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I am unfamiliar with the apostle Stephen. Please point him out to me in scripture.
He wasn't one of the 12 but he was "raised up" by them so to speak, and so would have been saying the same things as the ones who "fed him", which got him martyred. So not that big a stretch to conclude all the stories of the other ones being martyred for the faith, probably were also true. Peace
I am unfamiliar with the apostle Stephen. Please point him out to me in scripture.
So far as I know, Stephen only appears in Acts and is a victim of persecution by the Sanhedrin in which Paul in involved before his Conversion. Paul doesn't tell us anything and he looks like an invention of the writer of Acts 9surelyLuke) who just wanted to put some meat on the barebones statement by Paul that he persecuted the early church. Reference to him it without value and is no real evidence about what the apostles believed, how Paul was opposed to the early church or how he became converted.
He wasn't one of the 12 but he was "raised up" by them so to speak, and so would have been saying the same things as the ones who "fed him", which got him martyred. So not that big a stretch to conclude all the stories of the other ones being martyred for the faith, probably were also true. Peace
If Stephen was "raised up" by the apostles later then he wasn't a personal eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, was he! He didn't die for claims which he knew to be a lie.
So far as I know, Stephen only appears in Acts and is a victim of persecution by the Sanhedrin in which Paul in involved before his Conversion. Paul doesn't tell us anything and he looks like an invention of the writer of Acts 9surelyLuke) who just wanted to put some meat on the barebones statement by Paul that he persecuted the early church. Reference to him it without value and is no real evidence about what the apostles believed, how Paul was opposed to the early church or how he became converted.
There is no particular reason to discredit the story of Stephen. The point is that Stephen was NOT an apostle, and therefore NOT an eyewitness to any of the events surrounding the life and death of Jesus. It's a matter of history that many Christians were marytered for their beliefs, mainly in the second and third centuries. But none of them died for what they knew to be a lie.
If Stephen was "raised up" by the apostles later then he wasn't a personal eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, was he! He didn't die for claims which he knew to be a lie.
Can't make that stretch. He very well could have been an eyewitness of ministry of Jesus. But given the brevity of his earthly ministry the apostles still would have had the lion's share of the maturation of the people in the faith. Doesn't mean he wasn't a witness originally. Peace
Can't make that stretch. He very well could have been an eyewitness of ministry of Jesus. But given the brevity of his earthly ministry the apostles still would have had the lion's share of the maturation of the people in the faith. Doesn't mean he wasn't a witness originally. Peace
The claim by Christians is that people do not expose themselves to death defending a claim they know to be a lie. In fact the only individual in scripture that can this could be said to be true of is James the brother of John. The apostles almost certainly genuinely knew what actually happened concerning their claim that the corpse of Jesus returned to life. Stephen cannot be directly connected to the earliest original followers of Jesus. After James was executed, all the rest of the apostles, save Peter, disappear from the story presented in Acts. The claim, so often presented by Christians, that the apostles were all willing to undergo great hardships and even death to preach the story of the risen Jesus is not supported either historically, or by scripture.
The claim by Christians is that people do not expose themselves to death defending a claim they know to be a lie. In fact the only individual in scripture that can this could be said to be true of is James the brother of John. The apostles almost certainly genuinely knew what actually happened concerning their claim that the corpse of Jesus returned to life. Stephen cannot be directly connected to the earliest original followers of Jesus. After James was executed, all the rest of the apostles, save Peter, disappear from the story presented in Acts. The claim, so often presented by Christians, that the apostles were all willing to undergo great hardships and even death to preach the story of the risen Jesus is not supported either historically, or by scripture.
The claim by Christians is that people do not expose themselves to death defending a claim they know to be a lie. In fact the only individual in scripture that can this could be said to be true of is James the brother of John. The apostles almost certainly genuinely knew what actually happened concerning their claim that the corpse of Jesus returned to life. Stephen cannot be directly connected to the earliest original followers of Jesus. After James was executed, all the rest of the apostles, save Peter, disappear from the story presented in Acts. The claim, so often presented by Christians, that the apostles were all willing to undergo great hardships and even death to preach the story of the risen Jesus is not supported either historically, or by scripture.
Better read on....yes, they ran away when the manner in which He should die was revealed (both before and after the cross; something Christians STILL do to this day when they count the cost), but they manned up and were front and center by Acts 2, after they had met the risen Lord. There were 120 there present by then, a 10 fold increase. And after that day 3000 more. Peace
Better read on....yes, they ran away when the manner in which He should die was revealed (both before and after the cross; something Christians STILL do to this day when they count the cost), but they manned up and were front and center by Acts 2, after they had met the risen Lord. There were 120 there present by then, a 10 fold increase. And after that day 3000 more. Peace
And, helped by converting people by sword-point and burning doubters at the stake, their numbers increased with every slaughter!!
And everyone lived happily ever after!
Amen.
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