The day after Christmas, the birth of our Savior, we recognize the first martyr of the early Church, St Stephen. Even though Stephen’s martyrdom is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, we don’t really know much more about him other than what is recorded in that book of the Bible. Stephen was a very important martyr in the early Church. Scripture scholars believe that he was probably a Jew who had lived outside of Israel and who was greatly influenced by the Greek culture. We do not know the circumstances of how Stephen converted to the Way of Jesus or how he became a leader in the early Church, but the Acts of the Apostles states that he worked great wonders and signs among the people. Stephen died by being stoned by an angry mob. Scripture, however, is not entirely clear as to whether the mob was acting outside the auspices of Jewish law or was following the results of Stephen’s trial by the Sanhedrin. As we hear those in our modern world who are being persecuted for their faith, both in our country and in other parts of the world, as we see our own religious liberties here in the United States curtailed and limited, perhaps the story of Stephen has even more resonance and meaning.
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