The Armenian Apostolic Church today celebrates the commemoration of St. Stephen the Forerunner and the first martyr.
St. Stephen is one of the most beloved saints of the Universal Church, the first martyr to be martyred for the doctrine of Christ’s love. According to historical sources, he was descended from the royal lineage of Judah, a fellow-citizen of Christ God and the son of law-abiding parents. He was a servant of the high priest Caiaphas. While taking the Lord home, Stephen spreads his headscarf at the feet of the Heavenly Patriarch, expressing his unfaithful and sincere love. All this angers the high priest, who throws him out. He witnesses the death and burial of the Lord, but again rejoices with the apostles in the miraculous resurrection of the Son of God. According to the three great patriarchs of the Armenian Church, St. Gregory of Tatevatsi, he goes to St. Peter and St. John the Apostles, baptized. At the moment of baptism, a halo appears on the water.
After that miraculous event, he is called “Stephen,” which means crowned. It is known from the Acts of the Apostles that after Pentecost, the apostles served tables and distributed alms to the needy. And the number of those who believed in Jesus increased day by day. Since the apostles were not able to take care of everyone’s needs, they ordered their followers to choose 7 men of good reputation to serve the tables. According to St. Luke the Evangelist, among the chosen ones was also St. Stephen, “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5).
The apostles, by the authority they received from Christ, lay hands on them, deserving the responsible rank of deacon. And St. Stephen, with the grace and power given by God, performed various miracles among the people. Many in the synagogue tried to argue with him, but no one had his wisdom. Therefore, the ill-wishers persuaded some people to say that Stephen was blaspheming God and the prophet Moses. Inciting the people, the priests, and the scribes, they took him to court.
St. Stephen, with his defense, proved to those present that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and rebuked the Jews for their hardness of heart. He was stoned outside the city, and his clothes were laid before a young man named Saul. Saul was the apostle St. Paul, who at first persecuted Christians. He came to know the true God, Jesus Christ, and later became the most zealous preacher of the Gospel.
St. Stephen became the first witness and martyr to be martyred for Christ, and for this reason he was called FOREIGNER. According to tradition, St. The teacher of the Apostle Paul, Gamaliel, and his brother Nicodemus, who were secret disciples of Jesus, buried the body of the saint in their farm. Soon after, the relics of St. Stephen were discovered by an elder named Lucian, and Patriarch John of Jerusalem placed them in St. Zion.
In the 5th century, Princess Juliana discovered the saint’s ark in Jerusalem, took it to Constantinople, and later brought it to Venice, burying it in the mother church of St. George’s Island. St. Stephen the Archdeacon, with his unwavering faith, holy life, devotion, service, and other virtues, is an example for Christians to recognize the Truth and taste the sweetness of the Lord.
Qahana.am informs us that the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the memory of St. Stephen the Archdeacon and first martyr during the major holidays preceding Christmas.