Little-Known Facts About Stephen In The Bible You May Not Know

Stephen was mentioned for the first time in Act 6:5 of the Bible.

He was a deacon and is introduced in the Bible as a faithful man of God. Stephen is known for being the first Christian martyr.

One of the seven men chosen by the early Church, Stephen was responsible for distributing food to the Grecian widows, who had been overlooked by the church. He had the power of healing people, which is a gift bestowed upon him by the Holy Spirit.

Only a few people were known to possess charismatic powers like the Lord Jesus Christ and Saint Stephen was one of them.

Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew, called a Hellenist, and had ample knowledge about the Scriptures.

According to Act seven where he is seen to apologize to the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, his Hellenistic dialect also had a Hebrew note to it, which gives us the idea that he was raised out of Jerusalem and was a foreign-born Jew just like many others.

The Jews of the Roman empire always questioned God's grace in terms of Christianity and whenever they failed to produce an argument, oppositions and false claims were put forth by them. Stephen stood by the words of Jesus Christ, and so he was opposed by the Synagogue of the Freedmen, which involved the Alexandrians and the Cyrenians.

As they couldn't fabricate any counterargument to Stephen's vision, they produced false witnesses against him.

Stephen provided a point-by-point explanation following the Old Testament and put forth the various examples angering those who condemned Jesus. Stephen's death sentence was rolled out by the Sanhedrin members, who couldn't tolerate the words of this gifted preacher.

If you liked reading this article, then don't forget to check out the facts about David in the Bible and facts about Esther from the Bible, here on Kidadl.

Characteristics Of Stephen

According to the Bible stories, Stephen was a faithful man who possessed charismatic powers. Due to his honesty and wisdom, he was chosen as one of the seven deacons by the young church members of early Christianity.

He contributed majorly to the growth of the church and also helped the apostles in their work of spreading the Almighty's words, just like the patron saint.

He was the first martyr who was condemned by the devout Jews. Stephen tried to reach the masses with the message of attaining ultimate salvation.

Due to his efforts, the gospel spread throughout the nation, thus infuriating the council of Sanhedrins. Stephen tried to make people understand that Christianity is a completely different sect and God's new covenant.

The Sanhedrin feared this revolutionary message, which got Stephen hauled to the council. Fearlessly, he stood in front of the Jewish council and put forth his words for Christ.

Stephen explained that he was a messenger of God and that he stood at the right hand of God. The council members refused to listen to him, and even then, he kept his calm and said with a smiling face that he could see heaven open for the man standing on the right hand of God.

Stephen became popular because of his powerful debate with the Jews of the council. Act seven talks about the tremendous wisdom that he possessed.

He was not at all worried about his earthly existence and stood firm in his belief in Christ. He did not fear the consequences and decided to speak boldly against the failure of Israel to recognize their Messiah.

Just like they had murdered several other prophets including Zechariah, the Jews rejected and murdered Christ as well and disregarded the holy beliefs of Christianity.

Furthermore, Stephen spoke about Abraham, the supreme patriarch, who was led by the Almighty to Israel from a pagan land. He brought out the topic of Moses and their journey of meeting with God in a burning bush amidst the wilderness of Midian.

Stephen reminded everyone of how Moses was directed by God to reach out to people and refrain them from worshipping idols and stopping their slavery.

Through this speech, he tried to enlighten the minds of everyone and reminded them of their continuous slavery in idolatry and their rebellion against God's will. These wise words of Stephen angered the Jews even more who condemned him shortly after his speech.

Stephen's Testimony still enlightens souls all across the world to this day. He relied on the Holy Spirit who showed him the right path.

He was extremely courageous to stand against the entire Jewish council and took this opportunity to reach out to a wider audience with his preachings.

Stephen's claim that Jesus stood by him and gave him the power to endure the hardships tells us the fact that he was a true believer in God. Even before his death, he asked for forgiveness of his murderers, just like Jesus.

Meaning Of Stephen

The name Stephen is taken from a Greek word, Stéphanos, which means 'wreath, crown'. It is mostly used as a title instead of a name, and is variously described as 'fame, reward, honor, or renown'.

The Catholic churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Anglican, Lutheran, and Oriental Orthodox churches refer to Stephen as a saint who is much closer to God than the high priest, and therefore, he is often regarded as Saint Stephen.

Stephen relied on God's messages and according to many Bible scholars, he left a powerful impact on the minds of the people worldwide. Stephen prayed to the Holy Spirit and right before his death, he saw Jesus standing by him.

He asked for forgiveness as he fell asleep in his death. This sacrifice created turmoil in Jerusalem, where the Jewish Council was forcing Christians and persecuting them.

Lessons From The Life Of Stephen

Stephen was the first Christian who was murdered for spreading the words of Christ. He was an extremely righteous man who was appointed by the early Church to feed the widows.

He took this opportunity to preach Christianity, which angered several Jewish leaders and priests. He was thus prosecuted and stoned to death. His sacrifice and sufferings taught us a very important lesson about the cost of faith.

The material world is nothing in comparison to the afterlife. The soul remains immortal and therefore, we must choose to stick to our faiths and beliefs.

No matter how many challenges come in the course of our life, we must not lose hope in fate. The reminder of Jesus standing by us will surely guide our path to home. These are some of the lessons Stephen's life left people with.

Stephen's death taught us to speak boldly for our religion and not fear death, for it is the ultimate destination for all living souls. Reaching the destination isn't important, but we must focus on the journey first.

It is our duty to make this journey memorable and not commit any sins.

Stephen's preachings were of utmost importance to society, which led to a revolutionary consequence for the early Christians. It is said that Stephen's life and death served as a catalyst in the spread of Christianity both directly and indirectly.

Was Stephen an apostle?

According to the New Testament, the apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus. Twelve of these disciples were designated by the Lord himself as apostles who spread the Gospel. These apostles were Simon, James, John, Bartholomew, Philip, Andrew, Matthew, Alphaeus, Thomas, Judas, Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. 

Therefore, we cannot call Stephen an apostle. He came out of nowhere but was, however, an extremely righteous man.

He was deeply influenced by Christianity and shared a strong connection with God himself. Stephen was able to heal others and therefore, many people regard him as a Saint. He followed the Lord's path and just like Him, he pleaded for forgiveness for his murderers right before his death.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for facts about Stephen in the Bible then why not take a look at facts about Gideon in the Bible, or Abraham facts.