Jake Wilson

Ms. Celia Sinclair

Global Connections
16 February 2016
Christian Martyrdom
Looking back into the past you can find every crazy thing man has ever
done and for example, the Persecution of Christians. Martyr, comes from
the Greek word, , which means witness. Christian martyrs are
people who are killed for following Jesus. I believe that Christian martyrdom
can be seen and viewed today in an overwhelming amount of diverse ways.
By just glancing back into history and reading the first result on google today
you are most likely going to feel sorry for all the Christians who died and call
the Romans of the time savages. After gathering all my research I am
prepared to explain how the stereotypical views of the Persecution of
Christians are false.
The perpetrators of these acts, the Romans, were one of the most
powerful nations of the time period. They were known for acts just like this
and much worse. Just like every other nation and empire it had a religion or a
set of beliefs that were expected to be followed by those living in the Roman
Empire. One of the most important things to note that is often misunderstood
is that these Christians were not being persecuted by the Romans for their
belief in Jesus or their refusal to worship the Roman Emperor. The dislike of
Christians come into play mainly because of their vast and spreading refusal

to worship the Roman gods and take part in sacrifice. Through my eyes I am
able to understand the reasoning of the Romans to begin persecution.
Thinking in perspective of the Romans and the time period of the 3rd Century,
referencing many other historical events before and after this, the acts of the
Romans were quite understandable and expected. They were one of the
most powerful nations and in this time period you do not become that
powerful without showing dominance and gaining the respect of others. And
you do this by ridding of any threat to your society and in this instance it is
Christianity. Wayne A. Meeks Professor of Biblical Studies at Yale University
says, This is dangerous - we can't have this large a group, which by the
way, is also very highly organized, and, unlike other religious communities, is
organized not just on a local basis, but is organized on an empire-wide basis.
Something has to be done about it...." I also believe that the Romans went
easy on the Christians, compared to what Romans have done too many
people in history these persecutions were nothing. Mostly in part due to the
fact that many Christians could have got out of dying if their life was really
what they cared about by simply worshiping someone else or stop
worshiping Jesus and in this case begin worshipping the Roman gods until
they could leave and worship Jesus again. When it comes to how they were
killed after they decided not to leave and remain a devoted follower of Jesus,
extreme executions were used but also expected of the Romans. For
example, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture

and capital punishment. I believe were the Romans actions were justified for
the time and they did what they are known.
On the other hand, the side of the Christians and the individuals being
persecuted for their beliefs, there are some interesting arguments to be
made. These Christians in Rome during the 3rd century didnt know it at the
time but they are responsible for arguably the most important in the
advancement and spread of Christianity. I believe one individual by the name
of Father Tertullian from the 2nd century church is highly responsible for this.
He known for saying, the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,
implying that a martyr willing to give their live will lead to the conversion of
others. Early Christian specialist Paula Fredriksen states, The martyrs are a
heroic minority. If it was not for this man I do not belief a fraction of the
Christians who gave their lives would have without knowing that their
sacrifice would advance and spread Christianity even wider. Because these
Christians in Rome knew what their sacrifice would mean, they were more
likely to not only accept death but do it willingly to honor Jesus. The
Persecution of Christians, specifically in Rome is one those events that makes
something stand out and become something great and that is what
Christianity did. Christianity as a whole gained glory in every way imaginable
from these events as Professor Elizabeth Clark states, I think the martyrdom
stories that got circulated were very important for the development of early
Christianity. The story of Perpetua and what was found in her diary brings
only supports how I feel about this event has a whole. She was given was the

opportunity to have her life spared, she was asked, Are you a Christian?
and replied Yes, I am, knowing that she sealed her fate. I believe she was
giving a fair choice, life, or what she thought was life, and she chose what
she believed in. It is important to note that even today Christianity and every
religion are still persecuted. CAS religion scholar David Frankfurter says,
numerous religious groups suffer persecutions today and then went on to
state that, There are all sorts of violent persecutions taking place today, and
I would probably rate the massacre of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and Iraq,
along with the massacre of everyday Muslims and Christians in northern
Nigeria, at least as high as persecution of Christians in various places. The
point I find most interesting and important when talking about today is when
he says, The problem with imagining a global persecution of Christians, or
of any religious group, is that each case is really quite different. Throughout
history every religion faces persecutions in different ways, at different levels,
and from different people. The obvious example is the Christian Martyrdom
that took place in Rome during the 3rd century. It is important to note how
persecution has evolved throughout the centuries
All in all I believe that these events are just everyday events of the
past and the only reason we are talking about this now is because how
dominating Christianity is in everyday life today. It is important to be able to
understand the differences between the past and the present to help us
prepare for the future. I believe religion is myth even though it is a huge
factor in human history and that is also why I believe religion defines humans

and provides us with the devotion to be better that all humans have. The
Martyrdom of Christians is just one event of many to have occurred and to
occur in the remainder of the human era and define our existence on the
planet.