Introduction: cover art: Persecution of the First Christians by Giuseppe Mancinelli (1812-1875); book dedicated to son: “May you always be a bike witness for Jesus Christ”; Bonnie Witherall: American missionary in Lebanon, desire to surrender to God -> soon later gunned down by Muslim extremist; author: professor at Moody Bible Institute; purpose of book: 1) work of historical scholarship (John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs accused of falsifying history for anti-Catholic polemical purposes) 2) inspire Christians to greater faithfulness; despite opposition, most Western Christians do not exist in a constant state of deadly persecution -> do not be too quick to develop a martyr complex; “My desire is not that we point to a certain person, place, or circumstance today and say, “Look! Christian persecution! Pity us just like the ancient church!” Rather, I ask the readers of this book to reflect on what it may mean to take up their cross and follow in the Lord’s footsteps. For in the end, it is not death by leaping flames or gnashing fangs that binds the modern Christian to the ancient martyr; it is an unshakeable resolve to tollow hard atter Jesus Christ at any cost.”; myth: ancient church period was continuous oppression <-> it was localized and sporadic; three phases of Christian persecution: 1) disorganized, sponsored by Jewish authorities (but could not legally execute Christians) 2) state ban (AD 64 Nero chooses Christians as scapegoat for fire in Rome, persecution locally, execution for failing the “sacrifice test”) 3) empire level persecution (AD 250 Decius, central effort to impose paganism, AD 257 Valerian, AD 303 Diocletian); end: universal toleration of Christians (Edict of Milan, Constantine); source of persecution: clashing worldviews; despite few atheist philosophers Roman Empire was overwhelmingly religious; point of conflict: emperor worship; Christians accused of “atheism”: no connection to the gods; burial: preferred way to care for dead by Christians <-> ancient perspective: dead body dumped outside (-> cultural message: life is meaningless, people are dispensable and will be forgotten); catacombs: multistoried tunnels with tombs, both for poor & wealthy believers; honor to martyrs evolved into “cult (=religious devotion) of the saints”; martyrs & saints brought God near to people (contrary to modern societies, common people needed allies/friends to connect with the powerful); martyrs = imitation of Christ (imitatio Christi) & intercession (carry prayers) but often became superstitious (bone worship); “Catholics today continue the practice of petitioning the saints; most Protestants (like myself) do not. I know of no firm evidence in Scripture that the dead can even hear the prayers of the living (Rev. 5:8 is unclear). However, what I do know is that ancient Christians took comfort in the fullness of the church by including within Christ’s body those who already dwelled in his presence, as well as those still awaiting the beatific vision here on earth. It is this sense of communal solidarity I am trying to highlight here. The cult of the martyrs and saints did not necessarily “get in the way” of Jesus, as Protestants often imagine. On the other hand, I have no exegetical basis to think departed Christians can relay our prayers, much less affect earthly events, as saints are sometimes thought to do.”; hagiography: “writing about the saints”, the groups: 1) “acts” (related to court transcripts, most reliable) 2) “passions” (include theological interpretations) 3) legendary material (largest portion, least reliable); book focuses most on 1) and 2); “Thus, if you read this book from cover to cover, you will have encountered the very best sources that illustrate early Christian persecution. At times you may be horrified, outraged, humbled, or inspired. Try to let your emotions flow; don’t read this volume simply as a historical sourcebook. Not one of these texts was originally written without spiritual encouragement in mind. To suppress any personal reflection on them would be to ignore the authors’ wishes.”

