made by human hands", referring to the Temple, he is using an expression often employed by Biblical texts to describe idols. Ironically, Paul's fire for Christ would mirror Stephen's. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. Many churches and other places commemorate Stephen. Zavada, Jack. Stephen is often shown as a young, beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments. In defending his preaching, Stephen gave an outline of Israels history, his aim being to demonstrate two main points. He was a deacon and is introduced in the Bible as a faithful man of God. Although Scripture doesnt specify how long Stephens ministry lasted, it appears he receives opposition very soon into the journey. Martyrdom of Stephen. When Stephen performs great signs and wonders, he draws opposition from a group called the Synagogue of the Freedmen. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. The gospel spread far and wide as a result. And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:60; compare1 Cor 15). Scholars think these men were freed slaves from various parts of the Roman empire. [20], The relics of the protomartyr were later translated to Rome by Pope Pelagius II during the construction of the basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura. Stephen is known for being the first Christian martyr. One of the seven men chosen by the early Church, Stephen was responsible for distributing food to the Grecian widows, who had been overlooked by the church. Proud member Acts 8:1-2. Just like they had murdered several other prophets including Zechariah, the Jews rejected and murdered Christ as well and disregarded the holy beliefs of Christianity. Martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen had both a Hellenistic and Jewish background. 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. Salem Media Group. [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". More than 400 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. He came out of nowhere but was, however, an extremely righteous man. They were interred alongside the relics of Saint Lawrence, whose tomb is enshrined within the church. Friedrich Justus Knecht lists the similarities of the martyrdom of Stephen to Jesus' death on the cross: 1. Thanks for stopping by! [27] The feasts of both 26 December and 3 August have been used in dating clauses in historical documents produced in England. 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. Still others interpret them as deliberate choices making theological points. Following Stephen's death, the early Church mourned with great sadness its very first martyr. [12], Of the numerous speeches in Acts of the Apostles, Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin is the longest. It is generally believed that this. Seeing a need to delegate roles, the disciples elected the first seven deacons known to the Christian faith. The Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches and the Church of the East view Stephen as a saint. (compareMark 14:58;Mark 13:2;Mark 15:29). Outside work, her interests include music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading. [22], Part of the right arm of Saint Stephen is enshrined at Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in Russia. St. Stephen's knanaya Catholic Forane Church, Uzhavoor, kottayam, built 1631. In Stephen's death, as in Christ's, both love and evil are seen in clear focus. The charge against Stephens person was a baseless accusation. He was likely Jewish: Jews, from an early age, memorized portions of the Old Testament. Acts 7:55New International Version. the deep earnestness and spirituality, by which he spake so convincingly (Acts 6:10;Matthew 10:19,Matthew 10:20). It meant Christianity was not just another Jewish sect but something entirely different: a New Covenant from God, replacing the Old. The charge against his teaching was both false and true. The Glory of God. St. Stephen, (died 36 ce, Jerusalem; feast day December 26), Christian deacon in Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. It is mostly used as a title instead of a name, and is variously described as 'fame, reward, honor, or renown'. Support this pod 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. Many early Christians were martyred in the time after Christ. This revelation coupled with the splendid personality of Stephen, the testimony of his righteous life and the noble bravery of his sublime death, and above all his dying prayer, fell upon the honest soul of Saul with an irresistible force and inevitably brought on the Damascus event, as Augustine clearly recognized: Si Stephanus non orasset, ecclesia Paulum non habuisset. Judged by his teaching, Stephen may be called the forerunner of Paul. If you liked reading this article, then don't forget to check out the facts about David in the Bible and facts about Esther from the Bible, here on Kidadl. In dioceses of the Armenian Church which use the Julian Calendar, Saint Stephen's Day falls on 7 January and Nativity/Theophany on 19 January (for the remainder of the 21st century Julian). He showed that time and time again when it looked like the promise of coming of the Messiah would be prevented, God intervened. For instance, Paul was a Jew with a Roman citizenship. