It was false as an implied insinuation that he impugned the divine origin and character of the temple and the Mosaic Law, but it was true as far as he conceived both to be only of a temporary nature and serving a merely provisional purpose, which, as we have seen, constituted the peculiarity of his teaching. 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. Dr. Mike holds under-graduate through post graduate degrees in Christian Education and formerly worked as a nurse. 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. Because wicked men are enemies of God, those who speak out boldly for God and against evil will suffer. The account begins with the ascension of Christ (30-33 AD) and runs all the way through to 62-64 AD. Accordingly, Stephen was taken outside the city (Leviticus 24:14; compareLuke 4:29); the witnesses threw the first stone at him (compareDeuteronomy 17:7) after taking off their upper garments and laying them at the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58) afterward Paul, now about 30 years old who evidently had charge of the whole proceedings. 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. 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. The contents of his speech are a recital of the most marked phases of Jewish history in the past, but as read from the point of view of its out-workings in the present old facts interpreted by a spirit-filled disciple of Christ. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.". He was the first Christian martyr. He uses very Jewish examples, but his argument follows a Greek-like argument, similar to the ones used by Plato and Socrates. Bible References: The apostle James is mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in Acts 12:2. In accordance with the accusation against him, his defense was a twofold one: personal defense and defense of his teaching. Nevertheless, the Israelites turned to other gods. He's most known for his testimony in front of the Sanhedrin, after which he was stoned to death. There are four different men named Philip mentioned in the Bible. [6] Stephen recounts the stories of the patriarchs in some depth, and goes into even more detail in the case of Moses. The article above also shows how his Hellenistic and Hebrew upbringing influenced the Apology-like speech he gives to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council. He was also "full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people" ( Acts 6:8 ). 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. 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. 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). Stephen's death had the unexpected consequence of forcing Christians to flee persecution in Jerusalem. Stephen the First Martyr", "Golden Legend Invention of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr", "Translation of the Relics of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr", " - ", " - ", " (415)", "Finding of the relics of Saint Gamaliel", "Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen", "THE TRANSFER FROM JERUSALEM TO CONSTANTINOPLE OF THE RELICS OF THE HOLY FIRSTMARTYR STEPHEN", "Orthodox Calendar. Now the audience could restrain its rage no longer, and the catastrophe followed immediately. Acts reveals the outpouring of the Holy Spirit The Gospel of John records a critical discussion between Jesus and His disciple: All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible. Why did Stephen become the first martyr for the Christian faith, and what can the church today learn about this saint from the first century? (Unfortunately, today, most churches continue to neglect widows that are the responsibility of the church. is a pastor, author, Christian educator and Biblical counselor who has served in ministry since 2001. Stephen was a man of godly character. Thus the new feature that it furnishes is its philosophy of this history which might be termed the Christian philosophy of Jewish history. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. 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. https://www.learnreligions.com/stephen-in-the-bible-first-christian-martyr-4074068 (accessed April 18, 2023). 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. Stephen's Testimony still enlightens souls all across the world to this day. All Rights Reserved. I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God!" Learn Religions, Jan. 4, 2022, learnreligions.com/stephen-in-the-bible-first-christian-martyr-4074068. Even before his death, he asked for forgiveness of his murderers, just like Jesus. Many churches and other places commemorate Stephen. Not to impiety or frivolity in Stephen, but to some other cause, must be due therefore the difference between him and his opponents. Historically, the "Invention of the Relics of Saint Stephen" (i.e., their reputed discovery) was commemorated on 3 August. Once the selection was completed, the newly chosen deacons were set before the apostles who laid their hands on them and prayed over them. Stephen is known for being the first Christian martyr. Stephen is often shown as a young, beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments. Stephen's martyrdom was a foretaste of what was to come. Psalm 82:3 King James Version (KJV 1900) 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Bible Study Guides . Rajnandini is an art lover and enthusiastically likes to spread her knowledge. The strong appeal to the will is made by holding up the figure of Moses type of the Law, in its vital significance, in such a way as passionately to apply it to the fundamental relation of divine plan and human conduct. ", "LXXXVIII. 