1. The Maccabean Martyrs: Witnesses for God before Christ: 167 BC Greek king Antiochus IV: policy of religious uniformity (profaning Jerusalem temple, pagan sacrifices to Zeus - cf. abomination of desolation Dan 11:31); 2 Maccabees: records horrific deaths of some Jewish martyrs (eg. scribe Eleazar) apocryphal, yet great source of encouragement of early Christians; somewhat accurate but shows signs of embellishment; [2 Maccabees 6-7] Eleazar: forced to eat pork, friends suggested to bring his own meat & pretend to eat <-> refused (it would lead astray others & not worthy of his old age); more fearful of God’s judgment than the wrath of early rulers; 7 son of Jewish mother: mother asked to convince his son to obey -> she agreed but secretly convinced to be steadfast instead
2. Peter and Paul: Apostolic Proto-Martyrs: loosely based on historical events; [Acts of Peter 33-41]: 4 concubines of Agrippa convert by Peter’s preaching, agree not to have sex with Agrippa (not married to him) -> makes him angry (renunciation more about morality than feminist liberation); even within marriage, sex was viewed negatively by some early Christians (eg. Xanthippe: beautiful woman, decided to withdraw from her husband after hearing message of chastity); “The ancient Christians did not have a theology that celebrated wild sexual passion as long as it was within the bonds of marriage. Any time a bodily urge was in charge of one’s physical actions instead of self-control, the church fathers considered it problematic. Conservative sexual ethics-drawn from Jewish roots-characterized the ancient church from the beginning. Eventually this conservatism reached such an ascetic intensity that some Christians started to downplay holy matrimony. Saint Augustine had to write a book to remind everyone marriage was, in fact, a good thing.”; Peter asked to leave to escape the plot against him but returns back to Rome after seeing Jesus in a vision (“Domine, quo vadis?” - Lord, where are you going?); crucified upside down (may be fabricated); Marcellus gives lavish burial (filling coffin with Greek honey) <-> Peter appears & rebukes him for spending a lot on his dead body; Nero furious with Agrippa (he wanted to punish Peter more severely), attempts to persecute his disciples but stops after a frightening vision; [Acts of Paul 1-7]: resurrects Nero’s cupbearer, who later throws him and other believers to prison for following Christ; burned Christians (-> painting: Nero’s torches by Henryk Siemiradzki); beheaded Paul who appears later
3. Ignatius of Antioch: Final Journey to Christ: personal letter (more reliable source, no legendary elements); bishop of Antioch 100s AD; carried to Rome in chains, probably executed; [Letter to the Romans]: asks them not to rescue him from his death (eg through bribes), some Christi; “One of Ignatius’s contemporaries in Rome wrote a letter that mentions how Christians often sold themselves into slavery to raise money for ransoms or to buy food for the hungry. Ignatius tells the Roman Christians not to try anything like this.”; even if he will appeal for their rescue, they shouldn’t listen to him
4. Polycarp of Smyrna: A Gospel Passion: high degree of historical authenticity (but not just bare facts, narrative shaped by theological agenda); bishop of Smyrna (today’s Izmir in Turkey) in 2nd century AD; died in AD 156 at age 65 -> born only 4 decades after Jesus (church tradition: he was disciple of John); [The Martyrdom of Polycarp]: parallelism between Polycarp and Christ; both waited until they were betrayed; “However, there was also a man named Quintus who had recently arrived from Phrygia. He took one look at the beasts and chickened out. Now this was a man who had voluntarily turned himself in and pressured others to do so as well. After much urging, the provincial governor convinced Quintus to swear the oath to Caesar and make a pagan sacrifice! This is exactly why, brothers, we don’t praise anyone who gives himself up to the authorities. The gospel simply doesn’t teach that.”;
5. Justin Martyr: Apologetics at the Ultimate Price: published criticism against mayor executing pastor for simply being a Christian -> imperial elite disliked him; tried many philosophical doctrines, found all lacking, committed himself to Christ following an old man’s advice
6. The Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne: A Crown of Many Flowers: French cities, persecution in AD 177; Christians accused of orgies & cannibalism (some basis among local gnostic sects); next bishop of Lyons: Irenaeus; some denied Christ but suddenly began confessing again; church later divided on how to approach those who denied Christ under torture (Donatists: refused to accept any leader who had lapsed <-> Cyprian, Augustine: more merciful viewpoint: church must be hospital for broken sinners not just haven for perfect saints -> later won the day); corpses desecrated (thrown to dogs, left unburied, guarded by soldiers, burned after a week)
7. The Scillitan Martyrs: Africa Takes Its Stand: AD 180, North Africa; based on court transcripts (theological perspective added); emerging tend in North African church: rejecting not only pagan worship but the very world in which they lived (prone to fanaticism & dogmatism); age-old dilemma: how to be in the world but not of it;
