Saint Stephen

Stephen(Greek:Στέφανος,romanized:Stéphanos;c.AD 5– c.34) is traditionally venerated as theprotomartyror first martyr ofChristianity.According to theActs of the Apostles, he was adeaconin the early church atJerusalemwho angered members of varioussynagoguesby his teachings. Accused ofblasphemyat his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on himand was thenstoned to death. Saul of Tarsus - later known asPaul the Apostle, aPhariseeandRoman citizenwho would later become anapostle- participated in Stephen's execution.
The only source for information about Stephen is theNew Testamentbook of the Acts of the Apostles.Stephen is mentioned inActs 6as one of the Greek-speakingHellenistic Jewsselected to administer the daily charitable distribution of food to the Greek-speaking widows.
TheCatholic,Anglican,Oriental Orthodox,Eastern Orthodox, andLutheranchurches and theChurch of the Eastview Stephen as asaint.Artistic representations often show Stephen with a crown symbolisingmartyrdom, three stones,martyr's palm frond,censer, and often holding a miniature church building. Stephen is often shown as a young, beardless man with atonsure, wearing a deacon'svestments.
Stephen is first mentioned in theActs of the Apostlesas one of theSeven Deacons, who were appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church. According to Orthodox belief, he was the eldest and is therefore called "archdeacon".As another deacon, Nicholas of Antioch, is specifically stated to have been aconvert to Judaism, it may be assumed that Stephen was born Jewish, but nothing more is known about his previous life.The reason for the appointment of the deacons is stated to have been dissatisfaction among Hellenistic Jews that their widows were being slighted in preference to Hebrew ones in the daily distribution of food. Since the name Stephanos isKoine Greek, it has been assumed that he was one of these Hellenistic Jews. Stephen is stated to have been full of faith and theHoly Spiritand to have performed miracles among the people.
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 theSynagogue of the Libertines, and "of theCyrenians, and of theAlexandrians, and of them that were ofCiliciaand Asia".Members of these synagogues had challenged Stephen's teachings, but Stephen had bested them in debate. Furious at this humiliation, they suborned false testimony that Stephen had preached blasphemy againstMosesand God. They dragged him to appear before theSanhedrin, the supreme legal court of Jewish elders, accusing him of preaching against theSecond Templeand theTorah.Stephen is said to have been unperturbed, his face looking like "that of an angel".
In a long speech to the Sanhedrin comprising almost the whole ofActs 7, Stephen presents his view of the history of theIsraelites. The God of glory, he says, appeared toAbrahaminMesopotamia, thus establishing at the beginning of the speech one of its major themes, that God does not dwell only in one particular building (meaning the Temple).Stephen recounts the stories of thepatriarchsin some depth and goes into even more detail in the case of Moses. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush,and inspired Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. Nevertheless, the Israelites turned to other gods.This establishes the second main theme of Stephen's speech, Israel's disobedience to God.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.Pope Benedict XVIstated in 2012 that Stephen appealed to the Jewish scriptures to prove how the laws of Moses were not subverted by Jesus but were instead being fulfilled.Stephen denounces his listenersas "stiff-necked" people who, just as their ancestors had done, resist the Holy Spirit. "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of the angels, and have not kept it."
The account is that the crowd, thus castigated,  could contain their anger no longer.However, Stephen looked up and cried, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and theSon of Manstanding on the right hand of God." He said that the recently resurrected Jesus was standing by the side of God.The people from the crowd, who threw the first stones,laid their coats down so as to be able to do this, at the feet of a young man named Saul (later identified asPaul the Apostle). Stephen prayed that the Lord would receive his spirit and his killers be forgiven, sank to his knees, and "fell asleep".Saul "was consenting unto his death."In the aftermath of Stephen's death, the remaining disciples except for the apostles fled to distant lands, many toAntioch.
The exact site of Stephen's stoning is not mentioned in Acts; instead there are two different traditions. One, claimed by noted French archaeologistsLouis-Hugues Vincent(1872–1960) andFélix-Marie Abel(1878–1953) to beancient, places the event at Jerusalem's northern gate, while another one, dated by Vincent and Abel to theMiddle Agesand no earlier than the 12th century, locates it at the eastern gate.
Of the numerous speeches in Acts of the Apostles, Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin is the longest.To the objection that it seems unlikely that such a long speech could be reproduced in the text of Acts exactly as it was delivered, some Biblical scholars have replied that Stephen's speech shows a distinctive personality behind it.
There are at least five places where Stephen's re-telling of the stories of Israelite history diverges from the scriptures where these stories originated; for example, Stephen says that Jacob's tomb was inShechem,but Genesis 50:13says Jacob's body was carried and buried in a cave in Machpelah atHebron.Some theologians argue that these may not be discrepancies, but rather a condensing of historical events for people who were already familiar with them.That Jacob's body was carried to a final resting place in Shechem is not recorded in Genesis, though it does not exclude the possibility that his bones were transferred to Shechem for a final burial place, as was done with the bones of Jacob's son Joseph, as described inJoshua 24:32Other scholars consider these and other discrepancies as errors. Still others interpret them as deliberate choices making theological points.Another possibility is that the discrepancies come from an ancient Jewish tradition which was not included in the scriptures or may have been popular among people of Jerusalem who were not scribes.
Numerous parallels between the accounts of Stephen in Acts and theJesusof theGospels– they both perform miracles, they are both tried by the Sanhedrin, they both pray for forgiveness for their killers, for instance – have led to suspicions that the author of Acts has emphasised – in order to show the recipient that people become holy when they follow the example of Christ – or invented some (or all) of these.
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.
Some people have laid the charge of anti-Judaism against the speech, for instance the priest and scholar of comparative religionS. G. F. Brandon, who states: "The anti-Jewish polemic of this speech reflects the attitude of the author of Acts."
