St. Stephen -- Deacon and Martyr

St. Stephen suffered martyrdom in Jerusalem about the year 34. He is reckoned as both the first Christian martyr (the protomartyr) and as one of the first deacons. The latter tradition is an early one. Indeed, by the year 185, Irenaeus in his treatise Against Heresies (Book III, ch. XII, 10) expressly refers to "Stephen, who was chosen the first deacon by the apostles." All that we know of his life is found in the Acts of the Apostles.

Luke informs us that in the years immediately after the Resurrection there was already a division in the Jerusalem church between the 'Hellenists' and the 'Hebrews'. This division followed linguistic lines. The Hellenists were Jews from outside Palestine (the Diaspora) who spoke only Greek. They had their own synagogues in which the Bible was read in their language. The Hebrews were native Palestinian Jews whose language was Aramaic but in whose synagogues the Bible was read in Hebrew. The latter group was the historical constituency of Jesus (an Aramaic speaker) whose followers were led by the Twelve (Jesus' chosen apostles), also Aramaic speaking Palestinian Jews. We know nothing of the leadership of the Hellenist group but may infer that they were led by the seven men, including Stephen, whom we meet for the first time in the beginning of Acts 6. The text reveals one source of tension between these two groups and the resolution of the conflict through the commissioning of the Seven in subordination to the Twelve.

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them. 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty. We ourselves will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.' The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and of Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, and after prayer they laid their hands on them. (Ac 6:1-6)

The 'daily distribution' (v. 1) likely refers to a day-to-day survival effort by the early Christian community. It is easy to imagine why widowed immigrants faced special economic hardships and might be overlooked in a food distribution run by a native contingent. In some translations, the phrase 'to give out food' (v. 2) is rendered 'to wait on tables'.

The names of the Seven, with Stephen at the head, are all Greek and are widely documented in Hellenistic sources. The 'laying on of hands' is a Jewish ritual which expressed both the transfer of functions and the bestowal of powers. It was also an ecclesiastical practice of Luke's own time (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6). Luke does not call the chosen seven 'deacons' but that term may have been applied to the Seven and he may well be thinking of that early ministry since he twice uses the word 'diakonia' (rendered 'distribution' in v.1 and 'service' in v. 4).

Moreover, the constant tradition of the Church identifies the commissioning of the Seven with the institution of the order of deacon. As early as the year 95, the institution of bishops and deacons is seen as the first fruits of the work of the Apostles (Clement, 'The First Epistle to the Corinthians', ch. 42). It is particularly significant that there is a striking similarity between the functions of the Seven in the distribution of food and the functions of the early deacons. For example, St. Ignatius of Antioch, about the year 110, in his Epistle to the Trallians (ch. 2) writes: "It is fitting also that the deacons of the mysteries of Jesus Christ should in every respect be pleasing to all. For they are not ministers of meat and drink [only], but servants of the Church of God." Again, in 'The Pastor [Sheperd]' of Hermas (Sim. IX, 26), from early 2nd century Rome, there is a condemnation of "deacons, who discharged their duty ill, and who plundered widows and orphans of their livelihood, and gained possessions for themselves from the ministry, which they had received." Moreover, there is also the early belief that the traditional number of deacons at Rome, seven, had Apostolic sanction. Thus, Eusebius in "The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine" (Book 6, 43 ), quotes from a letter of Pope Cornelius, c. 250, in which it is noted that there are only seven deacons at Rome. In fact, a canon of the council of Neo-Caesarea (325) prescribed the same restriction for all cities, however large, and appealed directly to the Acts of the Apostles as a precedent.

We are told that Stephen, previously singled out as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," (Ac 6:5) was "filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people." (Ac 6:8) But, he soon ran into severe opposition. Some Greek speaking Jews came forward to debate with Stephen but were confounded by "his wisdom, and the Spirit that prompted what he said." (Ac 6:10) In their anger, they rallied others, including elders and scribes, against him. "They took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin." (Ac 6:12) There he was charged with having said that "Jesus ... is going to destroy this Place [the Temple] and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us." (Ac 6:14)

Stephen began his defence with a recapitulation of the history of Israel. He addressed God's way with Abraham, God's way with Joseph, and God's way with Moses. He spoke of God dwelling with his unfaithful people but emphasized that "the Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built." (Ac 7:48) Stephen concluded his argument by lambasting those sitting in judgement over him. "You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Upright One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. In spite of being given the Law through angels, you have not kept it." (Ac 7:51-53)

"They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him." (Ac 7:54)

Luke inserts Stephen's speech parenthetically between a transfiguration scene and a related vision. The transfiguration appears in the prelude to the testimony: "The members of the Sanhedrin all looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel." (Ac 6:15) The related vision is then described at the conclusion of the testimony: "Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. 'Look! I can see heaven thrown open,' he said, 'and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'" (Ac 7:55-56)

Stephen's angelic countenance is to be understood in terms of the heavenly vision which ratifies what Stephen has spoken. God's 'glory' is in heaven, with the risen Christ, rather than in the Temple made by humans. The reference to 'Jesus standing at God's right hand' is remarkable for the posture and may signify the Lord's welcome to his martyr in an individualized parousia, the Lord's intercession for his confessor, or an indictment against Stephen's accusers.

At the climax of Stephen's testimony, Luke's account shifts from a judicial proceeding to a lynching. "All the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they made a concerted rush at him, thrust him out of the city and stoned him." (Ac 7:57-58a) As was the custom, the hostile witnesses had initiated the execution of the sentence. "The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul." (Ac 7:58b) Saul, the future apostle Paul, approved of the killing.

The final moments of Stephen's life are his crowning glory. His last words are those of a true disciple. "As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, 'Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit.' Then he knelt down and said aloud, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And with these words he fell asleep." (Ac 7:59-60)

"There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him." (Ac 8:2)

With the death of Stephen, "a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem." (Ac 8:1b) The persecution, in which Saul played a principal role, was directed against the Christian Hellenists. It was this group, "scattered to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria," (Ac 8:1c) that gave the Church its first missionaries. During this period, the Twelve, along with the Christian Hebrews, still remained in Jerusalem.

(The Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen on December 26.)

References.

"Against Heresies" by Irenaeus. "The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I"; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989.

"The First Epistle to the Corinthians" by Clement of Rome. "The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I"; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989.

"The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine" by Eusebius; translated with an introduction by G. A. Williamson. Dorset Press, New York, 1984 [1965].

"The New Jerome Biblical Commentary", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632, 1990.

"The Pastor [Shepherd]" by Hermas; translated by F. Crombie. "The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. II"; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989.

[© Michael Closs, June 13, 1997]