8. Perpetua and Felicity: Heroines of Faith; Carthage (modern Tunisia), AD 203; Perpetua: aristocrat woman, know how to read & write; prison diary; executed at age 22; nursing infant son; belonged to radical faith movement (New Prophecy Movement - today Montanism: receiving divine prophecies in a trance, strict Christian lifestyle, living in end times), Felicity: Perpetua’s pregnant slave gave birth before martyrdom; both arrested as catechumens (unbaptized Christians who are still exploring), sent to jail only after baptism (=oath of allegiance, unmistakable sign of entrance into church -> similarly, it is often baptism that triggers persecution today); Perpetua’s father tries to convince her to give up her faith; “Father,” I said, “let me give you an example. Do you see this vessel lying here, this little pitcher or whatever?” “Yes, I see it,” he replied. “Could you call it by another name than what it really is?” “No.” “It’s the same with me. I can’t be called anything other than what I am: a Christian.”; tortured by worry for her baby, arranged to keep baby with her; requested vision from God: bronze ladder to heaven protected by dragon -> sign of martyrdom); father used her baby to try to persuade her; wouldn’t want to give her back -> God’s providence: baby stopped nursing & Perpetua didn’t suffer inflammation (mastitis); interceded for her brother who died at age 7 (-> hints about believers’ undetermined fate at death & value of prayer for the dead -> lead to direction of purgatory); defeats giant gladiator in vision (-> Devil);
9. Tertullian: “The Blood of Christians Is Seed”: possible editor of Perpetua’s story; passion for holiness (-> can slip into legalism); he & his followers alienated themselves from Christian community in Carthage; first church father to write in Latin instead of Greek; set theological trajectory for Western (first theologian to use the word “Trinity”); letter of encouragement to would-be martyrs (probably to Perpetua and her friends); [To the Martyrs]: world as prison: “Don’t let this segregation from the world bother you. When we stop and think what a greater prison house our world truly is, we realize you actually left the prison rather than entered one! The world has more darkness than a dungeon, for it blinds our hearts instead of our eyes. The world burdens us with heavier chains, the kind that constrict our very souls. The world exhales something much worse than a prison’s noxious vapors: the lusts of men. And the world contains the most criminals of all the whole human race! For every single person awaits final judgment, not from a human governor, but from God himself. And so, blessed ones, consider yourselves (if you can) to have been transferred from a prison to a sanctuary.”; freedom in prison: “For the moment, let’s just compare prison life to worldly life and try to determine whether your soul gains more than your body has to give up. The truth of the matter is, the body doesn’t actually lack what it needs in prison, thanks to the care of the church and the charity of the brethren. The soul simply gains some extras that are always helpful to faith. For example, you don’t have to look at weird gods or encounter their idols. You don’t have to participate in pagan holidays, even just by intermingling in the crowd. You aren’t afflicted by the disgusting smells of sacrifices or the raucous noise of the gladiator shows. The atrocities, mad passions, and sexual immorality of the pagan revelers cannot constantly hammer you in prison. Your eyes don’t keep falling on houses of prostitution right out in the open. You’re free from stumbling blocks, temptations, and seductive mental images. And in fact, you’re now free even from persecution.”; prison as sanctuary: “The prison offers to the Christian what the desert used to provide to the prophets. The Lord himself often went to a remote place so he could pray without interruption and withdraw from public life. In fact, it was in a secluded place that he revealed his glory to his disciples [at the transfiguration]. So let’s drop the name “prison” and start calling it a spiritual retreat. Though your body is shut inside a building and your flesh is restrained, the whole world is open to your spirit. Come! Wander freely in your spirit, and take a walk. But instead of walking down shady paths or lengthy colonnades, steer your feet onto the road that leads to God. Whenever you walk that spiritual path, you won’t be in jail. Your leg doesn’t feel the chain when your soul is in heaven. For the soul encompasses the whole self, taking you wherever you wish. And let us recall: “Where you heart is, there will your treasure be also” [Matt. 6:21]. So let our hearts go where we want to find our treasure.”; Christians called to endurance (~ soldiers/athletes); [Apology 50]: comprehensive defense of Christian faith, addresses not just fellow believers but calls judges to honor martyrs’ self-sacrifice (their death is just as noble as pagan examples); famous slogan: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” -> what her actually said was “the blood of Christians is seed”