Friedrich Justus Knechtlists the similarities of the martyrdom of Stephen to Jesus' death on the cross:
Acts 8:2says "devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him," but the location where he was buried is not specified.
In 415, a priest named Lucian purportedly had a dream that revealed the location of Stephen's remains atBeit Jimal. After that, therelicsof the protomartyr were taken in procession to theChurch of Hagia Sionon 26 December 415, making it the date for the feast of Saint Stephen. The recovery of the relics were described in a letter written byAvitus of Braga,who was involved in a plot to bring some of those relics toBragavia the historian and theologianPaulus Orosius.In 439, the relics were translated to a new church north of the Damascus Gate built by the empressAelia Eudociain honor of Saint Stephen. This church was destroyed in the 12th century. A 20th-century French Catholic church, Saint-Étienne, was built in its place, while another, the Greek Orthodox Church of St Stephen, was built outside the eastern gate of the city,which a second tradition holds to be the site of his martyrdom, rather than the northern location outside Damascus Gate (for the two traditions seehere).
TheCrusadersinitially called the main northern gate of Jerusalem "Saint Stephen's Gate" (in Latin,Porta Sancti Stephani), highlighting its proximity to the site of martyrdom of Saint Stephen, marked by the church and monastery built by Empress Eudocia.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.
The relics of the protomartyr were later translated to Rome byPope Pelagius IIduring the construction of thebasilicaofSan Lorenzo fuori le Mura. They were interred alongside the relics ofSaint Lawrence, whose tomb is enshrined within the church. According to theGolden Legend, the relics of Lawrence moved miraculously to one side to make room for those of Stephen.
TheImperial Regaliaof theHoly Roman Empireincludes a relic known asSt. Stephen's Pursewhich is an elaborate gold and jewel-encrusted box believed to contain soil soaked with the blood of St. Stephen. The reliquary is likely a 9th-century creation.
In his bookThe City of God,Augustine of Hippodescribes the many miracles that occurred when part of the relics of Saint Stephen were brought to Africa.
The relics of the protomartyr were also in India Kerala brought from Congregation Mount Athos, Greece to St. Stephens Orthodox Cathedral Pilgrim Center, Kudassanad, Kerala, India
InWestern Christianity, 26 December is called "Saint Stephen's Day", the "Feast of Stephen" mentioned in the EnglishChristmas carol"Good King Wenceslas". It is apublic holidayin many nations that are of historic Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions, including Austria, Croatia, theCzech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Catalonia and the Balearic Isles. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the day is celebrated as "Boxing Day".
In the current norms for theliturgyof the RomanCatholic Church, the feast is celebrated at theEucharist, but, for theLiturgy of the Hours, is restricted to the Hours during the day, withEvening Prayerbeing reserved to the celebration of theOctaveofChristmas. Historically, the "Invention of the Relics of Saint Stephen" (i.e., their reputed discovery) was commemorated on 3 August.The feasts of both 26 December and 3 August have been used in dating clauses in historical documents produced in England.Stephen isrememberedin theChurch of Englandwith aFestivalon26 December.
In theEastern Orthodox Church, thoseEastern Catholic Churcheswhich follow theByzantine Rite, and in Oriental Orthodox Churches (e.g., Coptic, Syrian, Malankara) Saint Stephen's feast day is celebrated on 27 December, due to the celebration of theSynaxisof theTheotokoson 26 December. This also has the effect of pushing the Feast of theHoly Innocentsto 29 December. This day is also called the "Third Day of the Nativity" because it is the third day of the Christmas season.
Some Orthodox churches, particularly in the west, follow a modified Julian calendar that places date names identically with the standard Gregorian calendar of widespread civil usage. In those churches, then, the date the feast is observed is generally known as 27 December. However, other Orthodox churches, including the Oriental Orthodox, continue to use the original Julian calendar. Throughout the 21st century, 27 December Julian will continue to fall on 9 January in the Gregorian calendar, and that is the date on which they observe the feast.
Saint Stephen is alsocommemoratedon 4 January (Synaxisof theSeventy Apostles) in theEastern Orthodox Church.
Uncovering of his relics(relics of thesaints:Nicodemus,Gamalieland Abibas son of Gamaliel were also found in Saint Stephen's tomb) took place in 415, Gamaliel appeared topresbyter Lucian[ru]and he told him to go toJerusalemand informBishop Johnaboutrelicsof Saint Stephen.Bishop John IIwith bishops Eusthia (fromSebastia) and Eleutherius (from Jericho) came to the tomb inBeit Jimaland translated relics to Jerusalem, this event is commemorated on 15 September.
In 428 (whenSaint Theodosius II the YoungerRoman Emperor) relics of saint: Stephen,Nicodemus,Gamalieland Abibas were translated fromJerusalemtoConstantinopleand relics have been placed inSaint Lawrencechurch, and after preparations were made relics were moved to specially prepared Saint Stephen church in Constantinople, this event took place on 2 August.
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. This is because the Armenian churches maintain the decree of Constantine, which stipulated that the Nativity and Theophany of Jesus were to be celebrated on 6 January. 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).
In the eucharistic celebration on this feast day, it is traditional for all deacons serving at the altar to wear a liturgical crown (Armenian: խոյրkhooyr), which is one of the vestments worn only by priests on all other days of the year, the crown being in this instance a symbol of martyrdom.
Many churches and other places commemorate Stephen. Among the most notable are the two sites in Jerusalem held by different traditions to be the place of his martyrdom, theSalesianmonastery ofBeit JimalinIsraelheld to be the place where his remains were miraculously found, and the church ofSan Lorenzo fuori le Murain Rome, where the saint's remains are said to be buried.
Important churches and sites dedicated to Saint Stephen are: