Stephen the Apostle or Stephen - the Holy Spirit Filled Deacon

....if you were in a bible study and heard Stephen (Book of Acts) referred to as "The Apostle Stephen" would you feel a need to immediately correct and ask "Do you mean Stephen the Deacon?" or maybe pull that person aside later and lovingly suggest "actually Stephen was not an apostle but is better described as a Holy Spirit filled deacon".

Would you be able to use Logos to quickly find and support your answer?

(I found one answer faster and more simply by doing a google search asking "Was Stephen an Apostle?"

http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/44-24/stephen-the-first-martyr

"What an amazing man was Stephen. He was not a deacon. They didn’t come until later, but he was put in charge of serving tables. He was not an apostle, but he did signs and wonders. The miraculous power granted to the apostles was extended to him and also to another leader by the name of Philip. He was not a prophet, but he was a great preacher. Not a deacon, but a servant. Not an apostle, but a miracle worker."

Logos 7.x Factbook listed Stephen as a deacon but I think might have actually been emphatic that he was also NOT an Apostle.

Comments anyone?

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Comments

Dave Hooton

Wouldn't you use your bible and refer to Acts 6:1-5?

JoshInRI

yes Dave....but these days I try to imagine real world scenarios in which Logos software might give a quick, fast, easily searched for outcome.

The Bible is always the first primary source (thanks for the reminder too).

Ever heard anyone refer to Stephen as an Apostle?

Maybe taking the person aside privately later and asking them "Can you show me in your Bible where Stephen is listed or described as an Apostle?".
It would be great to say "I used my Logos software and asked it - Was Stephen an Apostle?" and see the software definitely say no.

Many are so accustomed to saying "The Apostle Paul" that I can imagine that someone could easily say "The Apostle Stephen" as well.

I was also a little curious if many or any had heard Stephen described as an apostle in a group setting too.

DAL

Stephen was a deacon (spirit filled) not an apostle, end of discussion. I would immediately make the correction in a friendly way. Paul was an apostle by the will of God and chosen by Christ not men - no doubts there either. I had someone flipping the switch and teach cohabitation equals marriage and I immediately stopped him on his tracks and made sure people understood the Bible's teaching on the subject by preparing lessons on the subject. Some who were cohabiting got married and others who didn't want commitment, unfortunately, left the church and remain lost and living in fornication...sad. But yes, if it's being taught in public, address the issue right away.

My 2 cents!

DAL

MJ. Smith

It would be great to say "I used my Logos software and asked it - Was Stephen an Apostle?" and see the software definitely say no.

I prefer my software to provide accurate information.[:P]

[quote]

Members of this Greek-speaking congregation disputed with the apostle Stephen (Acts 6:9) and

Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 392.

[quote]

beginning with the stoning of the apostle Stephen shortly after the crucifixion of Christ

Tim LaHaye, Jesus (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009).

[quote]

We may read of the like of these, Acts 7:51, where the Apostle Stephen is preaching to some Jews,

Samuel Rutherford, Quaint Sermons of Samuel Rutherford (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1885), 340.

[quote]

I remember the Apostle Stephen when he was stoned, and persecuted; there was a Spirit in him

A Friend’s Discourse, Delivered at an Yearly Meeting of the Quakers, in Boston, on Friday the 30th of August, 1728. Taken down in Short Hand, Examined by Several That Heard It, and Now at Their Desire Made Publick., Early American Imprints, 1639-1800; No. 3028 (Boston: Printed for N. Belknap, and sold at his shop, near Scarlet’s Wharf, at the North End, 1728), 11.

[quote]

The Apocalypse which bears the name of Stephen the Apostle, apocryphal.

A. E. Breen, A General Introduction to the Study of Holy Scripture, Second Edition (Rochester, NY: John P. Smith Printing Company, 1908), 607.

Ever heard anyone refer to Stephen as an Apostle?

Depends upon how they are using the term "apostle" ... to me he was an "apostle" but not an "Apostle" - the latter being limited to the 12. I have not seen him referred to as a capital A apostle - heard I can't tell the intended capitalization. [:(] Okay if you look above you'll see I'm wrong here. [:$]

end of discussion.

nope, I continued it [;)]

MJ. Smith

teach cohabitation equals marriage

And perhaps in the Greco-Roman culture of the first century it did:

In ancient Greek and Roman civilization, marriages were private agreements between individuals and families. Community recognition of a marriage was largely what qualified it as a marriage. The state had only limited interests in assessing the legitimacy of marriages. Normally civil and religious officials took no part in marriage ceremonies, nor did they keep registries. There were several more or less formal ceremonies to choose from (partly interchangeable, but sometimes with different legal ramifications) as well as informal arrangements. It was relatively common for couples to cohabit with no ceremony; cohabiting for a moderate period of time was sufficient to make it a marriage. Cohabiting for the purpose of marriage carried with it no social stigma.

DMB

I wouldn't feel the need, no. Especially given that church leaders were scratching the heads on the term well before there was a New Testament.

I'm most impressed with the Apostle Jesus. I assume upper-cased relative to his divinity. As Dave suggested, the Bible is a good source.

delete12066188

"I found one answer faster and more simply by doing a google search asking "Was Stephen an Apostle?""

How long takes Google?

It took me 1 Seond to get the Answer...just read Act 1:21-23

The better Question would be is Stephen gifted with the Gift of an Apostle.

MJ. Smith

The better Question would be is Stephen gifted with the Gift of an Apostle.

Or even "what do I mean by apostle in this context?" - a necessary question when a word has more than one meaning.

Paul

Stephen was a deacon (spirit filled) not an apostle, end of discussion. I would immediately make the correction in a friendly way. Paul was an apostle by the will of God and chosen by Christ not men - no doubts there either. I had someone flipping the switch and teach cohabitation equals marriage and I immediately stopped him on his tracks and made sure people understood the Bible's teaching on the subject by preparing lessons on the subject. Some who were cohabiting got married and others who didn't want commitment, unfortunately, left the church and remain lost and living in fornication...sad. But yes, if it's being taught in public, address the issue right away.

My 2 cents!

DAL

In my view DAL is absolutely correct. Stephen was designated a deacon in the Word of God and not an apostle (Acts 6:1-6) I believe that to call him an apostle in the context of Acts is to confuse the use of the term apostle in that book. Indeed, when choosing a substitute for Judas the apostles defined who might be added to their number as an apostle: 21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. (Acts 1:21-22). Stephen was not among those considered for election and perhaps did not meet that criteria.

I can understand why some might be tempted to call him an apostle because of his evangelism and the miracles that accompanied his work, but equally, being filled with the Holy Spirit and having miracles including healing and deliverance are some of the signs of being a believer. Mark 16:15-20 is still in my Bible. From that perspective, signs and wonder's alone don't make an apostle - even if it were possible to have apostles today (an open question).

If the issue arises in a public group, I personally would hesitate to correct the person if it was likely just a slip of the tongue or the person was young or inexperienced. In any other case, gently mentioning to the public group that Stephen was a deacon according to Acts would usually be sufficient.

Keep well Paul

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