Saint Stephen

Life story

Stephen appears in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven men chosen to oversee the distribution of food to widows in the Jerusalem community, after Greek-speaking believers complained that their widows were being neglected. His name is Greek, so many take him to have belonged to the Greek-speaking Jews. Tradition calls the seven the first deacons, although Acts does not use that word.

He was a persuasive speaker, and his debates with members of some synagogues led to the charge that he spoke against the Temple and the Law of Moses. He was brought before the Sanhedrin. Acts records a long speech of his reviewing the history of Israel. The crowd then dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. A young man named Saul, later Paul, watched over the cloaks of those who threw the stones and approved of the killing.

The death of Stephen, usually placed between the years 34 and 36, began a wave of persecution that drove many believers out of Jerusalem to preach elsewhere. According to an old tradition, his tomb was found in the early fifth century near Jerusalem, and a church was built there in his memory. The Church celebrates his feast on 26 December, the day after Christmas. His name means crown in Greek, and his feast on 26 December is one of the oldest in the Christian calendar.

Works and witness

• Chosen as one of seven to serve the Jerusalem community
• Traditionally counted among the first deacons
• Brought before the Sanhedrin and stoned outside Jerusalem
• Regarded as the first Christian martyr
• His death began a wave of persecution in Jerusalem

Patron of

Deacons

Saints from the same country

Saint Peter, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Saint James the Greater, Saint John the Apostle

References

• Tân Ước: Công vụ Tông đồ, chương 6-8 (New Testament: Acts 6-8)
• Martyrologium Romanum
• Eusebius, Church History

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.