What I found interesting in The Martyrs passage, was how the church responded to people that "cursed Jesus." Those who stuck though the pain and the trials and eventually death because of their faith are idealized, while those who recant of their faith are at risk of being excommunicated from the church. For example, Polykarp, being one of the first Christian martyrs, after his death his father came and gathered his bones as a way to remember his sons sacrifice for the church. These martyr's became the example of how a true Christian should act, which is why the remnants of their bodies were a valuable memory for the church. However those who did not push through the trials and recanted could have become outcasts. Some people were willing to bring them back into the church, because they believed that all were sinners and make mistakes, but we are forgiven through Jesus Christ, therefore they were allowed to return. Others believed that those who denied Christ should be punished by not being allowed to participate in the church for a time, giving them a chance to repent and devote themselves to God. After this time they would be allowed to rejoin the church. Other people said that anyone who recants belief in Jesus Christ should be excommunicated. So which group got he upper hand most often? Probably the strict group. As the text says, in North Africa a group of Christians did not allow people to return to the church. I find this very interesting the different views that people had related to those who gave into persecution. If I were living back then and in the situation where I had to decide what to do with a person who had given into persecution, I would probably agree with the middle group. I would not excommunicate the person, however I would test their faith by giving them time to repent and turn to God asking for help and strength. Overall, I thought the reading was excellent interesting and informative!
We sort of see this 'minor excommunication' with Paul and John Mark in Acts. Paul looked down on John Mark for committing himself to the faith, backing out, and then re-joining. We read in one of the later epistles that ultimately Mark redeems himself, but I think there is a correlation between Paul's caution around lukewarm Christians and the early church's rejection of compromising believers.
While reading Perpetua's diary, I could not help but be reminded of Muslim Jihadists. The Christians that were martyred had great courage to admit that they were Christians knowing full well what the consequences were. Yet, in the Martyrs reading, it was mentioned that some of the Christians who volunteered to be martyred did so out of the idea that would later become called penance. Doing good acts so that they will blot out the wrong ones, showing publicly that you are repentant. But because of what Christ did on the cross, all sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven. So while repentance is key, it is not necessary to do works to earn repentance. Otherwise it would be a gift. As Ephesians 2:8-10 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (ESV) As is evident in these verses, our salvation comes from our faith in Christ's work on the cross, it is God's gift. The very reason why the idea of penance is wrong is found in these verses, it so that no man may boast. These martyred Christians were held up as heroes, and while their courage was highly admirable, the idea of collecting their bones, having shrines dedicated to these martyred people, borderlines on idolatry, which is very unbecoming of a Christian as well as being wrong. Another thing that is evidenced in Eph. 2 is that good works are exactly that good works, things that God has planned for us to by following his will. We, as Christians, do not do good works because we want to show that we are repentant for any sin we have committed, rather, we do it because it is God's will and plan for us. We do good works because that is what our "job", so to speak, is. All in all, I love the example of courage and steadfastness that is exemplified in these martyred Christians like Perpetua, yet they should not be held so high as to be almost worshipped, that is idolatry. The only person that should be worshipped is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
While some persecuted Christians may have been attempting to buy their salvation with martyrdom, I don't think Perpetua and her group were. Randy Alcorn thinks that, although faith alone saves us, our merits, driven by our faith, determine our position in Heaven. Satuninus seemed to understand this. Perpetua writes, "...Whenever they would discuss among themselves their desire for martyrdom, Saturninus indeed insisted that he wanted to be exposed to all the different beasts, that his crown might be all the more glorious." By martyrdom, these believers are not trying to earn their way heavenward, but simply trying to bring Glory to God and increase their eternal reward.
One of the things I found interesting and somewhat bizarre in the readings was the practice of collecting pieces of a martyr’s body parts and bones and holding these things in reverence. This practice started following the execution of Polycarp, after which his father collected bits of bone from his burnt corpse to commemorate his son and what he did. It is interesting that the practice of the cult of worshiping the martyr’s remains grew after Christianity was legal within the empire and martyrdom was no longer common. The reason one of the professors in the reading put forward was that the roles had now been reversed. Christianity was now inseparably linked to the government, and the Christians were now persecuting other religions, as well as the heretical, non-orthodox versions of Christianity. Because of this, they needed to be reminded of their own heroic history by honoring the remains of the martyrs so they did not become lost in their newfound political power.
