Canaanites.” Since the Bible record does not detail the manner in which the stars “fought,” it appears sufficient to regard the statement as showing some divine action of a miraculous nature taken on behalf of Israel’s army.—Gen. 18:14.

STATER

A silver coin with which the temple tax was paid for Jesus and his apostle Peter. Equivalent to four drachmas, it amounted to about four days’ wages at that time. (Matt. 17:24, 27) Many scholars view it as the tetradrachma minted at Antioch (Syria) or Tyre. The Tyrian tetradrachma, approximately the size of the United States half-dollar, bore the head of the god Melkarth on the obverse side, an eagle perched on a ship’s rudder on the reverse side, and an inscription reading “Tyre the Holy and Invincible.” A likeness of Emperor Augustus appeared on the tetradrachma of Antioch.

STATUTE

A formally established and recorded rule or law, divine or human. (Gen. 26:5; Ps. 89:30-32; Dan. 6:15) The Bible reveals Jehovah God to be the supreme Statute-giver.—Isa. 33:22; see LAW; LAWGIVER.

STATUTE-GIVER

See LAWGIVER.

STEALING

See THIEF.

STEEL

See IRON.

STEPHANAS

(Stephʹa·nas) [crowned].

One of the mature members of the congregation at Corinth, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia in southern Greece. Paul personally baptized Stephanas’ household as the “first fruits” of his ministry in that province. (1 Cor. 1:16; 16:15) Some five years later, about 55 C.E., Stephanas, together with two other brothers from Corinth, visited Paul in Ephesus, and it may have been through them that Paul learned of the distressing conditions about which he wrote in his first canonical letter to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1; 11:18) Also, it may have been by their hands that this letter was delivered to Corinth.—1 Cor. 16:17.

STEPHEN

(Steʹphen) [crown, wreath].

The first Christian martyr. Though his name is Greek, he was one of the faithful Jewish remnant that accepted and followed the Messiah.—Acts 7:2.

HIS APPOINTMENT TO A SPECIAL MINISTRY

Stephen’s name first appears in the Bible record in connection with the appointment of men to special service responsibilities in the Christian congregation at Jerusalem. The account reads: “Now in these days, when the disciples were increasing, a murmuring arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.” The apostles saw the need for special attention to this matter, and instructed the congregation: “So, brothers, search out for yourselves seven certified men from among you, full of spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them over this necessary business.” These qualified men were then selected, and were appointed by the apostles.—Acts 6:1-4.

Stephen therefore received an appointment to a ministry in a special way. He may have already been an “older man” or “overseer,” along with the six others appointed over “this necessary business,” the distribution of food supplies. These men were men “full of spirit and wisdom,” which this particular emergency required, for it was, not only the mechanical distribution of food supplies (possibly in the form of grains and other staples), but also a matter of administration. The duties may have called for these men to handle buying, keeping of records, and so forth. So, although such work, if on a lesser scale or under other circumstances, might have been such as would be handled by a di·aʹko·nos, a “ministerial servant,” not an “overseer” or “older man,” the situation here was a sensitive one, difficulty and differences already existing in the congregation. Therefore it required men of notable judgment, discretion, understanding and experience. Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin indicates his qualifications.

While taking care of these appointed ministerial duties, Stephen vigorously continued his Christian preaching. The chronicler Luke reports that “Stephen, full of graciousness and power,” and “performing great portents and signs among the people,” was bitterly opposed by Jews of the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen and others from Asia and Africa. But Stephen spoke with such wisdom and spirit that they could not hold their own against him. As had been done in Jesus’ case, these enemies secretly secured false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy before the Sanhedrin.

HIS DEFENSE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN

Stephen boldly recounted God’s dealings with the Jews from the time of their forefather Abraham, and concluded with powerful accusations against his own audience of religious leaders. As they were cut to the heart by the truth of the accusations and began to gnash their teeth at him, Stephen was favored by God with a vision of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand. At his description of the vision, the assembly shouted and rushed upon him with one accord and threw him outside the city. Then, laying their garments at the feet of Saul, they stoned Stephen to death. Just before ‘falling asleep in death’ Stephen prayed: “Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them.” Certain reverent men came and gave him a burial and lamented his death. Great persecution then broke out against the Christians, scattering them (though the apostles remained in Jerusalem), and resulting in the spreading of the good news.—Acts 6:8–8:2; 11:19; 22:20; see FREEDMAN, FREEMAN.

