Who was the first Christian martyr?

Who was the first Christian martyr? Stephen is traditionally recognized as the first Christian martyr, or protomartyr. His death is recounted in Acts 6–7, where he is accused of speaking against the Temple and the Law, gives a speech reviewing Israel’s history, and is then taken outside Jerusalem and stoned.

Stephen was one of seven men chosen by the early Christian community to help distribute food fairly among widows and other members. Acts describes him as full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and as a powerful preacher who performed signs and debated opponents. His speech presents Jesus as the culmination of Israel’s history while criticizing resistance to God’s messengers.

As Stephen dies, Acts portrays him praying for forgiveness for his killers and seeing a vision of Jesus standing at God’s right hand. Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul, is presented as approving the killing, although he was not yet a Christian apostle at that point.

James son of Zebedee and other apostles were also later martyred, but Stephen is the first martyr explicitly identified in the New Testament’s Christian narrative. His feast is observed on different dates in different traditions.