Acts 7:57Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Then what they did to Christ, they also do to Stephen. There, when He said, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power” (Mt 26:64), they called it blasphemy and summoned the people as witnesses. So it was exactly here. There they tore their garments; here they stopped their ears.

What the Jews did to Christ, they did here also. When He said, “You will see the Son of God sitting at the right hand” (Mt 26:64), they called it blasphemy and rushed upon Him. So it was here also. There they tore their garments; here they stopped their ears.

Receive the combat, martyr, for it will lead to the desired end. Death proves to be a glorious reward, since torments prepare for eternity, and the one who fulfills the commandments receives the birth of eternal life. Such a death becomes the beginning of endless and blessed life.

The Lord, Who chooses us out of the world (Jn 15:19) for His heavenly Kingdom and glory, suffered outside the city gates. Stephen too, as a stranger in this world, is stoned outside the limits of the city. For he had no permanent city here, but with his whole soul sought the one to come (Heb 13:14). Being above the change of the order of things, the martyr pure in heart directs his gaze toward heaven, while the stiff-necked persecutor stretches out his hands toward stones. Therefore Arator also says, "Taking stones against Stephen in frenzy, rebellious Judea, burdened with audacious guilt, you will remain a stone forever..." CSEL 71:48.

Uninformed readers think that Saul had to guard these garments from thieves. In fact, according to the letter of Deuteronomy ch. 17, the witnesses who personally struck Stephen were assuming responsibility for this not only before the relatives of the condemned man, but also before the Roman government. Without its permission they had no right to carry out a death sentence (Jn 18:31). Therefore they laid their garments at Saul's feet as material evidence of their murder. This certified that they would not deny the unauthorized act they had committed. This is why Saul referred to the fact that he guarded the garments of those who stoned Stephen. He guarded them not from thieves, but from their own owners. He cited it as proof of his active participation in this event (Acts 22:20).

After these words Stephen could no longer expect mercy for himself. It pleased the Lord to strengthen his courage by a vision of the opened heavens and of his Savior in the form of the Son of Man, standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was not afraid to confess this before his enemies and judges, who were growing savage with malice. After this, his judges could no longer restrain their fury. They led him outside the city as a blasphemer, to stone him. In accordance with the requirement of the Mosaic Law (Deut 17:5), the witnesses began to throw the first stones. For convenience they took off their garments and laid them for safekeeping at the feet of Saul, who took a most active part in Stephen's murder (Acts 8:1).

The uprightness of Paul's character does not allow us to think that he took part in weaving the slander against Stephen. Yet it is certain that he approved his killing (Acts 8:1) and guarded the garments of Stephen's inhuman murderers. In this case he acted according to conscience, but according to an erring conscience. In him, as Saint John Chrysostom observes, the Savior's words were exactly fulfilled: "Whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God" (Jn 16:2). It seemed to him that he was offering the God of his fathers the most pleasing sacrifice when he persecuted the spreaders of the "new heresy." In his opinion, it aimed at the overthrow of the Jewish religion.

But the feelings of his hearers could not endure these exalted words. They stopped their ears, as if to protect them from defiling blasphemy. Then, as one mass, they rose from both sides of the semicircle in which they were sitting and rushed upon Stephen with savage roaring.

"But they cried out," and so forth. These words, in which Stephen related his vision of the glorified Jesus, brought the fury of those present to the highest pitch and caused an uproar. They themselves did not see this vision. They regarded Stephen's words about it as manifest blasphemy, just as they once regarded as blasphemy the words of the Lord Himself: "You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power" (Mt 26:64 and following). Therefore they cried out with a loud voice to drown out the bold voice of the supposed blasphemer. They stopped their ears so as not to hear his supposed blasphemy. Then, with one accord and in a whole mass, they rushed upon Stephen. The session of the Sanhedrin was interrupted, and the fanatics led Stephen outside the city to stone him.

Saint Stephen's judges first tried by shouting to drown out the final words of his moving speech. They even stopped their ears, pretending not to hear his supposed blasphemy, which they claimed could defile them. Then they rushed upon him with one accord, wishing to kill him. Soon they understood that it was sinful to commit murder here, but not sinful somewhere else. Yet the one being struck was pure, blameless, and holy everywhere, just as they, the murderers of the innocent, were sinful everywhere. Moreover, they were guilty before the Roman government, which did not permit them to put anyone to death without its authorization (see Mt 27:2; Jn 18:31).