🌿🌷☘️ St. Stephen (died 36 CE, Jerusalem; Feast day 26 December) was a Christian Deacon in Jerusalem who is believed to have been the first Christian martyr. His apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defence of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of