Saint stephen the martyr biography of christopher

And him I saw, who bow’d
Heavy with death unto the ground, yet made
His eyes, unfolded upward, gates to Heaven,    
Praying forgiveness of the Almighty Sire,            
Amidst that cruel conflict, on his foes,
With looks that win compassion to their aim.

In the Divine Comedy, Dante looks upon a touching scene: the death, by stoning, of a young man who, as he is dying, asks for forgiveness for his persecutors.

The great Christian poet was struck by the meekness of St Stephen, whose martyrdom is related in all its glory in the Acts of the Apostles. As he was being stoned, St Stephen cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

A young man filled with the Holy Spirit

Stephen was one of the first to follow the Apostles.

It is believed that he was either Greek, or a Jew educated in Greek culture. What is certain is that he was greatly appreciated by