The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Stephen the Protomartyr
c. 5 – c. 34 · Deacon of Jerusalem · First Martyr · Jerusalem
The Apostolic Age
Who Stephen the Protomartyr was
A Greek-speaking Jewish Christian, Stephen was one of the seven men “full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” chosen by the apostles to administer the Jerusalem church’s daily distribution (Acts 6). His disputations in the Hellenist synagogues provoked charges of blasphemy, and his long defense before the Sanhedrin — a sweeping retelling of Israel’s history ending in an accusation against his judges — is the longest speech in Acts. Stoned outside the city walls around 34 AD, he became the church’s first martyr. The young Saul of Tarsus guarded the cloaks of his executioners, a scene Augustine later paired: “If Stephen had not prayed, the Church would not have had Paul.”
Whether the Seven held the diaconate proper is disputed. Neocaesarea and Roman practice read Acts 6 as instituting it; Chrysostom and the Quinisext Council of 692 held that their office was not the diaconate. The four members of the Seven whom this archive names “the Deacon” carry the evidence in full.
Also listed in martyrs.
Common questions
When did Stephen live?
Stephen the Protomartyr is dated c. 5 – c. 34 in the archive, which places Stephen in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Stephen write?
Stephen the Protomartyr has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: Speech to the Sanhedrin (recorded by Luke, Acts 7).
Which early sources mention Stephen?
Stephen the Protomartyr is named in 4 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Paul (per Luke), Irenaeus of Lyon, Eusebius of Caesarea and Augustine of Hippo. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Stephen from?
The archive associates Stephen the Protomartyr with Jerusalem.
Writings (1)
Speech to the Sanhedrin (recorded by Luke, Acts 7)
c. 34Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God… Lord Jesus, receive my spirit… Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.Read the full text ↗
Primary-source mentions (4)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts 22:20
c. AD 85And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.Paul (per Luke) · read ↗
Against Heresies III.12.10
c. AD 180Stephen, who was chosen the first deacon by the apostles.Irenaeus of Lyon · Against Heresies III.12.10 · source text
Ecclesiastical History II.1 (the protomartyr's crown)
c. AD 325Sermons 314–319, on the feast and relics of Stephen
c. AD 425Connected in the archive
Appointed by the Twelve; Saul (Paul) witnessed and approved his stoning
People
- Simon Peter
- Paul of Tarsus
- The Centurion at the Cross
- Joseph Caiaphas
- Timon the Deacon
- Nicanor the Deacon
- Nicolaus of Antioch
- Prochorus the Deacon
- Luke the Evangelist
- Philip the Evangelist
- Parmenas the Deacon
- Tarcisius the Acolyte
Events in this lifetime
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Stephen.