Red-Letter Day
Deacon & First Martyr
December 26 · d. 35
also known as Stephen, St. Stephen, Protomartyr
Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles to serve the Hellenist widows in the Jerusalem church, and the first Christian martyr. His speech before the Sanhedrin — the longest in Acts — is a sweeping theological reinterpretation of Israel's history, and his death by stoning, with its vision of the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, established the pattern by which subsequent Christian martyrdom would be understood.
Traditionally, Stephen's relics were discovered in 415 near Jerusalem by a priest named Lucian, who reported receiving their location in a dream. The discovery (inventio) was widely publicized and relics were distributed throughout the Mediterranean world, generating extensive miracle reports documented by Augustine among others.
Stephen appears exclusively in Acts 6–7. He was among the seven men 'full of the Spirit and of wisdom' chosen to manage the daily distribution of food to Hellenist widows, resolving a complaint of neglect (Acts 6:1–6). The apostles laid hands on him. Stephen is described as 'full of grace and power' who 'did great wonders and signs among the people' (6:8).
Stephen's preaching attracted opposition from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Unable to withstand his wisdom, they suborned false witnesses who accused him of blasphemy against Moses and the Temple (6:9–14). Brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen delivered a speech retracing Israel's history from Abraham through Solomon, arguing that God's presence was never confined to any building and that Israel had repeatedly rejected its prophets — as now it had rejected 'the Righteous One' (7:2–53).
The assembly 'ground their teeth at him,' but Stephen, 'full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God' (7:54–56). He was dragged out of the city and stoned. His final words — 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' and 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' — explicitly parallel Jesus's words from the cross. The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of 'a young man named Saul' (7:58–8:1).
O Glorious Lord, your servant Stephen looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors: Grant that in all our sufferings here upon earth we may love and forgive our enemies, looking steadfastly to Jesus Christ our Lord, who sits at your right hand and intercedes for us; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.