[ad_1]
Today, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr and prime minister / archdeacon in the emerging church in the Jerusalem community.
St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on the third day after Christmas, December 27, and is the last holiday of the year, said to “close the circle.” The cult of this saint is great, and so is his veneration.
Since the time of the Apostle Paul, everyone has called Saint Stephen the first martyr because he was one of the first victims in the name of the Christian faith. After the Ascension of Christ, seven deacons / ministers / were chosen to take over the household chores of Christian society, the first being Stephen.
Concerned about the growing number of Christians, members of the Sanhedrin (a council of Jewish elders) got into a dispute with Saint Stephen, but could not resist his “spiritual strength and wisdom.” Therefore, they incite the people against the archdeacon, accusing them of blaspheming against God and the law of Moses. The enraged crowd carries him out of the city and begins to stone him. The saint knelt and before dying, he turned to heaven with the words “Lord, do not honor this sin!” His body was left to beasts and birds. In the 5th century, some of his relics were discovered by vision and were buried in the Temple of Zion in Jerusalem.
Stefan is one of the most common names in Bulgaria. Translated, it means “crown”. The only iron church in the world, the Bulgarian Church in Istanbul, is named after the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen.
On this day everyone celebrates with the names Stefan and Stefka and their derivatives: Stefi, Stefko, Stefanka, Stefania, Fani, Teki, Vencho, Ventsislav, Ventsislava, Stamen, Stan, Stamena, Stancho, Stanimira, Stanislava, Stane, Tsako, Tsanko , Tsano, Tsancho, Tsanka, Stoyu, Stoyan, Stoyana, Stoichko, Sean, Shona.
[ad_2]
