Armenian Church commemorates St. Stephen the Protomartyr

St. Stephen is one of the most beloved saints of the Universal Church, the first person martyred for the sake of Christ’s doctrine of love.

Still a young man, he was the servant of the chief priest Kayipaya. According to the same sources, when the Lord was taken home, Stephen took off the cloth from his head and spread it under the Lord’s feet, thus expressing his true and sincere love. This naturally annoyed the chief priest, and he turned Stephen out. Stephen witnessed the death and burial of the Lord but rejoiced with the apostles for the glorious resurrection of Christ. According to St. Gregory of Tatev, he went to the apostles Peter and John and was baptized. At the moment of baptism, an aureole (crown) appeared on the water. After that miraculous event he was called “Stephen,” meaning (crowned). From the Acts of the Apostles, it is known that after the Pentecost, apostles served the tables and gave subsidies to the poor. From day to day, the number of those who believed in Christ increased. As the apostles were unable to meet the needs of everybody, they asked their disciples to choose 7 persons of good reputation for serving the tables. According to St. Luke the Evangelist, one of them was St. Stephen, “… a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5).

By the power received from Christ, the apostles ordained him deacon. Thanks to his God-granted virtues and power, Stephen worked wonders. Many people tried to argue with him, but no one was as wise as Stephen. So, some ill-willing persons persuaded some people to say that Stephen scolded God and the Prophet Moses. Inciting the people, the priests and the lawyers took Stephen to the court. In his speech in his defense Stephen proved that Jesus was the promised Messiah and reproached the Jews for their cruelty. He was stoned out of the city, and his clothes were put before a man whose name was Saul and who later became the Apostle Peter. In the beginning he persecuted Christians, but later he knew the true God—Jesus Christ—and became the most zealous preacher of the Gospel. St. Stephen was the first person martyred for the sake of Christ, and that’s why he is called the Protomartyr.