Stephen's Eyewitness Status in Acts and Gospel Accounts
Stephen's eyewitness status is a crucial aspect of his testimony in Acts 6-7. As one of the seven deacons appointed to serve the early Christian community in Jerusalem, Stephen was "full of faith and power" and performed "great wonders and signs among the people" [1]. His role as an eyewitness is underscored by his ability to see "the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" as he was being stoned [4].
The biblical account emphasizes Stephen's spiritual state, describing him as "full of the Holy Ghost" and having a vision of Jesus standing at God's right hand [4, 6]. This vision is seen as a testament to his faith and his role as a witness to Jesus Christ. According to John Gill, Stephen's statement about seeing the Son of Man "show[s] that God was on his side, and... that he was an eyewitness of Jesus" [4].
The fact that Stephen was an eyewitness to Jesus is further supported by his sermon in Acts 7, where he recounts the history of Israel and its interactions with Jesus. Matthew Henry notes that Stephen's sermon was a response to the accusations brought against him, and it demonstrates his knowledge of Jesus and his mission [8].
Stephen's eyewitness status is also linked to his martyrdom, as he was stoned to death in the presence of Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul [2, 3]. The scene of Stephen's martyrdom had a profound impact on Saul, who "was consenting unto his death" and later referenced the event in his own testimony [2, 10].
The significance of Stephen's eyewitness status is highlighted by the various commentators, who emphasize his faith, his spiritual gifts, and his role as a witness to Jesus Christ. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown describe Stephen's vision as a moment of great majesty, where "heaven beaming from his countenance and opening full upon his view" [5].
In the context of the early Christian community, Stephen's eyewitness status served as a powerful testimony to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a member of the seven deacons, Stephen played a crucial role in the distribution of charity and the spread of the gospel [7, 9].
The accounts of Stephen's life and martyrdom demonstrate the importance of eyewitness testimony in the early Christian tradition. As a witness to Jesus Christ, Stephen's testimony continues to be relevant in understanding the development of Christian theology and practice.
Sources
- Acts “Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. -- Acts 6:8”
- Acts “Acts 22:20 (ASV) — and when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and keeping the garments of them that slew him.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Stephen — One of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. He was the first Christian martyr. His personal character and history are recorded in Acts 6. "He fell asleep" with a prayer for his persecutors on his lips (7:60). Devout men carried him to his grave (8:2). It was at the feet of the young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, that those who stoned him laid their clothes (comp. Deut. 17:5-7) before they began their cruel work. The scene which Saul then witnessed and the words he heard appear to have made a deep and lasting impression on his mind (Acts 22:19”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 7:54: And said, behold, I see the heavens opened,.... As they were at the baptism of Christ; see Gill on Mat 3:16, and the son of man standing at the right hand of God; he calls Jesus "the son of man"; a name by which he often called himself in his state of humiliation; and that though he was now glorified, it being the name of the Messiah in Psa 80:17 as was well known to the Jews; and this Stephen said to show that God was on his side, and to let them know what honour was done him, what divine supports and comforts he had, and that he was an eyewitness of Jesus, and of hi”
- Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 7:55: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God--You who can transfer to canvas such scenes as these, in which the rage of hell grins horribly from men, as they sit condemned by a frail prisoner of their own, and see heaven beaming from his countenance and opening full upon his view--I envy you, for I find no words to paint what, in the majesty of the divine text, is here so simply told. "But how could Stephen, in the council-chamber, see heaven at all? I suppose this question never occurred but to critic”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 7:53: But he being full of the Holy Ghost,.... That is, Stephen, as Beza's ancient copy, and some others express it; and so the Ethiopic version; the Syriac version reads, "full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost", as in Act 6:5 and so some copies; being under the influences of the Spirit of God, and filled with his divine comforts, and strong in the faith of Jesus Christ, and having a holy boldness, courage, and intrepidity of mind; instead of being discouraged and dejected, of being cast down in his spirits, and looking down upon the ground, he looked up steadfastly to heave”
- Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 6:8: Stephen, no doubt was diligent and faithful in the discharge of his office as distributor of the church's charity, and laid out himself to put that affair in a good method, which he did to universal satisfaction; and though it appears here that he was a man of uncommon gifts, and fitted for a higher station, yet, being called to that office, he did not think it below him to do the duty of it. And, being faithful in a little, he was entrusted with more; and, though we do not find him propagating the gospel by preaching and baptizing, yet we find him here called out to”
- Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 7:1: Stephen is now at the bar before the great council of the nation, indicted for blasphemy: what the witnesses swore against him we had an account of in the foregoing chapter, that he spoke blasphemous words against Moses and God; for he spoke against this holy place and the law. Now here, I. The high priest calls upon him to answer for himself, Act 7:1. He was president, and, as such, the mouth of the court, and therefore he saith, "You, the prisoner at the bar, you hear what is sworn against you; what do you say to it? Are these things so? Have you ever spoken any wo”
- Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 6 (introduction): In this chapter we have, I. The discontent that was among the disciples about the distribution of the public charity (Act 6:1). II. The election and ordination of seven men, who should take care of that matter, and ease the apostles of the burden (Act 6:2-6). III. The increase of the church, by the addition of many to it (Act 6:7). IV. A particular account of Stephen, one of the seven. 1. His great activity for Christ (Act 6:8). 2. The opposition he met with from the enemies of Christianity, and his disputes with them (Act 6:9, Act 6:10). 3. The convenin”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 8 (introduction): And Saul was consenting unto his death,.... This clause, in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Ethiopic versions, stands at the close of the preceding chapter, and which seems to be its proper place; and so it does in the Alexandrian copy: that Saul consented to the death of Stephen, and approved of that barbarous action, is evident from his taking care of the clothes of the witnesses that stoned him; but the word here used signifies not a bare consent only, but a consent with pleasure and delight; he was well pleased with it, it rejoiced his very heart; ”