Category:Burial of Stephen (event)

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The Burial of Stephen refers to an episode in the life of Stephen and the early Church, as narrated in Acts of Apostles (8:2).


Overview

After stating that Paul of Tarsus was among those who "approved" the killing of Stephen, Acts refers to some "devout men" who buried Stephen and mourned his death.

Later Christian tradition would identify these unnamed men as Nicodemus and Gamaliel.

Burial of Stephen, in ancient sources

Acts of Apostles

Acts 8:2 (NRSV) -- [2] Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.

Burial of Stephen, in the arts

The Burial Place of Stephen, in Christian tradition

In 1916, the Salesians of Dom Bosco at Beit Jimal Monastery discovered a mosaic floor during excavations for a small construction. In 1923 Maurice Gisler identified the ruins as those of a Byzantine church at the burial site of Stephen, Nicodemus, Gamaliel and Abibos. The Salesians built a church over the mosaics in 1930, and called it the "Church of St Stephen. In 1999 Andrzej Strus found nearby the remains of a circular structure he identified as a Byzantine funeral monument. In 2006 Emile Puech claimed that he had found evidence that the structure carried an inscription to Stephen.

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