SPEAR Factoids about

Personal Information

Name variant(s):

Stephen See factoid page

Sex:

Stephen was male. See factoid page

Place of residence:

After the exile, Stephen resided in Petra. See factoid page

Stephen resided in the Convent of John Urtaya. See factoid page

Sanctity:

Stephen was a saint. See factoid page

Occupation(s):

Stephen was a deacon. See factoid page

Stephen was a notary. See factoid page

Stephen was a syncellus. See factoid page

Physical Trait:

Stephen was sickly and feeble of body. See factoid page

Relationships

Theodora, Roman empress sent a letter to Stephen. See factoid page

John of Ephesus commemorated Stephen. See factoid page

Mara, metropolitan of Amid had ecclesiastical authority over Stephen, Thomas and Sergius. See factoid page

Events

The persecution reached Mare, Bishop of Amida in Mesopotamia and he chose exile over the synod of Chalcedon. He went into exile in Petra with Sergius, Stephen, and Thomas. See factoid page

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Thomas, Stephen, and Zwtʾ departed from the Convent of John Urtaya after two years and headed toward Egypt. See factoid page

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Theodora sent a letter to Stephen, inviting the monks to stay with her at court. See factoid page

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Stephen accepted the invitation and tried to convince Thomas and Zwtʾ to accompany him, but they refused and parted ways. Thomas wished to dedicated the remainder of his life to fasting and praying alone in the desert. See factoid page

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Stephen lived a life of asceticism and abstinence, setting an excellent example for the king, queen, and senators. See factoid page

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Stephen died. See factoid page

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Mare sent Stephen to the Royal City to ask for relief from their distress in Petra. Stephen appealed to Theodora. She appealed to her husband Justinian. He appealed to his uncle, Justin I who stated that Mare could come to Alexandria. See factoid page

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Stephen delivered the order to come to Alexandria to Mare and his men as well as to Isidore, Bishop of Kenneshrin, also in exile. See factoid page

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Mare and his men found an old man who sold utensils for a living in the village of Mendis. He lived in a community of other religious exiles. Stephen and Thomas asked the man to lead them to the exiles. See factoid page

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Stephen intended to live an ascetic life, but he was sickly and feeble of body. See factoid page

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Stephen and the sisters of Mare, Anonymous 3606 and Anonymous 3607, received permission from Theodora to take Mare's bones to his own country. See factoid page

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Stephen saw that Thomas was residing in Monastery of John Urtaya and decided to join him, as did another monk who served under Mare, named Zota. All three men dwelled in the Monastery of John Urtaya for two years. See factoid page

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