We have talked, mostly last year, I think, about whether the persecution of Christians was a good thing for the early church. In some ways it was. The persecution by Roman emperors scattered the church, sending the gospel out to the corners of the earth. It also ensured that the people in the church were true Christians, steadfast in their belief. James 2:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (NIV) When the Roman government persecuted the Christians, this is exactly what they were doing. When Christianity was endorsed by the Roman emperor, people would join the church because it was the popular thing to do, not because they were truly Christians. So in this way persecution was good for the church, in that it spread the gospel and cut off the unfaithful. However, there were also some downsides. The obvious one is the loss of life. There were a number of martyrs in the early church. Also, those Christians who were steadfast in the faith seem to have been somewhat susceptible to pride, holding their persecutions as something they had done that was of worth. Isaiah 64:6 says that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;" (NIV) Nothing we can do can measure up to or repay what Christ has done for us. The tradition of martyrdom also gave rise to the practice of relics. People would take literal pieces of saints, perhaps their bones or their hair, and hold them in the highest honor, almost worship. They believed these relics to have supernatural power. This became a sort of idol worship, corrupting the church. So the church was somewhat benefited by the persecution, but it was certainly a good thing when it ended.
Wow, these early Christians had amazing faith! I would never have the faith to volunteer myself as a martyr. Can you imagine how much faith Perpetua must have had? It is simply astonishing to me that people would willingly be persecuted for Christ. I can only their reward in heaven! One thing that really stuck out to me is how Perpetua's father pleads with her over and over to try and convince her that she doesn't have to die, but Perpetua insists that this is what she wants to do. The reading mentions many times that it pained her to see her father like that, yet she continues to insist that she is doing what's right.
My favorite bit from this weeks readings was the overwhelming sense that these early Christian martyrs had the perfect perspective. No matter what the struggle, their minds were focused on God and their eternal, not temporal reward. It was extremely convicting to read the words of Perpetua as she prepared to face her assured demise and all she could think about was the safety of her friends, the example she would set, and the hope she had of meeting Jesus face to face. In perfect timing, my speech coach sent me this C.S. Lewis quote just this week: "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." What he is saying is the greatest Christians had the goal of eternal glory and peace ingrained in their minds. This hope in Christ and his plan for us is what lead these people to be (1) such loyal followers of God and (2) so peaceful in death. They worshipped God until the end, knowing their sacrifice would empower those around them to press on in the faith with fortitude and unwavering dedication, knowing this is not our home. I think we can all use the example of these martyrs and be reminded that everything we do and say - up until our final breaths - should be a beacon to point to Christ. Not only is this a powerful admonishment but it is also the greatest comfort to know Christ has a plan for us and no matter what happens on earth, we have something far greater in store.
I have to admit that this weeks readings were quite difficult to read, for the immense amount of pain the early Christians experienced for their faith is nearly indescribable. Going back to a quote I shared last week, “Let not the godly man, therefore, grieve; if for the present he suffer affliction, blessed is the time that awaits him there; rising up to life again with the fathers he will rejoice for ever without a grief.” However, to maintain your faith, in the shadow of wild beasts and the blood stains of others, is a truly amazing testimony to the strength of Christ. What I find just as remarkable, is that early martyrs were given many "ways out," so to say. For instance, all they needed to do is receive a chit stating that they made a sacrifice in the name of the Empire, "knowing that these gods are nothing." If they did not want to do it themselves, they could have sent a servant to receive the papers. The could have even bought the papers if they wanted to. However, it was because they were reluctant to take the, "easy" way out, that the Lord was able to give them the strength and courage to be killed for their faith, and in doing so, spread a sense of awe that in turn converted many people. I find this immense trusting in the Lord, down to the last breath, lacking from much of todays society, my self not excluded. Because of this, I agree with Christopher, "we can all use the example of these martyrs and be reminded that everything we do and say - up until our final breaths - should be a beacon to point to Christ."
I too think the Martyrs' steadfastness, in the face of so many easy ways out, is inspiring and challenging! All the diversions and exits reminded me of the temptations Christian is faced with in Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress."
