Early Christian Martyrs

Martyrdom can be argued as one of the most prominent characteristics of early Christianity. As a Christian, I believe that the martyrs of this period have served as a vehicle of Christianity’s survival (and more) through the tests of time and persecution. This is especially the case in the third century Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Decius (Meeks). For the purpose of this report I will refer to the story of the sainted Perpetua who, according to Fredriksen, was martyred in the year 202 or 203 at Carthage. Before Emperor Decius took action against Christianity, persecution was a scattered and local affair involving few people according to Meeks. It was with the growth and expansion of the small Christian groups into a considerable …show more content…
Many ordinary citizens were also persecuted and forced to make sacrifices to the gods of the empire and, according to Clark, more often than not did citizens choose their livelihoods over their faith—temporarily or not. This makes martyrs a small, yet interestingly effective group. Martyrdom was not encouraged, but was admired nonetheless and defined the age of Christian heroism in the Roman Empire. One notable historical account relates the story of the martyrdom of the young Perpetua in the form of a prison diary. What I particularly like about her story is that she was not always a Christian. The editor’s beginning narrative in Perpetua’s diary describes her as a catechumen, one newly converted to the faith and not yet baptized. Despite her father’s desperate pleas, she continued in refusing to recant her newfound faith for only through martyrdom would she be able to reach God through …show more content…
After this time the martyrs were acknowledged with great honor and respect in shrines and preserved bits of their bodies, just to name a couple. During this time, however, many of those who had betrayed their Christian faith during Decius’s rule sought to return to the faith for it was currently safe to do so. According to Clark, this proved to be a problem for the church especially where the aforementioned fleeing bishops were concerned. This clearly separates the martyrs from the rest of the Christian population and can help explain why martyrs were in the minority. Although it is expected that many ordinary citizens denied their faith in the interest of their own livelihood, I find it rather surprising that even some of the clergy would go so far as to betray their