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Stephen | |
|---|---|
 Saint Stephen by Carlo Crivelli | |
| Deacon, Archdeacon Apostle of the Seventy Protomartyr of the Faith First Martyr | |
| Born | c. AD 5 |
| Died | 33–36 (aged 28–32) Jerusalem, Judaea, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Churches Assyrian Church of the East Anglican Communion Lutheranism |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | 25 December (Armenian Apostolic Church) 26 December (Western) 27 December, 4 January, 2 August, 15 September (Eastern) Tobi 1 (Coptic Christianity) |
| Attributes | Red Martyr, stones, dalmatic, censer, miniature church, Gospel Book, martyr's palm. In Orthodox and Eastern Christianity he often wears an orarion |
| Patronage | Altar servers[1];Acoma Native American Pueblo; Bricklayers; casket makers; Cetona, Italy; deacons; headaches; horses; Kessel, Belgium; masons; Owensboro, Kentucky; Passau, Germany; Kigali, Rwanda; Dodoma, Tanzania; Serbia; Ligao; Republic of Srpska; Prato, Italy [1] |
Stephen (Greek: Στέφανος, translit. Stéphanos, lit. "wreath, crown", and by extension 'reward, honor, renown, fame', often given as a title rather than as a name; c. AD 5 – c. 34) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity.[2] According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was a deacon in the early church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him[3] and was then stoned to death. Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul the Apostle, a Pharisee and Roman citizen who would later become an apostle, participated in Stephen's martyrdom.[4]
The only source for information about Stephen is the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles.[5] Stephen is mentioned in Acts 6 as one of the Greek-speaking Hellenistic Jews selected to administer the daily charitable distribution of food to the Greek-speaking widows.[6]
The Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches and the Church of the East view Stephen as a saint.[7] Artistic representations often show Stephen with a crown symbolising martyrdom, three stones, martyr's palm frond, censer, and often holding a miniature church building. Stephen is often shown as a young, beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments.
- ^ "Totus2Us".
- ^ "St. Stephen the Deacon" Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, St. Stephen Diaconal Community Association, Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester.
- ^ Acts 7:51–53
- ^ Acts 22:20
- ^ Souvay, Charles. "Saint Stephen". Catholic Encyclopedia,1912. New Advent. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Mal Couch, A Bible Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles, 2003, p. 246. "Stephen is distinguished as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). Stephen and the other men were Hellenistic Jews whose native language was Greek. He had lived with Gentiles in other parts of the Roman Empire."
- ^ "Article XXI (IX) Of the Invocation of the Saints".
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