St. Stefanos, Archdeacon & First Martyr

Βασίλειον διάδημα, ἐστέφθη σὴ κορυφή, ἐξ ἄθλων ὧν ὑπέμεινας, ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Μαρτύρων πρωτόαθλε Στέφανε· σὺ γὰρ τὴν Ἰουδαίων, ἀπελέγξας μανίαν, εἶδες σου τὸν Σωτῆρα, τοῦ Πατρὸς δεξιόθεν. Αὐτὸν οὖν ἐκδυσώπει ἀεί, ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.

O Stephen, a crown of royalty was laid on your head for contests you courageously endured for Christ our God, as first among Martyred saints. You stood in accusation of the raging Judeans; and you saw your Savior at the right hand of the Father. We pray that you will ever entreat Him to save our souls.

The Life of Saint Stefanos

Saint Stephen (in Greek; Stefanos) was Jewish, by race, and, as some say, a disciple of Gamaliel, the teacher of the law mentioned in Acts 5:34 and 22:3. He was the first of the seven deacons whom the Apostles established in Jerusalem to care for the poor, and to distribute alms to them. Being a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, he performed great signs and wonders among the people.

While disputing with the Jews concerning Jesus, and wisely refuting their every contradiction, so that no one was able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit whereby he spoke, he was slandered as a blasphemer and was dragged off to the Sanhedrin of the elders. There with boldness he proved from the divine Scriptures the coming of the Just One (Jesus), of whom they had become the betrayers and murderers, and he reproved their faithlessness and hardheartedness. And finally, gazing into Heaven and beholding the divine glory, he said: "Lo, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God". But when they heard this, they stopped up their ears, and with anger cast him out of the city and stoned him, while he was calling out and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". Then, imitating the longsuffering of the Master, he bent his knees and prayed in a loud voice for them that were stoning him, and he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". And saying this, he fell asleep (Acts 6, 7), thus becoming the first among the Martyrs of the Church of Christ.

Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA.