Who is Saint Stephen in the New Testament

The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Stephen

Stephen, one of the seven deacons appointed in the early Christian church in Jerusalem, is notable for being the first Christian martyr ^[2]. His appointment is recorded in Acts 6, where he is described as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 6:5) ^{[1, 5]}. The narrative emphasizes Stephen's Hellenistic origin, indicated by his Greek name, and his role in rectifying complaints made by Hellenistic Jews against Hebrew Christians regarding the distribution of charity ^[3].

Stephen's ministry went beyond his role as a deacon. He is described as being "full of grace and power" and performed "great wonders and miracles among the people" (Acts 6:8) ^[8]. His preaching and debating with Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, particularly those from the Synagogue of the Libertines, led to significant opposition ^[5]. Accused of blasphemy against Moses and God, Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin to defend himself ^[10].

Stephen's defense, as recorded in Acts 7, is a detailed review of Israel's history, focusing on the patriarchs, Moses, and the tabernacle and temple. He highlighted Israel's repeated rejection of God's messengers and culminated his speech by accusing his listeners of resisting the Holy Spirit, just as their fathers had done (Acts 7:51-53) ^[10]. This provoked the crowd, who, filled with rage, gnashed their teeth at him.

The narrative then describes Stephen's vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God, to which he bore witness before being stoned to death (Acts 7:55-60) ^{[2, 3]}. The stoning, which took place with the approval and participation of Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul, was a pivotal event. Stephen's martyrdom is seen as a fulfillment of Christ's prediction that his followers would suffer persecution ^[4].

The reaction to Stephen's death was varied. While many were outraged and mourned his loss, others, including Saul, consented to his death ^{[6, 9]}. The event marked a significant turning point in the early Christian church, leading to a period of persecution that scattered the believers throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) ^[9].

The historical context of Stephen's martyrdom is set against the backdrop of early Christian expansion and the tensions between Jewish Christians and the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. The event is dated to the early period of the church, likely within a few years of Jesus' crucifixion, around AD 30-35.

The reception of Stephen's story in subsequent Christian tradition has been significant. He is remembered as a protomartyr, whose faith and courage in the face of persecution set an example for later Christians. The accounts of his life and death in Acts have been interpreted in various ways by different Christian traditions, but all emphasize his commitment to his faith and his role as a precursor to the wider missionary work of the early church ^{[4, 5, 7]}.

The figure of Stephen also played a crucial role in the development of Paul's theology and mission. Paul's presence at Stephen's stoning and his later conversion (Acts 9) underscore the complex and transformative nature of early Christian experience ^[6].

Sources

STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=G4736 — Man living at the time of the New Testament (refs: #A man living at the time of the New Testament, first mentioned at Act.6.5; <br>only referred to as )”
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”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Stephen — the first Christian martyr, was the chief of the seven (commonly called Deacons) appointed to rectify the complaints in the early Church of Jerusalem, made by the Hellenistic against the hebrew Christians. His Greek name indicates his own Hellenistic origin. His importance is stamped on the narrative by a reiteration of emphatic, almost superlative, phrases: "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," (Acts 6:5) "full of grace and power," ibid. (Acts 6:8) irresistible "spirit and wisdom," ibid (Acts 6:10) "full of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 7:55) He shot far ahead of”
Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 7 (introduction): When our Lord Jesus called his apostles out to be employed in services and sufferings for him, he told them that yet the last should be first, and the first last, which was remarkably fulfilled in St. Stephen and St. Paul, who were both of them late converts, in comparison of the apostles, and yet got the start of them both in services and sufferings; for God, in conferring honours and favours, often crosses hands. In this chapter we have the martyrdom of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church, who led the van in the noble army. And therefore ”
Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 6:5: And the saying pleased the whole multitude,.... The speech the apostles made took with them; all things they proposed were universally approved of; the whole body of the church came into it at once unanimously; they all judged it highly reasonable, that the apostles should be eased of the burden in taking care of the poor, and that it should be transferred to some other persons, and they fixed on the following: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost; he was a man eminent for his faith in Christ, and his faithfulness to him, and in everything”
Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 22:18: And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed,.... Stephen was a martyr for Christ, both by confession with his mouth, and by the effusion of his blood; he was the proto-martyr, or "the first martyr" that suffered for Christ; and there are copies, as one of Stephens's, and the Complutensian edition, which so read in this place; his blood was shed by stoning: I also was standing by; to see the inhuman action performed; nor was he an idle and indifferent spectator: and consenting unto his death; being pleased and delighted with it, and rejoicing at it; see Act 8:”
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 (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 6:8: And Stephen, full of faith and power,.... The historian proceeds to give a narrative of Stephen particularly, the first of the seven deacons; of his faith and miracles, of his elocution and wisdom, of his courage and intrepidity, of his constancy, and of his suffering martyrdom. He is said to be full of faith, as before, Act 6:5 the Alexandrian copy, and four of Beza's copies read, "full of grace"; and so do the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions; the Ethiopic version reads, "full of the grace of God": he had an uncommon share of it; it was exceeding abundant in him; he h”
Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 8:1: In these verses we have, I. Something more concerning Stephen and his death; how people stood affected to it - variously, as generally in such cases, according to men's different sentiments of things. Christ had said to his disciples, when he was parting with them (Joh 16:20), You shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. Accordingly here is, 1. Stephen's death rejoiced in by one - by many, no doubt, but by one in particular, and that was Saul, who was afterwards called Paul; he was consenting to his death, suneudokōn - he consented to it with delight (so ”
Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 7:1: 7:1-53 Stephen responded to the accusations by testifying about his Lord (cp. Luke 21:12-17). Instead of defending himself against their prosecution, he became a witness in God’s prosecution of them, exposing their stubbornness and unfaithfulness to God. Stephen’s recital of Israel’s past reminded them of their repeated rejections of those whom God had sent. • Stephen’s review of Israel’s history has three principal parts, dealing with the work of the patriarchs (Acts 7:2-16), the ministry of Moses (7:17-43), and the role of the Tabernacle and the Temple (7:44-50). S”

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