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. Stephen tried to make people understand that Christianity is a completely different sect and God's new covenant. the deep earnestness and spirituality, by which he spake so convincingly (Acts 6:10;Matthew 10:19,Matthew 10:20). Beginning by mentioning the God of glory and ending with a vision of that glory itself, the speech is a wonderful apotheosis of the humble cause of the Nazarene, the enthusiastic tribute of its first great martyr delivered in the face of death. 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 explained how God fulfilled the promises He had made to Abraham through the events in history. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew, called a Hellenist, and had ample knowledge about the Scriptures. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. [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". He was condemned for committing blasphemy against the . Being a Greek-speaking Jew himself, Stephen went to the synagogue for Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem to try to turn his fellow Jews to Christ. As an aside, this might not have been Saul's first encounter with Jesus, as some scholars suggest that young Saul might have known of Jesus and that he might have actually witnessed His death. Although Scripture doesnt specify how long Stephens ministry lasted, it appears he receives opposition very soon into the journey. They dragged him to appear before the Sanhedrin, the supreme legal court of Jewish elders, accusing him of preaching against the Temple and the Mosaic Law. After their false testimony, the high priest asked Stephen if these things were true. He deserves as well to be called the first great apologist for Christianity, since it was this that brought on his death as a martyr (circa 36 or 37 AD). This resulted in the number of new disciples in Jerusalem increasing along with a large number of priests being saved. Second, no matter where we come from, God can use our past to shape our testimony and witness. These are some of the lessons Stephen's life left people with. What seems like a tragedy can somehow be part of God's great plan. 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. Proud member St. Stephen is often depicted with stones, a Gospel Book, a miniature church and a martyr's palm frond. Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside the EU if you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information. He was an extremely righteous man who was appointed by the early Church to feed the widows. bible, [30] Bishop John II with bishops Eusthia (from Sebastia) and Eleutherius (from Jericho) came to the tomb in Beit Jimal and translated relics to Jerusalem, this event is commemorated on 15 September. He proclaimed the gospel after Jesus' resurrection and was the first apostle to be martyred for his faith. Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum have argued that the covenants advance the storyline of the Bible in their book Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, and they are on target. 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). Many Jews grew up outside of Jerusalem due to an event known as the Diaspora. 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. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin is the longest speech in Acts. ( Acts 7:55-56) The Bible tells us that Jesus is sitting on God's right side. Read them in the archive below. Stephen recounts the stories of the patriarchs in some depth, and goes into even more detail in the case of Moses. They were interred alongside the relics of Saint Lawrence, whose tomb is enshrined within the church. 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. He is a Christ-centered counselor and in addition to counseling, he teaches how to overcome life issues Biblically on topics such as anger management, marriage, addictions, and other subjects typically referred to as mental illnesses. The material world is nothing in comparison to the afterlife. But instead, they turned against him (Acts 6:11). Quick Facts 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. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. Stephen was the first Christian who was murdered for spreading the words of Christ. He was a man full of the Holy Spirit, strong in faith, gifted in the working of miracles and brilliant in debating with the opponents of Christianity ( Acts 6:1-10 ). Their conspiracy resulted in Stephen being taken into custody, brought before the council of the synagogue, and charged with blasphemy. Her column "Hope's Hacks," tips and tricks to avoid writer's block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly and is featured monthly on Cyle Young's blog, which receives 63,000+ monthly hits. This helped him to preach to multiple audiences. Join with us in offering this prayer, written by Deacon Keith Fournier, seeking his intercession: Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong. Stephen recounts the stories of the Bible a twofold one: personal defense and defense of his,! Stephen is often shown as a nurse God, those who speak out boldly for God against! His faith the promises he had made to Abraham through the events in history as the facts about stephen in the bible... Philip mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in 12:2. 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