The "Acts" of Stephen

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

Acts VI :  8-15

St Stephen, preaching. Fra Angelico. 1448-1450. Cappella Niccolina, Rome.

[8] And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. 

[9] Now there arose some of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 

[10] And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke.

[11] Then they suborned men to say, they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. 

[12] And they stirred up the people, and the ancients, and the scribes; and running together, they took him, and brought him to the council. 

[13] And they set up false witnesses, who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law. 

[14] For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us. 

[15] And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel.

[8] Stephanus autem plenus gratia et fortitudine, faciebat prodigia et signa magna in populo. [9] Surrexerunt autem quidam de synagoga, quae appellatur Libertinorum, et Cyrenensium, et Alexandrinorum, et eorum qui erant a Cilicia, et Asia, disputantes cum Stephano : [10] et non poterant resistere sapientiae, et Spiritui, qui loquebatur. [11] Tunc summiserunt viros, qui dicerent se audivisse eum dicentem verba blasphemiae in Moysen et in Deum. [12] Commoverunt itaque plebem, et seniores, et scribas : et concurrentes rapuerunt eum, et adduxerunt in concilium, [13] et statuerunt falsos testes, qui dicerent : Homo iste non cessat loqui verba adversus locum sanctum, et legem : [14] audivimus enim eum dicentem : quoniam Jesus Nazarenus hic destruet locum istum, et mutabit traditiones, quas tradidit nobis Moyses. [15] Et intuentes eum omnes qui sedebant in concilio, viderunt faciem ejus tamquam faciem angeli.

Notes

    8. Stephen. Beyond what St Luke records, nothing is known of St Stephen’s personal life. Three hypotheses liave been put forward : — 

    (a) He was one of the Hellenists himself, since he disputed with them. His language rather bears out this inference.

    (b) He was one of the Libertini.

    (c) He was one of the Seventy-two disciples (Epiph., Hær., xx. 4).

    In any case, like St Paul, he was an educated man, and, from the freedom with which he addresses the Council as men, brethren and fathers, and not like St Peter as princes of the people and ancients, it has been inferred that he was a man of a certain standing. “Stephen soon became in the eyes of the Jews, the foremost among the Nazarene heretics by his fearless denunciation of the emptiness of Judaism as practised by Pharisee as well as Sadducee. He drew down on his head the bitter hatred of each of the powerful parties in the state.”

    great wonders and signs. This is the first mention in the Acts of others besides the apostles working miracles, though we know that the Seventy-two disciples had healed the sick and cast out devils as well as the apostles.

    9. there arose. Moved by indignation and rage at their defeat.

    synagogue. Synagogues were buildings in which the Jews met for prayer and instruction. Their institution dates from the Captivity, and in every Jewish city or hamlet there was at least one synagogue. The Rabbis asserted that there were 480 synagogues in Jerusalem. Though this is evidently an exaggeration, there were certainly a large number, and, in general, these meeting-places were not very large.

    The synagogue was so built that in every place the congregation faced Jerusalem. Those who read the Law stood up, while the one who explained it sat down. Each synagogue had a “ruler," who was responsible for the order and regularity of the services. These consisted in reading a portion of the Law and a selection from the prophets. The readings were followed by an explanation, after which certain psalms and prayers were recited. The service was concluded by a priest giving the blessing.

    Libertines. These were descendants of those numerous Jewish captives, whom Pompey had taken prisoners and deported to Rome circa B.C. 63. They were subsequently emancipated, and being banished from Rome on account of their faith, some of their descendants returned to Judea. The “ libertini” signifies “ freedmen.” Tacitus mentions that 4000 Libertini being “ infected with Jewish and Egyptian superstitions,” were sent to recruit the Roman army in Sardinia (Annal.y ii. lxxxv). Josephus, however, states that these exiles were all Jews (Antiq., xviii., iii. 6).

    A few commentators consider “ Libertini ” to be erroneously written for “ Libystine,”” inhabitants of Libya, a province adjacent to Cyrene and Alexandria, but there is no real ground for rejecting the word “Libertini,” since a whole colony of Jews bearing this name had a synagogue in Jerusalem.

    Cyrenians. See Annot. on ii. 10. Jews formed one-fourth of the population of Cyrene.

    Alexandrians. Two-fifths of the population of Alexandria was composed of Jews, and at this time their number amounted to at least 100,000. The Alexandrian Jews were renowned for their learning. They had settled in Egypt during the reigns of Alexander the Great and Ptolemy Lagus. It was in Alexandria that the Septuagint version of the holy Scriptures was made.

    Cilicia. This was St Paul’s native province, and it contained a large Jewish population. Antiochus the Great, in return for the Jews’ assistance against the Ptolemies, encouraged them to colonize in his Asiatic provinces, and Seleucus went so far as to give them equal civic rights with the Macedonians and Greeks (Josep., Antiq., xii., iii. 1. 3).

    Asia, — i.e. Proconsular Asia. See Annot. on ii. 9.

    disputing with Stephen. (συνζητουντες ) This word is used of the carping interrogations of the Pharisees, who sought to entangle Christ in His words, by asking for a sign from heaven (see St Mark viii. 11).

    St Stephen seems to have taken the aggressive, as Mgr. le Camus remarks “ Stephen, with his liberal views and his clear conception oi the future destiny of the Church, was the first to raise his hand against the old boundary-wall of Judaism. ” (L’œuvre des Apôtres, p. 114).

    10. they were not able, etc. Lit. “ they had no strength ” (οὐκ ἰσχυον). Our Lord once more fulfilled His promise : — For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not he able to resist and gainsay (St Luke xxi. 15). The same verb (ἀντιστηναι) “to resist” occurs in both these passages.

    wisdom. The Holy Ghost, “the spirit of wisdom,” spoke by the mouth of St Stephen. Jesus had bidden His disciples be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

    St Stephen is the first preacher of the Gospel who is said to have had “ wisdom, ” but our Lord promised this gift to His disciples, and we frequently find the word in reference to Christ, e.g.  —

    How came this man by this wisdom and miracles ? (St Matt. xiii. 54).

    Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and grace with God and men (St Luke ii. 62).

    11. suborned. Lit. “to provide,” but the word is always used in a bad sense. “Subornation of perjury” is the legal expression for inducing any one to swear falsely.

    In their rage at being unable to refute St Stephen's arguments, the Hellenists had recourse to the weapons of the weak and cowardly, viz. treachery and lies, founded on misconstructions placed on the words of the accused.

    men. Two witnesses at least were required by the Jewish law. Cf. One witness shall not rise up against any man, whatsoever the sin or wickedness be ; but in the mouth of two or three witnesses eveiry word shall stand (Deut. xix. 15).

    words of blasphemy. By blasphemy the Jews understood practically any sins against the covenant, e.g. speaking contemptuously of the Law or of God, calling down imprecations in the Name of God. The accusation against St Stephen was twofold, —

    (a) speaking against the Temple.

    (b) speaking against the Law (or against Moses).

    The accusation of blasphemy against God was not brought forward specifically, since any words against the Law would fall under this heading.

    12. stirred up the people .... ancients .... scribes. This time the people side with their rulers. Pharisees and Sadducees, Hebrews and Hellenists, are united against Stephen. So far the people had supported the new doctrines, but the Hellenists worked on their religious prejudices and won them over by representing that the disciples were disloyal to the Mosaic Law.

    running together. There was a general tumult, under cover of which St Stephen was apprehended.

    14. we have heard him say. From St Stephen’s defence, which we may consider as typical of his doctrine, we are justified in concluding that he had, in his public disputations, insisted on the truth that the Law was destined to pass away, having accomplished its work of bringing men to Christ. He, like our Saviour, probably taught that the Temple of Jerusalem was no longer to be the one centre of worship (see St, John iv. 21). Such assertions could easily be misconstrued by exasperated and defeated enemies.

    this Jesus of Nazareth. Lit. ‘‘this Jesus, the Nazarene’’ (Ἰησους ὁ Ναζωραιος οὐτος ). There is contempt shewn in the epithet “this” and also in the word “ Nazarene.”

    destroy this place .... change the traditions. Notice the resemblance between the trial of our Lord and that of the proto-martyr of the Church. The accusation was the same in substance ; the same motive which led them to persecute the Master, urged them to stone the disciple.

    15. all that sat. Among whom we may include Saul of Tarsus, the disciple of Gamaliel, and a native of Cilicia.

    the face of an Angel. As the face of Moses was transfigured when he conversed with God, so St Stephen, whose soul was full of the Holy Ghost, was supernaturally illumined, so that the eyes of his adversaries were riveted upon him.

    The glorious countenance of an angel is thus described in the Scriptures

(a) Hiscountenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow (St Matt, xxviii. 8).

(b) And I saw another mighty angel .... and his face was as the sun (Apoc. x. 1).

(c) His face (was) as the appearance of lightning and his eyes as a burning lamp (Dan. X. 6).

    Writing on this passage, St Augustine thus speaks of the first of the noble army of Christian martyrs : “ O lamb, foremost (of the flock of Christ) fighting in the midst of wolves, following after the Lord, but still at a distance from Him, and already the angel’s friend. Yes, how clearly was he the angel’s friend, who, while in the very midst of the wolves, still seemed like an angel ; for so transfigured was he by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness that, even to his enemies, he seemed a being not of this world ” (Serm. 214 in Append.)

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

 ff