Martyrium des Heiligen Stephan (the Martyrdom St. Stephen)

Hugo Renye

Hugo Renye is a little known German illustrator who worked in the 1920's. This print, using etching, aquatint and stippling, is a violent image depicting the stoning of Saint Stephen. Considered by many to be the first Christian saint Stephen was stoned to death for blasphemy for publicly denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgement of him.

At this time Jewish law permitted the death penalty by stoning for blasphemy. The witnesses, whose duty it was to throw the first stones, laid their coats down so as to be able to do this, at the feet of a "young man named Saul", later to be known as Paul the Apostle. Stephen prayed that the Lord would receive his spirit and his killers be forgiven, sank to his knees, and "fell asleep".[Acts 7:58–60] Saul "approved of their killing him".[Acts 8:1].