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==Life==
Stephen was a Roman of Greek ancestry who served as [[archdeacon]] to Bp. Lucius. Following the Decian persecutions of 250-251 Stephen zealously contended against the [[heresy]] of Novatus, particularly against Marcian, the bishop of Arles, who denied [[penance ]] and communion even to those who repented.
Stephen became Bishop of Rome in 254 following the repose of Bp. Lucius who had named Stephen as his successor. In contradiction to the position of Cyprian of Carthage, Stephen held that [[conversion|converts]] to Orthodoxy who had been baptized by splinter sects did not need to be re-baptized, a position that later gained broad acceptance.
