“Well washed, well washed!” The amphitheater was chanting the final approval of their entertainment. The crowd was ecstatic and animated with delight at the sight of the mangled body lying lifeless in the middle of the arena. The devoured pile of torn flesh that lay in the middle of the arena was eaten by a leopard and then chained in a cell to be finished off by a bear. Ironically, the body that appeared to be dead was in fact alive and the pagan crowd of the amphitheater reeked of death. The lifeless body that was used for pagan entertainment was a primary enemy to the Roman society, a Christian. Though it may appear that the Christian was the defeated party, it is was in fact the Roman society that was crumbling to their own destruction and eternal death. For though the Christian’s body lay torn and ragged in the dirt of the ground, their soul was alive and in the presence of the Heavenly Father. “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17).
Martyrdom
“One pagan spectator noted, you could never make a true Christian deny Christ even under the threat of death.” (Litfin 132). Martyrdom is the act of dying in the attest to one’s faith, in this case the attesting of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all. Second century martyrdom is found amongst three reports: “letters” which were written by churches illustrating the factual events and the number of martyrs, “passions” which are testimonies of martyrs in the few days before their prosecution as well as their death, and “acts” which reported their trials before the court officials.
The Term Martyr
Christians created the proposal of martyrdom during the era of Christian persecution. In the New Testament of its original Greek dialect, the word for martyr was marturos; meaning ‘witness’. Given that the greatest witness for a Christian was to stand for Christ even unto their death, rather than deny Christ, the term martyr eventually became used in reference to one who was a witness unto death. There are several passages that can be found in the Bible that use the word martyr, however, the term is used in multiple approaches to its implication. In Luke’s writings, ‘witness’ was the affirmation of a literal observation of Christ’s resurrection. John uses the term ‘witness’ as a Christian’s testimony that Christ is the Son of God and Savior to all men. Acts 22:20 and Revelation 2:13 relate to the death of a man, Stephen and Antipas, in which did not deny the name of Christ while witnessing and in result were put to death for their stance. In Revelation a ‘witness’ was considered to be a blood-witness, a Christian that gave up his life in regards to his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus. However, Revelation considered only those who gave up their lives in persecution for their faith in the Lord Jesus that was considered to be a ‘witness’, and those who only confessed their faith of the Lord Jesus and were spared persecution at the hands of the Romans were then considered to be ‘confessors’.
The Theology of Martyrdom
The martyrdom theology was quite ornate in its motifs. Martyrdom was considered to be a parallelism with Christ and His ministry on earth. The theology believed Christ to have been the original and genuine martyr. More captivatingly, it was believed that Christ would be present with the Martyrs during their moment of trials, sustaining them in their agony. It is recorded that when Perpetua was waiting in the gateway to return for a second encounter with her assassin, the rampant heifer, she had asked the guard when she would be offered to the heifer. Perpetua was so caught up in the Holy Spirit that she could not recall her already being mangled by the rampant creature. It was only by the sight of the gashes of missing limbs did she realize; Christ was surely with Perpetua during her dark hour of torment.
Theology Motifs
There are eight prominent points in the theology of martyrdom. The first is the Witness. Martyrs are witnesses that gave a public profession and testimony of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A martyr’s death is considered to be a blood witness unto the Lord, proclaiming their faith and love for Him.
The second motif is the Athletes and Heroes. During the time of Christian persecution, athletic metaphors would be used in describing the contest between the Heroes of faith and the Athletes of the evil pagan forces. In other words the pagans gave Christians martyrs an admiral position in the Christian community as the Heroes of their faith.
The third and fourth motif goes hand in hand. The third, being Grace, is considered the highest form of blessedness, a Godly achievement rather than a human achievement because of God’s grace. Grace was given to those who are chosen by God to experience this blessedness. The fourth motif is the Sharing the Sufferings and Victory of Jesus Christ. This sufficient grace shown upon men is a blessing because those who are martyred in the name of Christ have the honor in sharing sufferings with Christ as we as a victory over Satan.
