What function did martyrdom narratives have for Christian identity PDF

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What function did martyrdom narratives have for Christian identity?...

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What function did martyrdom narratives have for Christian identity? The word ‘martyr’ derives from the Greek word ‘witness,’ those that were executed are named ‘witnesses of the faith.’ High levels of martyrdom date back to the early first century through to the fourth century where Christianity was seen as a pagan religion by the Jews and the Roman Empire. Martyrdom is accountable for the increase and spread of early Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. In the following essay I will discuss the function of martyrdom narratives for developing and increasing Christian identity. I will use examples of different martyrs and references to support these claims. It is outlined that ‘the tradition of martyrdom has entered deep into the Christian consciousness,’1 as early Christians were faced with heavy persecution by the Romans for following a faith different to the official state religion. Christian missionaries, in particular, were determined to spread Christianity and its truth and were the primary target of the persecutions. At times, this would lead them to become martyred for their faith. The function of martyrdom on Christian identity is central to Christianity as the increased amounts of martyrdom is outlined to have been the reason for the increase and exposure of Christian identity. The fact that even though they faced heavy persecutions and threats, Christians held strong to their faith and ‘they refused to recant their beliefs, preferring martyrdom and unity with God in heaven than long life with their families on earth.’2 This is a symbol of Christian devotion and identity, something which inspired and surprised the pagans who witnessed such stories. 1 Kenneth Scott Latourette, ‘A History of Christianity,’ Volume 1: (Prince Press, 2000) chapter 5, paragraph 51. 2 Candida Moss, ‘The Myth of Persecution,’ (HarperOne; Reprint edition, 2013), p.7. 3 Jesus, being the first known martyr, played an immense role for inspiring future Christians as they developed a deep influence from Jesus’ sufferings. He was the perfect figure for Christians as ‘the death of Jesus and the promise of resurrection became a model for Christians.’3 Christians believed that ‘in times of persecution, the answer to the question ‘’What would Jesus do?’’ is that Jesus would die.’4 Jesus outlined that death is good if it means displaying your faith and devotion. Jesus once said, ‘take up your cross and follow Me,’ (Mark 8:34) which meant that He was encouraging those that believed to show their love through their willingness to die. Many early Christians believed that ‘to be a Christian was to suffer,’ 5 as the narrative of Jesus’ death inspired other Christians to portray the same devotion to God. What gives Christians hope and strength is their understanding that, ‘if God is in charge, everything that occurs in God’s universe must work for the greater good.’6 Stephen, one of the first martyrs following Jesus’ death, a young man who attracted the attentions of the Jewish council. Stephen was a significant feature for Christian identity as he questioned the council and ‘delivers a passionate speech in which he indicts the Jewish people for rejecting and persecuting their prophets.’7 Stephen’s death is significant in moulding Christian identity, during a period where Jewish and Christian identity is beginning to break and from differing religions. It is expressed that, ‘martyrdom narratives are key sites for identity construction among Jews and Christians,’8 as the early 3 Ibid., p.5. 4 Ibid., 5 Judith Perkins, ‘The Suffering Self,’ London: Routledge, (1995) p.32. 6 Nicole Kelley, p.737. 7 Moss p.6. 8 Moss, p.7. 4 Christians were determined to separate themselves from Jewish ideology and develop their own identity. For Christians, Stephen’s death is a symbol of Christian suffering and for Jews it is a symbol of the violence. The significance of Stephen’s death is that it is what ignited the separation of Jews and Christian identities. When Stephen was sentenced to death, he said a forgiveness prayer to his persecutors. This had great significance as ‘this extravagant prayer of mercy uttered by the dying victim on behalf of the villainous Jews marks the martyr as bound by a new and superior ethic.’ 9 The difference between the teachings of the Christians and the teachings of the Jews is portrayed in this narrative. Stephen, despite being persecuted by the Jews, shows love towards them by asking them to be forgiven. This had great influence of

