Luke devotes exceptional space to Stephen's speech, which is the longest speech reported in the book of Acts. This literary importance shows that the evangelist attributes a particular significance to it in the development of his narrative.
The considerable place given to this address suggests that Stephen had the opportunity to speak at length before the . Luke had already emphasized that his face appeared to the members of the council “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6.15). This remark might explain, at least in part, why the accused was allowed to develop his argument so extensively.
However, as with the other speeches in Acts, Luke probably did not try to reproduce the full words spoken. Faithful to the method he sets out at the beginning of his Gospel, he seems to have retained the elements he judged most significant (Luke 1.1-4).
2- An interpretation of salvation history
Stephen's argument rests on a particularly strong guiding idea. Retracing the great stages of the history of Israel, from Abraham to Solomon, he shows that God's messengers were frequently misunderstood or rejected by those to whom they were sent.
Joseph was rejected by his brothers, Moses was challenged by his people, and the prophets were persecuted. This long succession of oppositions culminates in the rejection of the Messiah himself, Jesus of Nazareth.
Stephen's speech is therefore not a mere historical retrospective. It is above all a theological interpretation of salvation history, intended to show the continuity between the unfaithfulness of past generations and the attitude of Jesus' contemporaries.
3- The central place of Moses
The considerable place given to Moses is by no means accidental. Stephen devotes the greater part of his speech to this major figure in the history of Israel and highlights in particular the episodes that reveal the rejection of the great lawgiver by his own people.
He recalls in particular that the one chosen by God to deliver Israel was at first misunderstood and pushed away by his brothers (Acts 7.25-28). Despite the wonders performed in the wilderness, the generation that came out of Egypt then turned away from him and returned to idolatry in the episode of the golden calf (Acts 7.39-41).
By a remarkable reversal, the one accused of blaspheming against Moses appears instead as the one who best grasps his place in salvation history.
4- The accused becomes the accuser
It is striking to note that Stephen does not truly seek to defend himself. To be sure, he responds indirectly to the accusations made against him concerning the Law and the Temple, by demonstrating his perfect knowledge of the Scriptures and his attachment to the heritage of Israel.
However, his main aim does not seem to be to obtain an acquittal. Like the prophets of the Old Testament, he appears more concerned with faithfulness to the message he has received than with his own fate.
After recalling the great stages of the history of Israel, he addresses the members of the directly:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7.51).
He adds:
“You who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it!” (Acts 7.53).
Thus the one who appears as the accused gradually becomes the accuser of his judges, who in turn find themselves placed under the judgment of the Word of God.
5- Stephen in the line of the prophets and of Christ
This reversal recalls several scenes in the Gospels in which Jesus himself, while being judged, unveils the spiritual responsibility of his adversaries.
Like his Master, Stephen does not content himself with answering the accusations made against him. His speech resembles a prophetic sermon more than a defense aimed at obtaining an acquittal.
Luke thus seems to present Stephen in continuity with the prophets of the Old Testament and in the footsteps of Christ himself. The accused becomes the faithful witness who proclaims the truth without compromise before the highest religious authorities of Judaism.
6- The effect of the speech
Stephen's words were extremely severe and could only exasperate men already hostile to his witness. In the tense context of this appearance, a violent reaction from some members of the council seems understandable.
However, it is impossible for us to assess precisely the effect this speech had on the consciences of those who heard it. Not all the members of the perhaps shared the same degree of hostility.
The presence of Saul at the (Acts 7.58) shows that this witness was borne before the man who would later become the apostle Paul. If nothing allows us to assert that Stephen's speech played a direct role in his conversion, it is hard to imagine that an event of such intensity left no trace in the memory of the future apostle.
7- A major turning point in Acts
We will not dwell here on the detailed content of the speech, which will be the subject of a particular study in the appendix entitled: “Stephen's speech.”
Let us simply point out that this address is one of the theological high points of the book of Acts. Hostility now reaches its height, and everything indicates that events will gradually slip out of control.
The appearance before the , which perhaps did not initially aim at a capital sentence, seems to degenerate in the following chapter into an outburst of collective violence.
From Luke's perspective, Stephen's witness marks a major turning point in the history of the Church. His death will cause the dispersion of the believers and will contribute, paradoxically, to the expansion of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem, in keeping with the missionary program announced by Jesus (Acts 1.8 ; Acts 8.1-4).
(Acts 1.8) ; (Acts 8.1-4) – The dispersion of the believers and the expansion of the Gospel
(Acts 6.15) ; (Luke 1.1-4) – The setting of Stephen's speech and Luke's method
(Acts 7.25-28) ; (Acts 7.39-41) – Moses rejected by his people
(Acts 7.51) ; (Acts 7.53) – The accusation made against the
(Acts 7.58) – The presence of Saul at the of Stephen
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