First Christian
Even after the painful death of Archdeacon Stephen, it would not be long before pagans were allowed into the meeting of the righteous.
Cornelius the Centurion will become the first Christian among the pagans. As soon as Saint Peter baptized him, the Jewish Christians who had undergone circumcision became angry with the apostle, because he went to those who had not undergone this rite. They began to grumble against him until he told them about his vision and about the shroud lowered from heaven. Only then did they calm down and give praise to the Lord, deciding that God had also given the pagans repentance in life.
Life of Archdeacon Stephen
The young deacon stood out significantly from the chosen seven for his strong faith. He had good oratory skills and was an excellent preacher. Therefore, he was called the first deacon - archdeacon. After some time, all the chosen ones began to participate in worship and prayers.
Archdeacon Stefan had the gift of bringing the word to the masses; he preached the word of God in Jerusalem. At the same time, he could perform miracles and supported his words with signs. The people loved him, he enjoyed success and respect. However, this aroused envy and hatred against him among the Pharisees - zealots of the law of Moses. Then they decided to try him in the highest court of the Jews - the Sanhedrin, having persuaded false witnesses who unanimously claimed that he insulted God and the prophet Moses in his sermons. Then the lawyers seized Stephen.
Icon of the Holy Martyr Stephen
In Orthodoxy, icons are the main sacred attribute in the house. These are not decorations, but the best way to connect your life with God and the divine.
Each icon has its own specific meaning - a reference to biblical events or, for example, a reminder of the importance of some event, prophet or saint. There are many icons that should be at home. The icon of the holy martyr Stephen is no exception.
History and description of the icon
The history of the icon begins with the life story of the martyr Stephen himself, also called Archdeacon Stephen. This man became one of the first martyrs and saints who died at the hands of pagans after the Nativity of Christ.
Stephen was born approximately from 33 to 36 AD, that is, almost simultaneously with the Resurrection of the Lord. As stated in the Holy Book of Acts, Stephen suffered from persecution of Christians when he was one of the first preachers. According to ancient sources, he was stoned. Unfortunately, it is not entirely known how exactly everything happened. Some believe that he was killed intentionally during the execution, while others believe that it was the work of a crowd of people. One way or another, the only important thing is that Stephen carried the word of God, for which he was killed by angry infidels.
Icons depicting the saint began to appear almost immediately. Of course, from the point of view of history, everything is quite relative, but a lot of time passed before people changed and transformed, ceasing to treat Christianity as a challenge, as an attempt to change their lives for the worse.
On the icon, Stefan is almost always depicted with a censer, in full growth, but sometimes he was depicted only from the waist up.
What does an icon help with?
This image is very highly valued in Christianity and Orthodoxy in particular. The icon supports you in your spiritual quest, helps you drive out negativity from your soul and cleanse your heart of filth. When bad times come in life, you need to ask St. Stephen for help. When you are misunderstood or falsely condemned, prayers to a saint will help soften the anger of people directed against you.
Prayer before the icon of St. Stephen
Here is one of the prayers to Stephen:
“Saint Stephen, Archdeacon and Venerable Servant of Our Father. Help us overcome all adversity and difficulties on the path of life, open our minds to us and pray for us to the Lord Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Calm our hearts and let us understand the meaning of God's providence, let us realize the full power of faith in Him. Help us open our souls and illuminate our hearts with the light of love. Amen".
This simple prayer helps people overcome difficulties and gain confidence in the future. Read this prayer every day.
Celebration date
The saint's feast day is January 9. On Memorial Day, do not forget to remember that too many people died for our Lord, that many of them no one remembers and no one knows. The memory of the deeds and torment of Stephen the Archdeacon reminds us that we must always go with our faith to the very end, without leaving the true path.
Where is the icon
If you now want to find this icon in the temple, you can do this in many churches throughout our country. For example, this icon is in the Nativity Cathedral, in the Church of the Intercession, in the Sretenskaya Church in the city of Murom, Vladimir region, in the Church of Michael the Archangel in Krymsk, Krasnodar region. Watch your life and your spiritual world. Go to church and don't be afraid of problems - be afraid of leaving them unresolved. God will help you in everything, and amulets such as the image of the Holy Martyr Stephen will help you go beyond your comfort zone. It is not without reason that they say that this icon helps strengthen faith in God.
The first martyr for Christ
All these events are described in the book of the Evangelist Luke “The Acts of the Apostles.” In 34 after R.H. Stephen became the very first Christian martyr. At that time he was only 30 years old. It was with Archdeacon Stephen the First Martyr that the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem began. They were forced to disperse to different parts of the Holy Land and go to other countries.
Thus, Christianity began to spread throughout different territories of the Roman Empire. But the blood of the First Martyr Stephen was not shed in vain. Soon, that same Saul, who was guarding the garments of false witnesses, believed in Christ and was baptized. He became the famous Apostle Paul, who began to preach Christianity among the pagans.
A few years later he visited Jerusalem. The angry crowd also almost killed him with stones. However, he reminded people of the martyr Stephen and how he himself was a participant in these sad events.
The invasion of Rus' by Batu's horde. Devastation of the Ryazan land. Evpatiy Kolovrat and the City of Kitezh.
Discussion: 3 comments
- Paul:
01/08/2009 at 00:00With all due respect, in the life of St. Stefan made an obvious absurdity. At the time of his martyrdom, ap. Paul could no longer be Saul.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
- Administrator - Pavel:
01/09/2009 at 00:00
In the Acts of the Apostles there are the words of St. Paul: “...And when the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I stood there, approving his murder, and guarding the garments of those who beat him” (Acts 22:20).
- Alexander ARK:
04/20/2009 at 00:00
On Holy Saturday, at Vespers, I had a chance to read the Apostle exactly the place where it speaks of the direct leadership of Saul during the beating of the first martyr. Stefan. Or Mr. Paul's sources?
Murder of the holy ascetic
The Mother of God stood nearby with the Apostle John (the Theologian). Fixing their gaze to heaven, they fervently prayed to their Lord for Archdeacon Stephen, so that He would strengthen His servant in patience and take his soul into His hands. Under the rain of stones, stained with blood, gradually weakening in strength, Stefan grieved in his heart, but not for himself, but for those who killed him.
With prayer on his lips, he gave up his pure soul to the Lord. This is how the great ascetic died. As if crowned with crimson flowers, he entered the open sky to the Almighty.
The first pagan Christian
After the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, Christianity began to quickly spread throughout the area.
At this moment, the need arises to patronize and care for the poor people - orphans, widows and those who have received Holy Baptism. For this matter, the holy apostles decided to choose worthy men from Christians - seven people.
Such people have been found. They were immediately ordained as assistants and ministers (deacons). They immediately became good helpers of the apostles.
Seven deacons
Even during the life of the holy Archdeacon Stephen, the Greeks grumbled against the Jews, who were not pagans, but were people who lived according to the laws of Moses, but were separated by twelve tribes. Jews who knew the Hellenic language, but had not mastered the faith and morals, lived in Jerusalem and its surroundings. Even as Jews, they spoke Greek.
Discontent arose between the Christian Hellenes and the Jews of Jerusalem, since the widows of the former were assigned inferior work, worse food and clothing. However, they soon calmed down and stopped grumbling and complaining.
It was then that seven deacons were chosen - Phillip, Nicanor, Prochorus, Timon, Parmena, Stephen and Nicholas of Antioch. Their names indicate that they were from Hellenic countries, for their names are not Jewish. Stephen was a relative of Saul, who came from the city of Tarsus (Cilicia).
He could, like the apostles, lay hands on the sick and heal them. He was beautiful in face, but more beautiful in soul.
