Did St Stephen know Jesus personally?

Answer 1

It is hard to say if Stephen knew Jesus personally. There is nothing in The Bible to indicate that he did.

As to Stephens existence? It is said Stephens body was left outside the city to be eaten by the dogs. Then 1 day later his remains were taken and buried by Gamaliel and his son. Years later Stephen's remains were exhumed and taken to Constantinople where today you can see his whole right arm at The Holy Trinity of St. Sergius Lavra. If Stephen did not exist then they have got the wrong right arm.

Answer 2

St. Stephen was an otherwise unknown martyr mentioned only in Acts of the Apostles, which does not suggest that Stephen had actually known Jesus personally. In fact, there are doubts about the story of Stephen - Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) says that we can never verify the martyrdom or even existence of Stephen.