ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the first dreamvision of the saint whose personal appearance was not known as a heavenly human being, and now performing a cure. Throughout, however, the chapter proposes to convert the remaining unbelievers in the city the prominence throughout the stories of Old Testament allusions may indicate that the Jews were a special target group and to draw people into the Church and its doctrines through the benefactions to be expected from the saint. As, in fact, in Ambrose's Milan and Victricius's Rouen, in this dream cure the Church is seen to take the leading role in guiding the faithful toward expecting divine help through and from the saint. However this may be, Stephen as the first and only biblically attested Christian martyr was now clearly the perfect saint for everyone, Catholics and former Donatists, to rally around and thereby effect the cohesion of the community.
