St. Stephen, First Christian Martyr for Christ

Commemorated December 27

 

Troparion for the Feast of St. Stephen

 

Because of all you have endured for Christ our God, you have been given royal crown, O First and Holy Martyr Stephen! You have put your persecutors to shame and have seen your Saviour enthroned at the right hand of the Father. Do not cease to intercede for the salvation of our souls

 

Our Lord told His followers that if they would be worthy of Him, they must take up their crosses and follow Him.  For most of us this means accepting, as He did, whatever suffering comes our way.  For not a few, it has meant martyrdom, laying down their lives as He did, in defense of His name and His teachings.

 

The first person to win a martyr's crown and thus become the first-martyr of Christianity was St. Stephen the Deacon.  The New Testament book, Acts of the Apostles, tells the story of the death of this heroic young man. Stephen’s ministry was a like a meteor flying thru the night sky…very brief, but brilliant and bright, powerful and spectacular! We don’t know much about him and his background, but his name tells us much: Stephen - a victor’s crown…and he’ll have a crown in heaven, the martyr’s crown…he was faithful to his ministry, even unto death.

Stephen was a shining light in the early Church. When the twelve Apostles recognized they needed assistants to serve the growing Church, seven deacons were appointed to look after the daily distribution to the poor. “The multitude chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the HolySpirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, whom they set before the apostles as worthy candidates; and when they had prayed, the apostles laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:1-6).

Stephen was the leader of the deacons, and therefore called the Proto-Deacon, because of his special gifts and attributes. He performed “great wonders and signs among the people,” taught in the synagogue, and there debated with the Jews of the Dispersion. His wisdom and success brought about an attack upon him and he was charged with blasphemy against Moses and God. Stephen was among the first Christians to proclaim that the Christian faith and worship is for all people, not only the Jews.

Such radical thinking was too much for the Sanhedrin. Stephen’s vision of the enthroned Christ was the ultimate blasphemy to his opponents and, thus, they stoned him to death. According to subsequent references, this event played a role in the conversion of Paul who was an indirect participant in and witness to the martyrdom of Stephen.

As they cast stones at him, Stephen called on God saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord do not charge them with this sin,” reminiscent of Christ’s words from the Cross. And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:60). The martyrdom of St. Stephen, called the Proto-Martyr since he was the first to be tortured and killed for Christ, marked the beginning of the first widespread persecution of the early Christians.The early Christians buried Stephen in a small chapel in Jerusalem which was dedicated to his memory and was known as the chapel of St. Stephen the Protomartyr (First Martyr).