The fifth motif is the Eucharist. The Eucharist language was used for martyrs and their death in resemblance to the bread and wine, which related to the death of Christ. In mark 10:38, Jesus had related to His own death as “to drink the cup” of suffering, which exemplifies a Christian’s willingness to endure pain and suffering. In mark 14:36, Jesus had also prayed to “let this cup pass from me,” which also mirrors a Christian’s action of suffering even to the point of death.
The sixth motif is the Holy Spirit. Martyrs are able to endure such inhumane suffering because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within them. It is solely through Christ that martyrs are given the endurance and strength to withstand evil and be a witness good, the Lord Jesus. A great example of this is the historical martyr, Perpertua, as previously mentioned.
The seventh motif is Eschatology. During the second century it was believed that martyrs were enter into Heaven directly into the presence of Christ and were rewarded special privileges. One privilege was the responsibility in helping Christ in judging and granting forgiveness of sins to believers on earth. This developed into the Catholic practice of praying for the intercession of the saints. Many centuries following, martyrs and Christians realized the inaccuracy of this belief, and now understand that martyrs just as fellow believers, only enter the presence of God during the end times, the gift of the Spirit, and forgiveness of sins.
The eighth motif is Baptism. It is believed that through a martyr’s death their sins were forgiven in accordance to a “baptism of blood.” Jesus spoke of His sufferings as a bitter “cup” to be drunk and spoke of His sufferings to be a “baptism.” (Mark 10:38) Therefore, the martyr shared with Christ the baptism of suffering through the blood of Christ.
Conclusion
Through anguish, love, temptation, courage, humiliation, strength, and call of God, followers of Jesus may have the honor and blessing to be a martyr and have the opportunity to be a great witness of the Christian faith. It is through this love for Christ that martyrs proclaim His name as the Savior and Lord and endure an unfathomable honor to share a moment of glory in defeating the devil with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Resource Recommendation
“He is a man who, having walked the path of life already, guides his children in wisdom.” (Litfin 16) This quote, found in Litfin’s, Getting To Know The Church Fathers, describes the idea behind the term “Church Fathers”. Getting To Know The Church Fathers is an excellent resource book in compliance to the Church and Empire Lecture class taught by Kevin Stilley. It is a compact novel illustrating the life of the “Fathers” of the Christian faith and their in devours of turmoil through the establishing of the Church. One might say that these men were the originators of our church history. The book contains ten biographies for ten different “Church Fathers”. The first historical contributor was Ignatius of Antioch. Ignatius based his influence on living his life in the likeness of Christ. Ignatius died as a martyr, encouraging the Christian faith. A few other “Church Fathers” were: Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Perpetua, and Origen. The “Church Father”, Athanasius, fought against the nonsensical theologies such as the Arian view. He defended the truth of the Trinity and Jesus’s reincarnation as full man and as fully God. The other “Church Fathers” are: John Crysostom, Augustine, and Cyril of Alexander. For a better insight and understanding behind the Church History of the Christian faith, Getting to Know the Church Fathers, is a reliable and prominent resource of the true beginning of it all.
Quote: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” - St. Augustine. This quote is a perfect reflection of the Church and Empire Lecture class. It depicts the struggles and power of faith in proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. A Christian must fight perilous evils within the world and defend a God never physically seen, but after the physical death of the body, Christians are given the gift of eternal life for the fight well fought, for Christ. Augustine’s quote reveals the key element in the Christian Church, Faith. “Take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of he wicked one.” (Ephesians 6:16) There are numerous historical figures of the Christian faith that Christians today can learn from. Individuals such as: Constantine, Irenaeus, Athenasius, Perpertua, and Augustine. These persons fought with all their he Ephesians art, all their mind, and all their soul for an unseen faith. Prophets, philosophers, church fathers, and our martyrs, they are all valuable paradigms of influence and encouragement. However, it is not these men of history that attained Christian admiration, but rather their incentive for what it was that they were fighting for. As one professor proclaims, it is History, which guides us in our faith. It is the story of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
“The taste of blood always made him pray.” This quote is the opening line to Ergun and Emir Caner’s, Christian Jihad. The quote stated above holds a great description and foreshadowing of the book’s contents. Christian Jihad is a book based on the insights and knowledge of the Crusades and the historical background of Christian pacifism. It is intended to reveal the entirety of Christian history in regards to Christians killing in the name of God, spilling blood of infidels, and promising salvation to those who fought under the banner of Christ. This book exposes the unspoken truth of the blood spilt of Muslims and Jews in the name of Jesus Christ, by the hands of Christians, introducing Christian Jihad.
The first Christians were stringent pacifist in which believed it to be a sin to engage in any form of conflict, particularly military warfare. Eventually over the years the authoritarian guidelines of military engagement loosened after increments of time. Christian military history can be broken down into four groups. The first group, the Hunted, resided between 30 and 175 A.D, it was during this time the church was persecuted and therefore, Christians were not allowed in any military involvement. It was not until 175 A.D. that Christians began joining military forces during the reign of Constantine. This second group, the Courtship, resided during 175 and 324 A.D. and considered themselves as soldiers in the army of God. The third group during the years 324 and 1000 A.D. were said to be of an unholy matrimony. It was during this period that the church and state became equally partnered. Soldiers came to believe that in order to do God’s work they must be on the battlefield. It was during this time that Charlemagne was anointed as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Christian’s were commanding the army under temporal kings. However, the Christians took a sudden change in their viewpoint of military engagement. Between 1000 and 1300 A.D. the Christian church was known as a mistress. The church became inebriated on temporal authority and assumed it had complete control of the state. However, the secular leaders of the time would use the church for their personal benefits and would end all connections between the two when finished. It was due to this misusing of trust that the Crusades became the segregate of the period, Christian armies went to war under the command of the pope as the commander in chief, which leads us to our focused study topic on the Crusades.
Throughout the history of Christian warfare, the Crusades were the most significant of Christian hostilities. November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II rose to power and initiated the darkest day of Christian history, a Christian Jihad. Christianity has never recovered form the shadows of the decision to offer forgiveness and salvation to warriors who would slaughter all opponents who stood between them and the libertarian of Jerusalem. The Crusade of this Christian Jihad started when Pope Urban II attempted to rescue the Christian faith form its civil war in convincing them of a more superior cause to be fighting for; the recapture of the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Pope Urban II believed that the land of Christ was rightfully to be the owned by the Church and not by pagan Muslims. He was convinced that initiating a jihad against the Muslims in Jerusalem were the Christians responsibility in order to aid fellow believers who were suffering, for the remission of sins, and because they were assured the imperishable glory of heaven. Pope Urban II promised those who fought in the war against the Muslims would receive eternal forgiveness and the promise of Heaven. The pope was now acting on both wicked and unbiblical grounds. The Christian army, under the command of Pope Urban II, sacked the city of Jerusalem, which is known as the first crusade. However, the Muslim’s retaliation was much more fierce than anticipated by the Christians and ended up loosing the city of Jerusalem to the Muslims after eight more crusades, eventually the Christians crusades ended after a great fall in 1291 A.D.
The Crusades – people identifying themselves as Christians who abandoned the teachings of Jesus that were to love our enemies, yet instead attempted to convert by the sword. Christians today are still trying to make up for the crimes done in the past. The Muslim people are a colossal amount of the world’s population, and now the hardest to witness to and the hardest to convince that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior. Impressions never die therefore, it is very important as Christians and individuals, that we are in a constant walk with the Lord through our words, actions, and hearts! The best way to convert is to act like Christ, not through a jihad.
“ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
I am Ashley Sidaras and this is my favorite verse in the Bible. Why, you might ask? I love to reflect on this verse because it is a daily reminded that it is not I who am living, but Christ who lives within my heart. I have acknowledged and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior of my life. Now that I am a part of is reflection of His love and grace, I am reminded by this verse to live as Christ would. I am also reminded that it His will that is to be done and not my own and I am to bring glory to His name through all that I am. If you could not tell by now, I am a Christian, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am an undergraduate student attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. I grew up in south Florida, moved to Ohio a few years ago, and am now living in Texas, hopefully fulfilling God’s will for my life. I plan to be a career missionary after I graduate, in what specific field, I am not sure yet. I have a heart for counseling others in their times of trouble, reaching out to those in distress, and experiencing new cultures. I come from a background of many nationalities and therefore have a heart for visiting new places and meeting new people. I pray that within this next semester of blogging, I would be an encouragement and witness to those in need. Until next time, God Bless!
