Saint Stephen
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| Saint Stephen | |
|---|---|
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| Deacon and Protomartyr | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | c.34–35, Jerusalem |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion |
| Feast | December 26, 27 |
| Attributes | stones, dalmatic, censer, miniature church, Gospel Book, martyr's palm. In Eastern Christianity he often wears an orarion |
| Patronage | Acoma Indian Pueblo; casket makers; Cetona, Italy; deacons; headaches; horses; Kessel, Belgium; masons; Owensboro, Kentucky; Passau, Germany; Prato, Italy [1] |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Stephen (Greek: Στέφανος, Stephanos), known as the Protomartyr (Greek: Πρωτομάρτυρας, Protomartyras) (or first martyr) of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. His name means 'laurel wreath' or 'crown' in Greek.
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[edit] Christian deacon
According to the Acts of the Apostles, during the early time frame of the Christian church in Jerusalem, Stephen was one of seven men, probably Hellenistic Jews, chosen to attend to the distribution of aid to elderly widows within the church community. (This role came to be known as deacon.) Stephen was also recognized for his gifts as an evangelist, preaching the teachings of Jesus to the people of Jerusalem, including members of the place of the Hellenistic synagogues.
[edit] Theophany
As he was on trial and being prosecuted, Saint Stephen experienced a theophany. His theophany was unique in that he saw both the Father and the Son:
- "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)
[edit] St. Stephen's Day
In Western Christianity, December 26, the "feast of Stephen" referred to in the Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas, is called "St. Stephen's Day"; it is a public holiday in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Republika Srpska, England and Wales, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Finland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In Catalonia (though not elsewhere in Spain) it is called "Sant Esteve" and is a bank holiday. It is called "Saint Étienne" in France, where it is a bank holiday in the Alsace-Moselle region (but not elsewhere). December 26 is also a holiday in Ligao City, Philippines, which celebrates fiesta in honor of St. Stephen Protomartyr, its patron saint.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, his feast day is celebrated on December 27 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 27 currently falls on January 9 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). This day is also called the Third Day of the Nativity.
Another feast day, the Invention of the Relics of St. Stephen—"Invention", from the Latin inventio, meaning "discovery"—was historically kept in the Western Church on August 3, commemorating the finding of his relics during the reign of Emperor Honorius.
The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Translation of the Relics of Protomartyr Stephen on August 2 (August 15). The feast celebrates the discovery of Stephen's relics in 415, after which they were solemnly transferred to a church built in his honor in Jerusalem. Later, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) they were translated to Constantinople. persecuted for talking against the word of god
[edit] Cult of Saint Stephen
Many churches are named in honor of Saint Stephen, but there was no official "Tomb of St. Stephen" until 415. When Christian pilgrims were traveling in large numbers to Jerusalem, a priest named Lucian said he had learned by a vision that the tomb was in Caphar Gamala, some distance to the north of Jerusalem. Gregory of Tours reports that the intercession of Stephen preserved an oratory dedicated to him at Metz, in which his relics were preserved when the Huns burned the entire city, leaving only the oratory standing, Easter eve, 451 (Historia Francorum ii.6).
[edit] In popular culture
The Grateful Dead released the song "Saint Stephen" on the album Aoxomoxoa in 1969. Performed in many concerts over the years, it is not clear how much the lyrics relate to the actual life of the saint.
[edit] Commemorative places
- In Rome - Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls where his remains are interred with those of the eponymous saint under the altar
- In Toronto, Canada - "St. Stephen's Community House"
- In East Jerusalem - St. Steven's Church
- In the old city of Jerusalem - the "Lions' Gate" is also called St. Stephanus Gate, after the tradition that Stephen's stoning occurred here, though it probably occurred at Damascus Gate [2]
- In the village of Kafarbe, southeast Turkey - 'Mor Stephanus Church
- In London - "St Stephen's Chapel" in the Palace of Westminster was originally built in the reign of King Henry III and eventually became the first location of the debating chamber of the House of Commons
- In Dublin - St. Stephen's Green
- In Croghan - St. Stephen's Church
- In Manila, Philippines - St. Stephen's Parish (established by the American Episcopal Mission to the Philippines in 1903) and St. Stephen's High School
- In Vienna, Austria - Stephansdom, Cathedral of St. Stephen, founded 1147 and seat of Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna. Symbol of the city of Vienna and of Austria, has tallest spire in all of Austria
[edit] References
- "Stephen, Saint". Encyclopedia Britannica (15th edition) Volume 11. (1974). 250-251.
- Latourette, Kenneth Scott (1975). "The Sweep of Christianity Across the Græco-Roman World", A History of Christianity, 1st paperback edition, New York: Harper & Row, 67-68. ISBN 0060649526.
- Nixon, R. E. (1962). "Stephen". The New Bible Dictionary. Ed. J. D. Douglas. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans. 1216. ISBN 0-8028-2282-7.
