THE FIRST MARTYR

ST. STEPHEN

The Protomartyr And Archdeacon

The First Christian Martyr

The first well-known Christian Martyr was Saint Stephen as dated in the Acts 6:8–8:3, who was stoned to death for his faith. Stephen was eradicated for his aid, belief and conviction in Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Messiah. There were perhaps other untimely Christian martyrs besides Stephen, since Saul, anon known as the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, is mentioned as bringing many murderous threats against the disciples or followers of Jesus (Acts 9:1ff.). In the Roman Empire, declining to forfeit to the Emperor or the empire's gods was tantamount to refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to one's country

The term Stephen was means “crown” or “coronet”. St. Stephen was known to be the first disciple of Jesus Christ, our Savior to obtain the martyr’s circlet. Stephen was a deacon in the ancient Christian Church. The promoters had initiated that they have to have helpers to gaze after the heed of the widows and the meager. So they ordered seven deacons, and St. Stephen is the most known of the seven.

In the Bible, God worked many visions through St. Stephen and he spoke with such intelligence and loveliness that many of his hearers became followers of Jesus. The rivalries of the Church of Jesus were enraged to see how victorious Stephen's teaching was. At last, they laid a plan for him. They could not answer his shrewd argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen is visage that great assembly of opponents without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel.

The saint spoke about Jesus, viewing that He is the Savior, God had pledged to send. He rebukes his enemies for not having believed in Jesus. At that, they rose up in enormous fury and shouted at him. But Stephen looked up to Heaven and said that he saw the heavens opening and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

His hearers closed their ears and declining to listen to another word. They hauled St. Stephen outside the city of Jerusalem and stoned him to death. The saint prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he fell to his knees and pleaded God not to punish his enemies for killing him. He died at the age of 35.