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. For the first king of Hungary, see, Marian Wolniewicz as the translator of the Book of Acts from: The Millennium Holy Bible; Warsaw, 1980, numerous other places named Saint tienne, St. Stephen's School (ICSE/ISC), Sonarpur, Kolkata, St. Stephen's Orthodox Cathedral, Kudassanad, Pandalam, Kerala, Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura, "Article XXI (IX) Of the Invocation of the Saints", "St. Stephen's death shows importance of Scripture, Pope says", "Stephen's Speech: A Theology of Errors? 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church and Parish in St. Louis, Missouri. It is noteworthy, however, that the Jewish legal forms were observed, as if to give to the violence the appearance of legality. 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). He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death and saw the victorious way Stephen died. Of the seven men, all Hellenists, elected to this office at the occasion of a grievance of the Hellenistic Christians in the Jerusalem church against the Hebrew Christians, to the effect that in the distribution of alms their widows were being discriminated against, Stephen, who heads the list, is by far the most distinguished. Luke for Everyone - N. T. Wright 2004-01-01 Bible References: The apostle James is mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in Acts 12:2. While the assembly was overawed by the evidence of singular innocence and holiness written upon the countenance of Stephen (Acts 6:15), the question of the high priest Are these things so? broke in upon the silence. St. Stephen the martyr church, Renton, Washington. But rather than be silenced, Stephen spoke with even more boldness. All Rights Reserved. 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. It drew forth from Stephen that masterful pleading which, so sublime in form and content and bare of all artificiality, belongs to the highest type of oratory, characterized by its deep, earnest, and genuine spirituality, the kind of oratory of which the great speeches of our own martyred Lincoln were models. However, Stephen did not back down. Thus he belonged to that class of Jews usually residing outside of Palestine who, though distinguished from the orthodox Palestinian Jew by a broader outlook on life due to a more liberal education, were Jews none the less, the original Jewish element predominating in their character, and who might be true Israelites indeed, as Stephen was. 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. He was likely Jewish: Jews, from an early age, memorized portions of the Old Testament. Stephens story shows us that no matter how insignificant we may think our role is, we can use it to reach others for Christ and endure the persecution that is sure to follow. Now the audience could restrain its rage no longer, and the catastrophe followed immediately. 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. 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. Not to impiety or frivolity in Stephen, but to some other cause, must be due therefore the difference between him and his opponents. Stephen saw that Christianity was not simply a remodelled Judaism. Even before his death, he asked for forgiveness of his murderers, just like Jesus. Read them in the archive below. This neglect resulted in the apostles spending their time taking care of the widows at the expense of their ministry of the Word of God and prayer. Stephen reminded everyone of how Moses was directed by God to reach out to people and refrain them from worshipping idols and stopping their slavery. 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 recounts the stories of the patriarchs in some depth, and goes into even more detail in the case of Moses. 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). Stephen's death sentence was rolled out by the Sanhedrin members, who couldn't tolerate the words of this gifted preacher. All rights reserved. Stephen [N] [H] [S] one of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. 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. In the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches, Saint Stephen's Day falls on 25 December the day on which the feast of the Nativity of Jesus (Christmas) falls in all other churches. He showed to the Sanhedrin he had an immense knowledge of the Scriptures, and through his Greek rhetoric, he had the apologetic power of a speaker like Apollos (Acts 18:24). 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. Stephen's claim that Jesus stood by him and gave him the power to endure the hardships tells us the fact that he was a true believer in God. [Acts 8:1][6] Some theologians argue that these may not be discrepancies, but rather a condensing of historical events for people who were already familiar with them. 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. Thus his teachings forecast that greatest controversy of the first Christian century, the controversy between Judaism and Christianity, which reached its culmination-point in the Council of Jerusalem, resulting in the independence of the Christian church from the fetters of Judaistic legalism. 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. He was also the first Christian martyr, stoned to death for preaching that Jesus was the Christ. Bible References: Stephen's story is told in chapters 6 and 7 of the book of Acts. 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