10. Origen of Alexandria: A Theology of Martyrdom: letter of encouragement, similar to Tertullian’s To the Martyrs; Origen: hometown in Alexandria, Egypt, father martyred at age 16, mother wanted to protect him from same fate: confined him to the house by hiding all his clothes; tortured in prison, died soon after release; nickname: “diamond” (both beautiful & unbreakable); martyrs warning benefits from God (not works of salvation but reward in heaven - 1Cor 9:24-27), martyr’s blood can have atoning effect (not biblical, this goes to far); [Encouragement to Martyrdom 1-12]: believing in Jesus in your heart is not enough, verbal confession is important (deniers are considered apostates but are offered forgiveness after the persecution); God not only forbid to make idols but to bow down and worship them too (Ex 20:4); bowing down indicates worship too (eg Israel with the daughters of Moab - Num 25:1-3, Israel and the golden calf - Ex 32:8); confessing a god means uniting with them (~ uniting with prostitute means being one body - 1Cor 6:16); denier ~ amputed limb, Christ will deny him too (Mt 10:32-33); modern reader might call Origen strict but he was not hypocritical (he himself was tortured too)
11. The Great Persecution: The Church’s Hour of Fiery Testing: Diocletian: villain of church history but good civic ruler; Tetrarchy: four-man rule, but lack of clear mechanism for succession -> chaos; persecution against Christians: not religious hatred but suspicion of being disloyal to the emperor; Constantine: supernatural omen moves him to Christianity, defeats his archenemy Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, raises Lactantius (Christian scholar) from poverty to high status; asked to tutor his son; [Lactantius: On the Deaths of the Persecutors 10-15]: book permeated with Schadenfreude; Caesar Galerius convinces Diocletian to persecute Christians; reinforced by divine oracle at Didyma; “For this was one of Diocletian’s character flaws: that when he decided to do something good, he did it without counsel so he could take the credit for himself; but when he intended to do something evil that he knew would be criticized, he called together many advisers so the blame for whatever he did wrong could be pinned on others.”; persecution starts on February 23; Diocletian required token of sacrifice before court proceedings could begin -> Christians could not sure those who wronged them; Galerius secretly set imperial palace on fire & blamed it on Christians; emperor began to rage against everyone in imperial household; [Church History] book by Eusebius of Caesarea; intellectual center for early Christians; book always case for Christianity, never a purely objective account underlying facts are usually reliable; 4 decree, last was most terrible: everyone in the empire ordered to sacrifice to the gods or be executed
12. The Peace of Constantine: An Empire Conquered by the Cross: Constantine: “first Christian emperor”; vital thing: not just what happened but what Christians believed to have happened; [Life of Constantine]: book by Eusebius; Constantine attempts to overthrow tyrant Maxentius, seeks divine protection (Maxentius used occult magic); solar worship: antique type of monotheism, served as religious entry point for Constantine by which he likely began to consider the reality of a single supreme being; Council of Nicea (AD 325) left sun worship behind, Sunday continued to be legal rest day in the empire but it was now dedicated to Christ instead of Sol (some believe he continued sun worship); Constantine decided to worship his father’s God alone; vision in the sky: cross-shaped trophy (possibly sokat halo) with message of victory: “conquer by this” (-> might be exaggeration but he definitely saw something that moved him toward Christianity); two years later night vision: orders him to use Chi-Rho symbol (☧) - first two letters of Christ - in battle; Maxentius left safe walls, crossed the Tiber River, destroyed wooden bridge (-> cut off chance of large-scale retreat), built wooden pontoons latched together, wanted to get Constantine drown but latch separated while he was luring Constantine across -> Maxentius was drowned (he “fell into the whole he had made” - Ps 7:15; just like the Pharaoh - Ex 15:4); Rome welcomes Constantine as liberator who didn’t get puffed up but offered prayers of thanksgiving to God; [The Edict of Milan]: 313, joint letter instructing governors to give freedom of religion to everyone & restore confiscated properties to Christians so that “the Divinity” might be favorable to the co-emperors; didn’t bring an end to the age of Christian persecution per se (-> only effected Eastern part, persecution had long ceases in the West)
13. Augustine of Hippo: Honoring the Martyrs’ Memory: 100 years after Edict of Milan, age: Peace of the Church; part of sermons honoring Perpetua and Felicity; Saint Augustine: one of ancient church’s greatest orators; preached ~8000 sermons over 45 years [Sermon 281: “On the Anniversary of the Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity]: easier to admire martyrs than to follow their example; word ‘virtus’ (meaning ‘bravery’ or ‘excellence’) comes from the word ‘vir’ (which means ‘man’); “perpetual felicity” -> “continual happiness”

Epilogue: The Meaning of the Martyrs 1. The martyrs refused to make Jesus into just another god. 2. The martyrs counted the cost and gave up everything. 3. The martyrs were utterly confident in their eternal hope (martyrs’ final cry: Deo gratias! - “thanks be to God!”). 4. The martyrs call us into unity with the ancient church.