The protomartyr Saint Stephen

Synthèse :

After Jesus' ascension into heaven, the apostles set about proclaiming the Good News of salvation in Jerusalem. However, as well as preaching, they also had to deal with all sorts of other tasks, not least the problem described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1-7): the Greek version of the New Testament speaks of "seven" brothers "esteemed by all" who were "appointed" by the apostles to respond to the Greek-speaking widows" who "recriminate against those who speak Hebrew" (the Aramaic spoken by the apostles) and said they were "disadvantaged". This seems odd. In fact, in this translation, it seems that men filled with the Holy Spirit (why?) are ordered to take care of a household service (difficult to understand): the seven in question were going to do something quite different and immediately set off to evangelise. But the Aramaic version of the text, which is certainly the original, gives us a better understanding of the context: they were in fact Greek-speaking consecrated women (not widows) who did not understand the prayers at the altar (not at the tables) and who asked for translators (not deacons). This is why the apostles instituted and ordained seven Greek scholars, including Saint Stephen, to translate the prayers, as had been done for the Septuagint in Alexandria in 270 BC.

But this service of translation was not the only occupation of these brothers filled with the Holy Spirit, and Luke informs us that Stephen also preached and performed great wonders among the people. This powerful testimony aroused the hostility of some of Stephen's fellow citizens, who engaged him in a debate. Unable to refute his rational arguments, they decided to hire false witnesses against him in order to slander him to the religious authorities. Falsely accused of blaspheming God, he was brought before the high priest to be judged.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to testify to his faith in Jesus, Stephen gave a long speech recapitulating the history of Israel, to show that Jesus was indeed the Messiah foretold by the prophets and awaited by the people. This speech proves that Stephen was himslef a Bible scholar. He was not, therefore, a simple man of the people who could be fooled by the first false messiah to come along, but a learned man, trained in the study of Sacred Scripture, who had recognised the messiahship of Jesus. His opponents, irritated by his speech, found no opportunity to interrupt or contradict him.

At the end of his speech, Stephen had a vision of Jesus in glory. Speaking freely about it, he aroused the anger of the crowd, who had been listening to him until then, and who then decided to lead him out of the city to stone him. Without hatred or fear, Stephen simply entrusted his spirit to Jesus. This trusting death sealed Stephen's testimony, which had already been based on solid rational arguments and miracles to testify to Jesus' messiahship.

This account comes from the Acts of the Apostles, a book written by Luke to complement his Gospel. Written only a few decades after the fact, this account relates an event that took place in Jerusalem, the most important city for the Israelites at the time, in the presence of numerous witnesses. It also has the advantage of being supported by direct eyewitness testimony. We know that Saul of Tarsus, who was a zealous Pharisee at the time, was present at the execution. Having had a direct revelation of Christ, Saul in turn became a disciple of Jesus, and Luke accompanied him on his travels for several years.

We should also note that Saint Augustine describes more than seventy miracles caused by the relics of Stephen which, after being found in 415, circulated in his region: "What am I to do? I am so pressed by the promise of finishing this work, that I cannot record all the miracles I know; and doubtless several of our adherents, when they read what I have narrated, will regret that I have omitted so many which they, as well as I, certainly know. Even now I beg these persons to excuse me, and to consider how long it would take me to relate all those miracles, which the necessity of finishing the work I have undertaken forces me to omit. For were I to be silent of all others, and to record exclusively the miracles of healing which were wrought in the district of Calama and of Hippo by means of this martyr—I mean the most glorious Stephen—they would fill many volumes; and yet all even of these could not be collected, but only those of which narratives have been written for public recital. For when I saw, in our own times, frequent signs of the presence of divine powers similar to those which had been given of old, I desired that narratives might be written, judging that the multitude should not remain ignorant of these things. It is not yet two years since these relics were first brought to Hippo-regius, and though many of the miracles which have been wrought by it have not, as I have the most certain means of knowing, been recorded, those which have been published amount to almost seventy at the hour at which I write. But at Calama, where these relics have been for a longer time, and where more of the miracles were narrated for public information, there are incomparably more." (The City of God, book XXII, chapter 8)

Au-delà des raisons d'y croire :

In the words of Christ, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (Jn 15:13). Therefore, a martyr's death is not only a very eloquent testimony, it is also the ultimate form of charity.

Aller plus loin :

First Martyr: The Story of Saint Stephen by Nathan Michael Urban, Independently published (March 4, 2019)

En savoir plus :

• Acts of the Apostles, chapters 6 to 9.
• Augustine of Hippo, The City of God.

• Saint Stephen the Apostle: Discover the Remarkable Life and Lasting Legacy of the First Christian Martyr by Charles S. Walton, Independently published (December 27, 2023)