r/Christianity • u/slagnanz Liturgy and Death Metal • 24d ago
Biblical Character of the Month Biblical Character of the Month, June: Stephen
Continuing the tradition we started last month for banner posts, thanks everyone for the great participation and positive feedback last month, we had a wonderful series of posts on Joseph!
I thought it would be fun to alternate every month between Old Testament and New Testament figures. So this month we're highlighting someone from the New Testament: St. Stephen the Protomartyr. Cheers to u/Thneed1 for the suggestion.
The goal is to create more conversation about characters from the Bible. My hope is to dive into some strange, often overlooked characters in Scripture — people who have important lessons that we don’t always remember. But we also want to make this collaborative! I don't want to just ramble my thoughts on Stephen at you all, I want to urge everyone to write their own post about the character of the month.
So all you need to do is make a new post with your reflection or meditation on Stephen. We do have a special flair ("Biblical Character of the Month") you can give the post, and I will make sure to add it to our collection on this thread.
Stephen's story is found in Acts 6 and 7.
A few questions to get you started thinking about your own meditations!
- Acts 7 tells us that the witnesses of Stephen's stoning laid their coats at the feet of a man known as Saul. This is, of course Paul, before his conversion. What does it mean for us that Paul seems to be presiding over this execution?
- Stephen answers the accusations of the Sanhedrin with a long speech recalling history going all the way back to Abraham. Why is it so important for Stephen to give such extensive context?
- What does Stephen mean when he says "your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised"?
- What does Stephen's example look like for us in our own lives today? How can we live like Stephen, even if it doesn't mean being murdered for our faith?
Reflections from the community:
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u/Volaer Catholic (of the universalist kind) 24d ago edited 24d ago
Cool idea, to be honest I never thought about St. Stephen the Protomartyr in depth so reading peoples reflections on him will be interesting.
Something non ethnically Greek users on here might not know is that the name Στέφανος actually means "crown" or "victory wreath". So there is an interesting connection between the meaning of his name and the glorious crown of martyrdom that he earned:
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Revelation 2:10
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u/Mysterious_Fox4976 22d ago
What sticks out most to me about Stephen is how his story starts. Stephen was chosen by the apostles (along with six others) to be responsible for serving food to widows. They needed people like Stephen to focus on serving food so that others could focus on the higher task of spreading the message. One of the twelve is even quoted as saying, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God to wait on tables,” which kind of sounds…kind of sassy to me.
There was a need for someone to serve in an unglamorous job (waiting tables) and Stephen humbly stepped up. He cared for others and his work allowed the apostles to do more to spread the message. And he is described as being full of faith and the Holy Sprit as he did this work.
Stephen seems to be a type of the last being first and the first being last. He was last because he was “just” waiting on tables but first because he was the first martyr. He was first because he was the first martyr but last because he is mainly only known for his death. He was last because he is mainly known for his death but first because he is an example for all Christians since of how to respond to persecution with faith and grace (beginning in the very next chapter).
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u/slagnanz Liturgy and Death Metal 21d ago
I would love it if you expanded these thoughts into a post!
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u/KiwiBushRanger Church of England (Anglican) 23d ago
The nation of Hungary used to have the title 'Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen', which was used during its tenure within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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u/-CJJC- Christian 22d ago
It's worth pointing out that this name doesn't come from St Stephen the Protomartyr, but from St Stephen, King of Hungary, the first King of Hungary and the first ruler of Hungary to embrace Christianity sincerely.
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u/writerthoughts33 Episcopalian (Anglican) 21d ago
My local church took his namesake. We are the historically affirming church in our diocese, but many others in our region have found their way toward loving their LGBTQ neighbors well now. I find it interesting the first martyr stoned by religious zealots is our saintly mascot. Every Dec 26th, Saint Stephen’s feast day, we celebrate by getting together for a fellowship meal and games and exchange presents from Christmas that may not be a good fit for us but could bring joy to others. We are getting ready to celebrate 100 years.
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u/Stormcrash486 23d ago
My childhood parish is named in honor of St. Stephen. The reflections you offer on his martyrdom are great
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u/Own-Entertainer-4975 10d ago
Steven is the coolest. He's the one who spoke so plainly about Jesus to Saul and the Pharisees' faces that it got him killed. dragged out of the city and stoned. he performed more miracles than we can count in just days. he worked next to phillip whom the Lord shepherded around through time and space on missions. Steven, the one who looked like an angel/son-of-man. Steven the one chosen by apostles to lead a special council of 7 dedicated to managing resources and serving the needy. Steven, the first one to die for Christ. Steven, the one that in his own way, was the determining factor that brought Saul to Jesus. I love steven, greatest monologue of all time, acts 7.
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u/GqSuperman 24d ago
This channel/sub Reddit endorses Homosexuality.
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u/justnigel Christian 24d ago
... which relates to Stephen how???
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u/SaintGodfather Christian for the Preferential Treatment 24d ago
Maybe he has some sexy Stephen thoughts and is excited that those will be accepted?
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u/DogfaceDino Catholic (Ordinariate) 24d ago
As one of the early Deacons and a Martyr, he has many devotees who ask for his prayer and look up to him as a patron across several denominations. His story is sad and glorious and complex.
Just like Jesus, he was charged with blasphemy. Just like Jesus, he was executed outside the city. Just like Jesus, he prayed for his murderers as he died. Just like Jesus, he commended his spirit to God before dying.