Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen is the Protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Rite, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Church of England among other religious denominations. He is identified as one of the first deacons chosen by the early church in Acts of the Apostles. The Feast of Saint Stephen is celebrated December 27 in the Eastern Church. A simple octave is kept by the Roman Catholic Church in honor of this feast; it is also commemorated in the liturgy of January 2.

Upon the death of Jesus, Stephen began to work hard to spread what was then called The Way. He preached the teachings of Jesus and participated in the conversion of Jews and Gentiles. Acts tells the story of how Stephen was tried by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy and was then stoned to death by an infuriated mob encouraged by Saul of Tarsus, the future Saint Paul [1].

Saint Stephen's name is simply derived from the Greek Stephanos, meaning "crown", which translated into Aramaic as Kelil. Saint Stephen is traditionally invested with a crown of martyrdom for Christianity and is often depicted in art with three stones and the martyrs' palm. In Eastern Christian iconography he is shown as a young beardless man with a tonsure, wearing deacon's vestments, and often holding a miniature church building and censer.

Cult of Saint Stephen

Many churches are named in honor of Saint Stephen but there was no official "Tomb of St Stephen" for centuries until 415, when Christian pilgrims were traveling in large numbers to Jerusalem and a certain priest named Lucian said he had learned by revelation that 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).

St Stephen's Day

Main article St. Stephen's Day.

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 Ireland, Italy, Finland and Romania. In Catalonia (though not elsewhere in Spain) it is called "Sant Esteve" and is a bank holiday.

In Irish it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofán or Lá an Dreoilín, literally the "Day of the Wren"; several Irish legends link episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. In parts of Ireland persons carrying either an effigy of a wren, or an actual caged wren, travel from house to house playing music, singing and dancing. Depending on which region of the country, they are called Wrenboys, Mummers or Strawboys. A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, Co. Galway.

A popular rhyme, known to many Irish children and sung at each house visited by the mummers goes as follows:

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,

On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,

Up with the penny and down with the pan,

Give us a penny to bury the wren.

In Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, St. Stephen's Day is known as Boxing Day.

Media References

St. Stephen is remembered in the Christmas song "Good King Wenceslas".

Resources

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Saint Stephen
• St. Stephen's Day at IrishFestivals.net

Further reading

• Robert Eisenman, 1997. James the Brother of Jesus : The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls makes a case for the figure of Stephen as an invented cover for the actual historical career of James the Just.

Commemorative shrines

• In Eastern Jerusalem , Israel - St. Steven's Church.
• In the old city of Jerusalem - the "Lions gate" is called