Christian identity as Christianity teaches to love thy neighbour and to hold onto your faith when faced with hardship; exactly what Stephen represented. The first persecutions, following Stephen’s martyrdom, occurred under the Emperor Nero following the Great Fire of Rome, where Christians were blamed for the fire and later persecuted grotesquely as Nero is outlined as to have mercilessly fed them to the lions and had them act as human torches. Those that have faced this persecution ‘are remembered as glorious examples of lives lived in obedience to God.’10 The Roman Empire were understood to be the evil presence in the world and the Christians as the good which would combat their attempts at leading them away from following the true path. Eventually, Christian martyrs believed their purpose was to suffer for their faith, where they would finally be rewarded in God’s kingdom. Martyrs during this period were 9 Shelly Matthews, ‘Perfect Martyr,’ (Oxford University Press, 2010), p.9. 10 Moss p.4. 5 outlined as the primary role models, responsible for the later martyrdoms that would occur, which would support in the shaping of Christian identity. Another example of a deeply inspiring and well-known Christian is Justin Martyr who was beheaded for following and teaching Christianity. It is said that his martyrdom had ‘cemented his status among Christians, and his understanding of Christian life and teaching became central to those who carried his faith forward.’11 Polycarp is another example of a deeply inspiring martyr who was an early leader of the Church and was labelled a hero following his death. Polycarp was challenged to deny Jesus as God and when he refused, he was sentenced to be burned to death. The significance of these martyrdoms for Christian identity is known to be encouraging for others to also follow this path of struggling for their faith. Some Christians longed to be persecuted because ‘it brought honour from their fellowChristians and was supposed to erase any sins which had been committed,’ and to show ‘devotion of those who were ambitious to share the fate of their Lord.’12 The rewards for their persecutions made the sacrifice worth it for them as they all aspired to become a martyr and die for their faith. Becoming a martyr was viewed as a sign of devotion and complete faith in God. Furthermore, the fact that martyrs gained immediate access to Heaven once dead, rather than waiting for the Day of Judgement, supplied extra incentive to be martyred. Additionally, it is known that ‘those who had suffered for the faith as martyrs and had survived were believed to have the power to declare sins forgiven,’13 11 Amy Frykholm, ‘Christian Understanding of the Future: The Historical Trajectory,’ (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2016), p.85. 12 Kenneth, chapter 5. 13 Ibid., chapter 7. 6 which provided further encouragement to become a martyr. Several passages in the New Testament encouraged those suffering to use the weapon of love to overcome the struggles. Such weapons seemed to be powerful as Christianity started to develop a large following, including the Emperor Constantine. Martyrdom is debated to have been the most important and indispensable factor that helped the early Christians spread the religion and eventually dominate in the Roman Empire, despite the high levels of persecutions. The influence of martyrdom on Christian identity was immense as Tertullian famously stated that the blood loss from those who were persecuted was ‘the seed of the Church.’ The narratives found on the various martyrs attracted converts to the religion as they were inspired by their strong belief in God’s will. It is outlined that ‘the constancy of the martyrs under torture impressed many non-Christians.’14 The courage shown by those being persecuted had a great influence on Christian identity as they were encouraged to convert to Christianity. Thus, the success of the spread of Christianity is said to have been down to the influence of the martyrdom narratives. Moss outlines that ‘martyrdom was a necessary part of Christian existence and fostered the survival of Christianity.’15 Stephanie Cobb emphasises that martyr narratives had a direct impact on the listeners as ‘the fear or indignation the texts attribute to the narrative eyewitnesses of the martyrdom might transfer to the audience; and the emotions of fellow audience members could spread from hearer to hearer.’16 Martyrdom had a huge impact on those who heard of the 14 Ibid., chapter

5. 15 Moss, p.7. 16 L. Stephanie Cobb, ‘Divine Deliverance,’ (California: University of California Press, 2017), p.6. 7 narratives of those who had experienced the persecution in order to remain strong in their belief of God. Cobb outlines that ‘if we read the death scenes in martyr texts not as reflections of a historical reality but as hopes for an eschatological reality, as accounts not of trials and tortures but of God’s miraculous interactions in the world, perhaps we may find texts bodies that speak a truth quite different from what we expect.’17 Here Cobb is determined to visualise and understand the influence martyr narratives had during the period where many Christians recanted from their faith due to the persecutions and were losing hope in God. The martyr narratives provided hope and meaning to the suffering they faced as they were determined to not allow the persecutions to lead them away from the right path. Thus, we can see that the narratives presented by the martyrs had great influence on Christian identity and faith. Early Christian martyrdom had great influence on Christian identity and shaping the way Christians thought about life and death. Judith Perkins outlines that the emergence of a ‘suffering self’ became evident in early Christianity which gave Christians a purpose and new understanding on their identities. They understood that the suffering they would experience is by God’s Will as He is responsible for everything and everyone on Earth. Suffering, for Christians, formed the basis of the relationship between humanity and the divine. Thus, the way the ancient Christians responded to the persecutions emphasised the fact that they were rejecting the power structure of the Roman Empire, which ultimately led to their downfall. Perkins expresses that martyrdom dramatically shaped the thinking of early Christians which transformed society at that time and provided the ‘basis for the 17 Ibid., p. 12. 8 new political, social and religious unities that would follow.’18 Martyrdom narratives are ‘not just historical documents that reflect the practice of martyrdom, but texts that worked rhetorically to shape their readers’ way of being in the world.’19 The stories of martyrs influenced and strengthened early Christians faith and their belief in God and therefore, transformed Christian identity. To conclude, it can clearly be gathered from the essay outlined that martyrdom narratives were key in the creation of Christian identities. The function the persecutions of the early Christians had encouraged and inspired non-Christians to convert which ultimately increased the following of Christianity. Furthermore, the large extent of martyrs helped to portray Christianity as a religion that would not be deterred or frightened by the Roman Empire which had allowed Christianity to form their own identity, separate from the Jews. 18 Perkins, p.199. 19 Nicole Kelly, ‘Philosophy as Training for Death: Reading the Ancient Christian Martyr Acts as Spiritual Exercises,’ Cambridge University Press (2006) p.734. 9

Bibliography – 1. Moss, Candida, ‘The Myth of Persecution,’ HarperOne; Reprint edition (2013). 2. Scott Latourette, Kenneth, ‘A History of Christianity,’ Volume 1: (Prince Press, 2000). 3. Perkins, Judith, ‘The Suffering Self,’ (London: Routledge, 1995). 4. Frykholm, Amy, ‘Christian Understanding of the Future: The Historical Trajectory,’ (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2016). 5. Kelly, Nicole, ‘Philosophy as Training for Death: Reading the Ancient Christian Martyr Acts as Spiritual Exercises,’ (Cambridge University Press 2006). 6. Matthews, Shelly, ‘Perfect Martyr,’ (Oxford University Press, 2010)....