Wow. That was not easy reading. These martyrs certainly were willing to place their entire lives on God. I think it is interesting that there seems to be two kinds of martyrdom from the readings. One author mentioned those who would voluntarily die in the arena for Christ.While the face value of this is not necessarily wrong, the idea is stupid. If you were part of of the early Church, would running into a public square or arena asking to die a terrible gory death be the best use of time? That's like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the midst of crisis, telling the Nazis to kill him! I (indeed, I think we all) have much more respect for Perpetua's group and those who were merely arrested for humbly but forcefully obeying God. I wonder if many Christians thought that the Roman persecution was the beginning of the Second coming. From 70 A.D. to these persecutions, Christ's words concerning end times in Luke 21 come to mind. I will finish partially in response to Katie above. I think that persecution of the church is the beginning of a cycle. Persecution is necessary to establish the church on a firm foundation.The Roman's purge separated the sheep from the goats, and by the time Constantine legalized Christianity, it was a community of sincere believers which became central to Western thought. As our society moves further from Christ's teachings, there is a rapid growth of Christianity in Asia, even though there is heavy persecution. Is this the beginning of the cycle? Sorry my thoughts were very sporadic in this post.
After reading these excerpts it seems that this period of glorified martyrdom was the beginning of some of the flawed thinking, rituals, etc. that ran rampant through the Church in the byzantine and medieval age. This era of martyrdom opened up positive and negative effects in the Church. A positive outcome of the persecution was the amounts of people that came to faith through seeing these martyrs steadfast resolve. According to the author this era was not vigorously opposing Christianity and searching them out but every now and then a heroic martyr would, in effect, push the empire to execute them. This helped to create sympathizers for the Christian religion and was one reason Constantine was able to start promoting Christianity with so little adversity. Negative effects of these martyrdoms seemed to effect mostly the theological thinking. The biggest and most obvious flaw in this era was Christian deification of these martyrs and worshiping them as perfect Christians. Obviously some of these martyrs were a little ludicrous, ranging from assisted suicide to some sketchy ordained visions. Others like bishop Polycarp showed the true nature of martyrdom by holding to there faith even when pressed with death instead of looking for death. Sadly a lot of these people just wanted to die because they believed that by looking for death as a martyr they would be greatly exalted in heaven. While these martyr’s ideas were a little skewed it was not them but there actual martyrdom that brought conflict in the Church’s thinking. As I already mentioned they started to worship these martyr’s which reflects the ordaining of saints which would soon take effect in the Church of the time. After persecution stopped another problem arose on whether people who had recanted the faith should be let back in upon repenting, and if people who had been baptized by bishops who had forsaken the faith were really baptized Christians. The obvious answer is that God rejects nobody no matter how many times they fall away and must come back to repent, but to the people of the time it was not so simple. There was controversy because some thought that people baptized by a past Christian/bishop meant they were not actually Christians and they also thought that people could not come back to the faith if they recanted it. This division in Church thinking hurt the Church for many years and helped to open controversies such as Arianism in the coming era.
The Martyrs basically talks about the smack down on Christianity in the middle of the 3rd century. Bishops had to flee or be martyred and common people were rounded up and forced to do sacrifices. The writer talks about how it's "odd" that martyrs only helped to strengthen the Churches resolves. Which actually isn't all that odd because to see someone willing to lose everything and ultimately their lives for Christ helps us to stand stronger in our faith. "The martyrs are a heroic minority. They don't represent a huge popular swelling. We don't have tens of thousands of people being martyred. What we do have, is tens of thousands of people admiring the few who are martyred." So This persecution doesn't last very long and in a way backfires on the Emperor Decius. The writer than asks the question, "Why were Christians persecuted?" The writer thinks it is because we are different, turning away from the many gods of the Roman world and instead believing in the One True God, not being a part of certain religious rituals that everyone else is doing. The writer than tells about Perpetua, a Christian girl who practically insisted on being a Martyr for Christ.
I really enjoyed this weeks reading i though it was very interesting. I especially enjoyed learning about the martyrdom of Perpetua, her story was very interesting to read about. It was interesting on how she insisted to be killed, this could also be taken as cowardly, because your leaving your responsibilities in this case it could be seen as her child. another thing i thought was interesting was how they preserved the bones of the ones that have been martyred. its also interesting think why and how the emperors would care about the Christians and spend a lot of time persecuting them and trying to make them recant their faith. If i was emperor all i would care about was getting my tax money and if they didn't cause any trouble i wouldn't see any point in persecuting. them
Something that really struck me about Perpetua was her utter devotion to Christ. Now I am not simply referencing the fact that she voluntarily gave herself to the sword for the glory of God--testifying to her faithfulness in itself--but also the fact that she would sacrifice herself knowing full well she would be leaving her family and child behind. I think Perpetua, although she may seemed selfish in this respect to many others, epitomizes what Wycliffe believed to be an essential facet for bishops (and any Christians for that matter), the facet of unworldliness. Perpetua had the option of simply sacrifice to man made gods, getting a Roman official to sign off on it, and just like that, she could have lived a happy-ish life in this world. However, Perpetua stays true the Lord's commandment to abstain from worshiping false idols--one example of how she steers clear of clinging to this world. Furthermore, she felt so indebted to Christ that she left her physical, worldly family in this life, to die a gruesome death so she may spend eternity with them in the next one. Perpetua is an amazing Christian figurehead that many Christians, in some way or another, should look up to. But it begs the question, are there people like her today? If not, then why not? Why are we lacking such a zealous faith that existed during Perpetua's time and long afterwards? Just some food for thought I suppose.
