And devout men took order for Stephen's funeral and made great mourning over him.
συνεκομισαν δε τον στεφανον ανδρες ευλαβεις και εποιησαντο κοπετον μεγαν επ αυτω
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
They mourned him either because they were not yet perfect, or because he was worthy of love and reverence. At the same time, apart from fear, this grief and weeping show that they were human. And who would not weep on seeing this meek lamb stoned and lying dead? The Evangelist left him a worthy epitaph when he said, “And bending his knees, he cried out with a loud voice,” and “they made great lamentation over him.”
“Devout men buried Stephen.” If they were devout, how did they make lamentation? It was because they were not yet perfect. On the other hand, who would not weep after losing such teaching, such protection, and such miracles, and seeing this righteous man lying dead and stoned?
You will say, "Why do you forbid me to weep? Jacob, clothed in sackcloth, mourned Joseph. When all his relatives gathered to him, he refused to be comforted, saying, 'I will go down to my son mourning, into Hades' (Gen 37:35).
"David too, grieving over Absalom, covered his head and wept, repeating: 'My son Absalom, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, my son Absalom!' (2 Kgs 18:33).
"Is not weeping over Moses, Aaron, and other saints commemorated each year also mentioned?"
The answer to this is very easy. Jacob mourned a son whom he considered slain and to whom he himself was preparing to descend into the lower regions.
He said, "I will go down to my son mourning, into Hades," because Christ had not yet opened the door of paradise. His blood had not yet extinguished the flaming and turning sword of the cherubim standing at paradise's entrance.
Likewise, it is known that Abraham was in the lower regions together with Lazarus, though in a place of refreshment.
David also did not weep without reason over a son who had rebelled against his father. Yet when he could not obtain the prolonging of life for his other infant son, he did not weep for him, because he knew that he was sinless.
Nor is it strange that, according to ancient custom, weeping was commanded for Moses and Aaron.
From the Acts of the Apostles it is evident that, already in the light of the gospel, the brethren in Jerusalem made great lamentation over Stephen (Acts 8:2).
In every passage of Scripture, great lamentation does not signify faintheartedness in those who lament, as you think. It signifies the magnificence of the funeral and the multitude of those burying the dead.
Finally, Scripture speaks thus about Jacob's burial: "And Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all Pharaoh's servants, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph and his brothers."
A little later it says, "And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great company." Then: "They mourned him with a very great and mighty mourning" (Gen 50:7 and following).
This solemn lamentation does not mean that the Egyptians grieved long over Jacob. It expresses only the splendor of the burial.
Certainly Aaron and Moses were mourned in the same way.
I cannot sufficiently praise the mysteries of Scripture or marvel at the divine meaning enclosed in simple words.
Why is weeping over Moses mentioned, while in the account of the burial of Jesus son of Nun, a holy man, it is not said that he was mourned?
Because in Moses, that is, in the old law, all people were subject to condemnation. Therefore tears were the portion of those descending into the lower regions, according to the apostle's words: "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned" (Rom 5:14).
But in Jesus, that is, in the gospel, when the doors of paradise are opened, joy follows death.
The Jews even now mourn the dead and lie on ashes with bare feet, clothed in sackcloth.
To complete their superstition, by the emptiest Pharisaic custom they first eat food made from lentils. By this they show on account of what food they lost the rights of the firstborn.
Truly, since the Jews do not believe in the Resurrection of the Lord, they prepare themselves for the coming of Antichrist.
But we have put on Christ and, according to the apostle (1 Pet 2:9), have become a royal and priestly people. We should not grieve over the dead.
It is written: "And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his remaining sons: Do not uncover your heads and do not tear your garments, lest you die and wrath come upon the whole congregation" (Lev 10:6).
Do not tear your garments, it says, and do not perform pagan lamentation, lest you die. Our death is the consequence of sin.
Yet only the body was granted burial. The soul was not buried together with the body. Rather, the body alone received the common name. So also blessed Jacob said to his sons: “Bury me with my fathers” (Gen 49:29). He did not say, “Bury my body.”
Then they extended their violence to the other believers living in Jerusalem. They plundered their dwellings and cast them into prisons, so that all had to leave Jerusalem. Only the Apostles did not depart.
