New Testament History

The Church of the Apostles

The years until the first reunion in Jerusalem
The first reunion in Jerusalem
The martyrdom of Stephen
The Cathedra of Antioch
The first and second persecutions
The martyrdom of James the Greater and Peter’s imprisonment
The first Apostolic Council
The martyrdom of Mark
The reunion at the death of the Holy Virgin
The martyrdom of James the Less
The martyrdoms of Peter, Paul, Andrew, and Thomas
The persecutions of John
The composition of the New Testament
The destruction of the Second Temple
 
Abbreviations and bibliography
 
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The martyrdom of Stephen

Stephen was still alive “a few years” after the crucifixion, when the third son of Simon of Cyrene came to live with him.[1] Stephen was martyred following his second imprisonment. The martyrdom occurred after Pilate’s departure from Judea in the winter of 36/37 AD, at which time the Roman governorship of Judea was vacated. Public persecution of Christians became possible only after Pilate had left Judea in the winter of 36/37 AD[2] and after Tiberius had died on 16 March 37 AD.[3] Pilate recognised the force of the Christian religion,[4] and Tiberius was healed by an image of Christ[5] and promoted Christian faith.[6] Both rulers would not have tolerated any form of Christian persecution. Stephen died with the consent of the high priest (Acts 7:1). Jonathan was the high priest from Passover 36 AD until Passover 37 AD.[7] The Syrian governor Vitellius deposed Jonathan at Passover 37 AD, i.e. only one year after his installation, because Jonathan had made use of the power vacuum to persecute Christians.[8]

A.C.E. saw the discovery of Stephen’s relics on Thursday 3 August 1820 and Saturday 4 August 1821,[9] the martyrdom on Friday 4 August 1820,[10] and the trial on Saturday 4 August 1821.[11] Stephen had two liturgical feasts: 26 December and 2 or 3 August. The festival of 26 December is the oldest (with evidence dating from the 4th century AD) and commemorates his martyrdom; the feast of 2 or 3 August is assigned to a transfer of Stephen’s relics.[12] A.C.E. saw the martyrdom on the festival of the transfer. The martyr actually took place on the date of the festival commemorating the martyrdom, 26 December. Stephen was martyred during the night,[13] on the night of Tuesday/Wednesday 25/26 December 36 AD = 18 Kislev (Parker and Dubberstein),[14] i.e. around the winter solstice.[15] His body remained on the place of the martyrdom for one day and one night. Disciples took it away during that night and brought it to Bet Gemal, where it was buried 40 days later.[16]

 


[1] A.C.E., Passion, 257. A.C.E. (Life, 4:448; Vie, 6:327) situates the martyrdom about one year after the crucifixion.

[2] Mahieu 2012: 406.

[3] For the date of Tiberius’s death, see Kienast 1996: 78.

[4] A.C.E., Visionen August 1821, 23: “Pilatus sah ich in einem Bild, wie er vor den Kaiser gerufen wurde, der sehr erzürnt war. Ich sah, daß Pilatus, ehe er hinging, ein Stück von dem Mantel Christi, das er von den Soldaten bekommen, unter sein Kleid auf die Brust nahm.”

[5] A.C.E., Visionen August 1821, 22.

[6] Tertullian Apol. 5.2; Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 2.2.1-6; Orosius 7.4.

[7] Josephus, A.J. 18.95, 123. Mahieu 2012: 404-405.

[8] Similarly, the Judean governor Albinus removed the high priest Ananus because Ananus had made use of the absence of a governor during the winter of 60/61 AD to execute James the Less and other Christians (A.J. 20.200-203). See “The martyrdom of James the Less”; Mahieu 2012: 516-517.

[9] A.C.E., Visionen August 1821, 30.

[10] The visions of 3 August 1820 and 4 August 1820 (A.C.E., Visionen August 1820, 19, 32) are dated 2 August 1820 in A.C.E., Vie, 6:399. The publication of the visions on the public ministry mistakenly took the evening introducing the day of the vision (2 August) for the day of the vision (3 August).

[11] A.C.E., Vie, 6:295.

[12] Bovon 2003: 285-286. On 3 December 415 AD a priest called Lucian had a dream about the burial place of Stephen’s relics (Rev. Steph. 2). The relics were solemnly transferred to the Church of Zion on 26 December 415 AD (ibid. 8). Further transfers followed.

[13] A.C.E., Visionen August 1820, 34 (the vision of the night of Thursday/Friday 3/4 August 1820): “Ich sah die Steinigung des heiligen Stephan vor einem Tor gegen Mitternacht an einer Landstraße.”

[14] Reingold and Dershowitz have 18 Tevet. Since 25 January 37 AD (the day on which Paul recovered his sight) coincided with 19 Tevet, it was 18 Kislev.

[15] Maria de Agreda, Cité, 6:20, situates the martyrdom on 26 December, and 9 months after the crucifixion. Maria de Agreda, Cité, 6:157, situates it 8 months before James’s departure for Spain in August 34 AD (actually in August 40 AD).

[16] Rev. Steph. 3.