I found the whole situation with her family (her father in particular) a difficult bit to read. I meant to talk about it in my own post, but I forgot! Thanks for mentioning it here. As for why the world lacks people like Perpetua today, I'm not certain that it does. I just think that as we're not faced with such stark persecution in the U.S. (yet), we haven't had the opportunity to commonly witness that kind of faith or be put to the test ourselves. What with the government shutting down and all the drama lately...who knows! Perhaps things will begin to change and we'll be faced with some more difficult tests and trials!
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 8:35
Since I first learned about Perpetua several years ago, her story has always remained with me (I even built a Lego vignette inspired by her story). I find it beautiful, encouraging, and challenging. I can only hope and pray that I'd have her level of faith, through Christ who strengthens me, to stand for the truth! The text offers obvious proof that she and her fellow martyrs truly understood what it meant to suffer for Christ. The following line from the text is a beautiful reflection of 1 Perter 4:13.
"And they rejoiced at this that they had obtained a share in the Lord's sufferings." (line from the Perpetua reading)
"But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13
Another thing I found intriguing about Perpetua's writing was her language. Her way with words rather reminded me of how you people today talk. I thought it was humorous how frequently she would say "or whatever" in actual quotes. Her casual tone gave me, as a young reader, something to relate to.
And lastly I find the "calm" (that she is described as having) so encouraging! The descriptions of her convey such contentment, even in the face of death! It's comforting and most beautiful.
I really enjoyed this reading i though it was very interesting. I liked learning about the martyrdom of Perpetua. It was interesting how she wanted to be killed, i was a little confused by this. its also interesting think why the emperors would care about the Christians and spend so much time persecuting them. I'm sure that there (as there are even today) so many other small cults and group that were far more disruptive and annoying to the Roman way of life than the Christians.
What I found interesting in The Martyrs passage, was how the church responded to people that "cursed Jesus." Those who stuck though the pain and the trials and eventually death because of their faith are idealized, while those who recant of their faith are at risk of being excommunicated from the church. For example, Polykarp, being one of the first Christian martyrs, after his death his father came and gathered his bones as a way to remember his sons sacrifice for the church. These martyr's became the example of how a true Christian should act, which is why the remnants of their bodies were a valuable memory for the church. However those who did not push through the trials and recanted could have become outcasts. Some people were willing to bring them back into the church, because they believed that all were sinners and make mistakes, but we are forgiven through Jesus Christ, therefore they were allowed to return. Others believed that those who denied Christ should be punished by not being allowed to participate in the church for a time, giving them a chance to repent and devote themselves to God. After this time they would be allowed to rejoin the church. Other people said that anyone who recants belief in Jesus Christ should be excommunicated. So which group got he upper hand most often? Probably the strict group. As the text says, in North Africa a group of Christians did not allow people to return to the church. I find this very interesting the different views that people had related to those who gave into persecution. If I were living back then and in the situation where I had to decide what to do with a person who had given into persecution, I would probably agree with the middle group. I would not excommunicate the person, however I would test their faith by giving them time to repent and turn to God asking for help and strength. Overall, I thought the reading was excellent interesting and informative!
ReplyDeleteWe sort of see this 'minor excommunication' with Paul and John Mark in Acts. Paul looked down on John Mark for committing himself to the faith, backing out, and then re-joining. We read in one of the later epistles that ultimately Mark redeems himself, but I think there is a correlation between Paul's caution around lukewarm Christians and the early church's rejection of compromising believers.
