December 26th. St. Stephen.

The source for our knowledge of him is the Acts of the Apostles. A Jew of Greek-speaking background, living in Jerusalem, he was chosen by the apostles as one of the seven deacons, who distributed alms and preached the word. The substantial speech which Stephen makes in his defence suggests that he was learned in the Scriptures; the speech serves as the vehicle for the argument that the Temple in Jerusalem was a temporary institution, destined to be superseded by Christ, the Messiah. He was stoned to death in about 35 by his opponents who accused him of blasphemy when he claimed to see Christ seated at God’s right hand. In order to stone him, they took off their outer garments and laid them at the feet of one Saul (later St. Paul), who approved of what he saw.