Stephen’s account delivered before the Sanhedrin includes a number of facts concerning Jewish history that are not found in the Hebrew Scriptures: Moses’ Egyptian education, his age of forty when he fled Egypt, the forty-year duration of his stay in Midian before returning to Egypt, and the role of angels in giving the Mosaic law.—Acts 7:22, 23, 30, 32, 38.

Stephen was the first to bear witness that he had seen, in a special vision, Jesus returned to heaven and at the right hand of God, as prophesied at Psalm 110:1.—Acts 7:55, 56.

STEWARD

[Heb., so·khenʹ; Gr., oi·ko·noʹmos].

One placed in charge of the household or of certain property belonging to another. A steward might be a freeman or a trusted slave. The ‘unrighteous steward’ to whom Jesus referred in one of his illustrations seems to be pictured as a freeman. (Luke 16:1, 2, 4) Kings, and many other persons of wealth or distinction, had a steward, and men might vary as to the degree of authority they gave to their stewards. The Greek word e·piʹtro·pos, “man in charge,” is closely related in meaning, since a steward often had oversight of the house as well as the other servants and the property, and at times over business affairs.—Gal. 4:1-3; Luke 16:1-3.

Abraham had a faithful servant, Eliezer of Damascus as man in charge of his extensive belongings, consisting of great wealth of livestock and, at one time, many slaves, although Abraham held no land possessions other than a burial plot. (Gen. 13:2; 14:14; 15:2; 23:17-20; Acts 7:4, 5) Joseph, as a slave in Egypt, came to be in charge of Potiphar’s house. (Gen. 39:1-4, 8, 9) King Elah of Israel had a man over his household in Tirzah. This was likely a custom also of the other ancient kings. (1 Ki. 16:9) Shebna was steward over the king’s house in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, but he was unfaithful and was replaced by Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.—Isa. 22:15, 20, 21.

In the Christian Greek Scriptures we find that Herod Antipas had a man in charge of his house, whose wife ministered from her belongings to Jesus (Luke 8:3), and Jesus, in an illustration, referred to a man in charge of the vineyard laborers who paid them at the end of the day.—Matt. 20:8.

The responsibilities and administrative duties of a steward suitably describe the ministry entrusted by Jehovah God to the Christian. Jesus describes his body of faithful anointed ones on earth as the “faithful and discreet slave,” but as a slave they also serve as a steward for him, having had committed to them in these “last days” “all his belongings”—including the preaching of “this good news of the kingdom” throughout the earth, and teaching those who wish to hear. (Matt. 24:14, 45; Luke 12:42-44) Overseers in the Christian congregation are “stewards,” and faithfulness is strictly required of them. (Titus 1:7; 1 Cor. 4:1, 2) Paul, as an apostle, especially as the apostle to the Gentiles, had a special stewardship entrusted to him. (1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 3:1, 2) Peter points out to all Christians, overseers or otherwise, that they are stewards of God’s undeserved kindness expressed in various ways, and shows that each has a sphere or a place in God’s arrangement in which he can carry out a faithful stewardship.—1 Pet. 4:10.

STOCKS

An ancient instrument of confinement and punishment, consisting of a wooden frame in which a seated victim’s feet were locked (2 Chron. 16:10; Jer. 20:2, 3), often while he was exposed to public gaze and ridicule. Roman stocks had several holes so that, if desired, the legs could be widely separated, adding to the torture. Stocks for confining the feet are called sadh in Hebrew (Job 13:27; 33:11), and, since made of wood, are designated by the Greek term xyʹlon (wood). While imprisoned at Philippi, Paul and Silas were confined in stocks that held their feet.—Acts 16:24.

Elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures another word, mah·peʹkheth, is rendered “stocks.” Since it carried the thought of twisting, it appears that the person so confined was forced into a bent or distorted bodily posture. This device may have held the feet, hands and neck, or perhaps it could be used with other means for holding the neck and arms. The stocks and the pillory might have been combined to hold the legs as well as the neck and arms.—Jer. 29:26, NE [1970 ed.], NW.

STOICS

(Stoʹics).

Philosophers, some of whom, with certain Epicureans, conversed with Paul controversially in the marketplace at Athens. He was declaring the good news about Jesus and the resurrection, but they called him a “chatterer” and said he seemed to be “a publisher of foreign deities.” Later, having been led to the Areopagus, Paul cited writings of the Stoics Aratus of Cilicia (in his Phainomena) and Cleanthes (in Hymn to Zeus), saying: “For by [God] we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among you have said, ‘For we are also his progeny.’”—Acts 17:17-19, 22, 28.

Zeno of Citium, Cyprus, after associating with the Cynics for a time, established this separate school of philosophy about 300 B.C.E. His disciples got the name Stoics from the Stoa Pœcile, the painted porch in Athens where he taught for some fifty-eight years. Stoic philosopy was further developed particularly by Cleanthes and Chrysippus and was widely accepted among the Greeks and Romans, its adherents including Seneca, Epictetus and the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It flourished until about 300 C.E.

The studies of the Stoics included logic, physics and ethics. Though their views changed somewhat with the passing of time, basically they held that matter and force (the latter sometimes being called providence, reason or God) were the elemental principles in the universe. To the Stoics all things, even vices and virtues, were material. Not believing in God as a Person, they thought that all things were part of an impersonal deity and that the human soul emanated from such source. Thinking the soul survived death of the body, some Stoics believed it would eventually be destroyed with the universe; others, that ultimately it would be reabsorbed by this deity. The Stoics maintained that to attain the highest goal, happiness, man should use his reason to understand and conform to the laws governing the universe. To them pursuing a life of virtue therefore meant ‘following nature.’ The truly wise man, in their estimation, was indifferent to pain or pleasure, independent of riches or poverty and the like. Fate, they thought, governed human affairs, and if problems seemed overwhelming, suicide was considered unobjectionable. Like the Epicureans, the Stoics did not believe in the resurrection as taught by Christians.

STOMACH

In the single mention of this word in the Scriptures, the apostle Paul recommends that the young man Timothy use a little wine for the sake of his stomach. (1 Tim. 5:23) In some instances where the Hebrew words translated “belly” and “inward parts” are used, they apparently include the stomach. (Prov. 13:25; Jonah 1:17) The same is true in the usage of “belly” in the Christian Greek Scriptures, as, for example, at Romans 16:18 and 1 Corinthians 6:13.—See BELLY.

STONE

The fact that stone was so widely used in ancient times as a building material has been of great aid to archaeologists in gaining some knowledge of the past. Temples, palaces, monuments and other structures of stone were erected by the Egyptians, Assyrians and other nations, on many of which are pictorial representations and inscriptions relating events, describing victories and depicting customs that throw light on their history as well as on their everyday life. The Hebrews used stone widely in buildings (Lev. 14:40, 41), walls (Neh. 4:3; Prov. 24:31), for covering wells, caves and tombs (Gen. 29:8; Josh. 10:18; John 11:38), for altars (Ex. 20:25), millstones (Judg. 9:53), water vessels (John 2:6), weights (Prov. 16:11) and many other purposes. However, the Hebrews did not erect monuments with pictorial bas-reliefs, as did the pagan nations; consequently little is known about their appearance, the exact styles of their clothing, and so forth. But the Bible provides a richer history of Israel, their manner of life and their personalities than the stone remains give of any of the other nations.

Stonecutting was a highly developed craft. (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Ki. 5:18) The stones for the temple of Solomon at Jerusalem were cut at the quarry, so that they fitted together at the temple site without further shaping.—1 Ki. 6:7.

FIGURATIVE USE

Jesus Christ is called the “foundation cornerstone” of the spiritual temple of Jehovah, upon which the spirit-begotten followers of Christ “as living stones are being built up a spiritual house.” The Jewish religious leaders, as national “builders,” rejected him as the “chief cornerstone,” stumbling over this stone because they were disobedient to God’s word.—Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-8; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Rom. 9:32, 33.

God’s kingdom is likened to a stone “cut out not by hands” and which will crush and put an end to all other kingdoms, and will itself stand “to times indefinite.”—Dan. 2:34, 44, 45.

At Revelation 2:17, the glorified Christ Jesus promises concerning the Christian conqueror: “I will give him a white pebble [“stone,” AV], and upon the pebble a new name written which no one knows except the one receiving it.” The word “pebble” here translates the Greek word pseʹphos. The apostle Paul uses the word when he recounts his former Persecution of Christians, saying: “I cast my vote [pseʹphos; literally, voting pebble] against them.” (Acts 26:10) Pebbles were used in courts of justice in rendering judgment