The day after Christmas, the birth of our Savior, we recognize the first martyr of the early Church, St Stephen. Stephen’s martyrdom is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, but we don’t really know much more about him than what is recorded in that book of the New Testament. Stephen was an important martyr in the early Church. Scripture scholars believe that he was probably a Jew who had lived outside of Israel and who was 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. He died by being stoned by an angry mob. Scripture is not entirely clear as to whether the mob was acting outside the auspices of Jewish law or was following after Stephen’s trial by the Sanhedrin. As we hear of others in our modern world who are being persecuted for their faith today, as we see our own religious liberties curtailed and limited, perhaps the story of Stephen has even more resonance and meaning.
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