The murder of Saint Stephen was not carried out by decision of a civil court, that is, of the Roman authority. It resulted from a popular disturbance stirred up by certain members of the foreign synagogues in Jerusalem. In turn, they were secretly guided in this matter by the Sanhedrin (6:11-12). Although the Roman authority had not expressed to the Sanhedrin its consent to persecute Christians, Stephen's murder did not remain an isolated act of popular disturbance against the Christian community. It was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. Thus all, except the Apostles, were scattered throughout various places of Judea and Samaria (v. 1). Here all should not be understood in the literal sense. Later (v.
3) it says that Saul, especially zealous in persecuting Christians, went from house to house in Jerusalem. He found many Christian men and women and dragged them to prison. This disturbance seems to have occurred on the very day, ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, of Saint Stephen's martyrdom. One may picture the matter this way. While certain devout men, themselves Jews, sympathized inwardly with Christianity and recognized Stephen's innocence, they took the martyr's body and buried it with honor (v. 2). Meanwhile, the whole crowd of the people, returning from the place where the Christian first martyr had been executed, went to the dwellings of Christians and began to pursue and persecute them. A certain Saul was especially distinguished in this case by strong fanaticism. He evidently acted by commission from the Sanhedrin, because he entered Christians' houses, dragged out men and women with dishonor, and committed them to prison.
Some devout men buried his body, and also "made great lamentation over him." This was the first martyr for the name of Christ. In him the great truth was first justified, that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity." Among the Hellenists of Cilicia who disputed with Stephen in the synagogue was a "young man named Saul," from the city of Tarsus, a disciple of the famous Gamaliel. For all his learning, he could not stand against Saint Stephen. Like the others, he burned with hatred toward him, which made him look with malicious joy on his martyr's death. Saul not only approved this vile murder, but also assisted the murderers. They laid their garments at his feet so they could throw the first stones, as the Law prescribed.
In this terrible event, this fierce enemy of Christianity first felt in his heart the tormenting spark of self-accusation. Gradually kindling into an all-consuming flame, it finally led him to become the "chosen vessel" of the Christ he persecuted, the greatest apostle and spreader of Christianity. Meanwhile, the success of Christianity's enemies in killing Saint Stephen served as the signal for a general persecution of Christians. To save their lives, they had of necessity to scatter from Jerusalem. Yet this involuntary scattering served for the still greater spread of the Gospel, and precisely beyond the borders of Judea, since "those who were scattered went about preaching the word."
"Devout men buried Stephen." These devout men were, as it seems from the connection of the passage and comparison with Acts 2:5, not Christians. The persecution that began on the day of Stephen's death did not allow Christians to fulfill this duty toward the martyr. Rather, they were devout men from among the Jews, secretly disposed toward Christianity, who saw the innocence of the one stoned and had the courage to come openly, take his body, and bury it. So Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had the boldness to come and bury the body of the crucified Lord. The sacred historian mentions those who buried Stephen as if to show the contrast between their spiritual disposition and the mad fanaticism of Stephen's murderers, who afterward raised persecution against Christians. "Great lamentation" was a sign of grief for the dead, as was customary among the Hebrews (Gen 50:10; Deut 34:8 and elsewhere).
Saul’s destiny was joined by a wondrous thread of grace to the killing of Stephen. He approved of his murder and took zealous part in the persecution of Christians that arose then and afterward.
Yet all these ecclesiastical and religious impulses, formed in the spirit of Pharisaism, were not the true need of his heart. He was not among the stiff-necked, deaf, and blind. He was only temporarily blinded and prejudiced.
Therefore he was fervent in zeal for the faith, but not stubbornly so, though others did not know this and were inspired by his vivid example.
The persecution of Christians was then so fierce that, according to tradition, about two thousand people were killed, including another archdeacon, Nicanor. All this happened so quickly that they had not yet managed to bury Saint Stephen.
Christians could not do this, and others were afraid. At last honorable Jews were found, who buried Saint Stephen there, not far from the place where he had been killed. Beyond the Kidron, in the adjoining Valley of Jehoshaphat, there was a common cemetery.
The Christians could only mourn the first martyr with burning tears. After him there followed a whole host of martyrs.
“When they persecute you in one city, flee to another,” Jesus Christ commanded His disciples (Mt 10:23). And so many Christians, leaving Jerusalem, were scattered throughout all Judea and Samaria.
But the apostles, as leaders, remained at the place of their fearful yet great ministry, in Jerusalem.
“They were not scattered,” says Blessed Theophylact, “because where the assault is stronger, there the best warriors must be found, serving others as examples of courage and boldness.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 12 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS