Dictionary Summary:One of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. He was the first Christian martyr. His personal character and history are recorded in [Acts 6](/acts#Acts.6). “He fell asleep” with a prayer for his persecutors on his lips (7:60). Devout men carried him to his grave (8:2). It was at the feet of the young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, that those who stoned him laid their clothes (comp. [Deut. 17:5-7](/deut#Deut.17.5)) before they began their cruel work. The scene which Saul then witnessed and the words he heard appear to have made a deep and lasting impression on his mind ([Acts 22:19](/acts#Acts.22.19), [20](/acts#Acts.22.20)). The speech of Stephen before the Jewish ruler is the first apology for the universalism of the gospel as a message to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. It is the longest speech contained in the Acts, a place of prominence being given to it as a defence. ²