Is Gamaliel a saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

According to Church tradition, Gamaliel is recognized as having embraced the Christian faith, but he does not have an independent liturgical feast day or a widespread individual cult of veneration.

1. Biblical Account

In the New Testament, Gamaliel (often identified as Rabban Gamaliel the Elder) was a prominent Pharisee, a highly respected doctor of the Law, and the teacher of St. Paul (Acts 22:3). When the Sanhedrin sought to execute the Apostles, Gamaliel intervened with wisdom, advising:

"And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God." (Acts 5:38–39)

2. Church Tradition and the Synaxarium

The tradition of his conversion and death in the faith is preserved in the Church, specifically recorded in the Synaxarium under the 15th of Tout, which commemorates the Translation of the Relics of St. Stephen the Archdeacon and Protomartyr:

• In 415 A.D., Gamaliel appeared in repeated visions to a pious priest named Lucian in Jerusalem.
• In these visions, Gamaliel identified himself as the teacher of St. Paul and revealed that he had secretly provided care and burial for St. Stephen on his own country estate (Caphargamala) to protect the martyr’s body from desecration.
• Gamaliel also revealed that he, along with Nicodemus and his own son Abibas (Habib), had received Holy Baptism from the Apostles, remained faithful to Christ until death, and were buried together near St. Stephen.

3. Liturgical Status

The Church accepts the historical tradition that Gamaliel accepted Christ, was baptized, and was laid to rest alongside the holy Protomartyr. However:

• He does not have a separate feast day dedicated to him in the Coptic calendar.
• Churches and altars are not consecrated in his name.
• His remembrance is maintained within the context of the discovery and honoring of the relics of St. Stephen the Archdeacon.