DeleteWhile reading Perpetua's diary, I could not help but be reminded of Muslim Jihadists. The Christians that were martyred had great courage to admit that they were Christians knowing full well what the consequences were. Yet, in the Martyrs reading, it was mentioned that some of the Christians who volunteered to be martyred did so out of the idea that would later become called penance. Doing good acts so that they will blot out the wrong ones, showing publicly that you are repentant. But because of what Christ did on the cross, all sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven. So while repentance is key, it is not necessary to do works to earn repentance. Otherwise it would be a gift. As Ephesians 2:8-10 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (ESV) As is evident in these verses, our salvation comes from our faith in Christ's work on the cross, it is God's gift. The very reason why the idea of penance is wrong is found in these verses, it so that no man may boast. These martyred Christians were held up as heroes, and while their courage was highly admirable, the idea of collecting their bones, having shrines dedicated to these martyred people, borderlines on idolatry, which is very unbecoming of a Christian as well as being wrong. Another thing that is evidenced in Eph. 2 is that good works are exactly that good works, things that God has planned for us to by following his will. We, as Christians, do not do good works because we want to show that we are repentant for any sin we have committed, rather, we do it because it is God's will and plan for us. We do good works because that is what our "job", so to speak, is. All in all, I love the example of courage and steadfastness that is exemplified in these martyred Christians like Perpetua, yet they should not be held so high as to be almost worshipped, that is idolatry. The only person that should be worshipped is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteSoli Deo Gloria
While some persecuted Christians may have been attempting to buy their salvation with martyrdom, I don't think Perpetua and her group were. Randy Alcorn thinks that, although faith alone saves us, our merits, driven by our faith, determine our position in Heaven. Satuninus seemed to understand this. Perpetua writes, "...Whenever they would discuss among themselves their desire for martyrdom, Saturninus indeed insisted that he wanted to be exposed to all the different beasts, that his crown might be all the more glorious." By martyrdom, these believers are not trying to earn their way heavenward, but simply trying to bring Glory to God and increase their eternal reward.
DeleteOne of the things I found interesting and somewhat bizarre in the readings was the practice of collecting pieces of a martyr’s body parts and bones and holding these things in reverence. This practice started following the execution of Polycarp, after which his father collected bits of bone from his burnt corpse to commemorate his son and what he did. It is interesting that the practice of the cult of worshiping the martyr’s remains grew after Christianity was legal within the empire and martyrdom was no longer common. The reason one of the professors in the reading put forward was that the roles had now been reversed. Christianity was now inseparably linked to the government, and the Christians were now persecuting other religions, as well as the heretical, non-orthodox versions of Christianity. Because of this, they needed to be reminded of their own heroic history by honoring the remains of the martyrs so they did not become lost in their newfound political power.
ReplyDeleteWe have talked, mostly last year, I think, about whether the persecution of Christians was a good thing for the early church. In some ways it was. The persecution by Roman emperors scattered the church, sending the gospel out to the corners of the earth. It also ensured that the people in the church were true Christians, steadfast in their belief. James 2:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (NIV) When the Roman government persecuted the Christians, this is exactly what they were doing. When Christianity was endorsed by the Roman emperor, people would join the church because it was the popular thing to do, not because they were truly Christians. So in this way persecution was good for the church, in that it spread the gospel and cut off the unfaithful. However, there were also some downsides. The obvious one is the loss of life. There were a number of martyrs in the early church. Also, those Christians who were steadfast in the faith seem to have been somewhat susceptible to pride, holding their persecutions as something they had done that was of worth. Isaiah 64:6 says that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;" (NIV) Nothing we can do can measure up to or repay what Christ has done for us. The tradition of martyrdom also gave rise to the practice of relics. People would take literal pieces of saints, perhaps their bones or their hair, and hold them in the highest honor, almost worship. They believed these relics to have supernatural power. This became a sort of idol worship, corrupting the church. So the church was somewhat benefited by the persecution, but it was certainly a good thing when it ended.
ReplyDeleteWow, these early Christians had amazing faith! I would never have the faith to volunteer myself as a martyr. Can you imagine how much faith Perpetua must have had? It is simply astonishing to me that people would willingly be persecuted for Christ. I can only their reward in heaven! One thing that really stuck out to me is how Perpetua's father pleads with her over and over to try and convince her that she doesn't have to die, but Perpetua insists that this is what she wants to do. The reading mentions many times that it pained her to see her father like that, yet she continues to insist that she is doing what's right.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite bit from this weeks readings was the overwhelming sense that these early Christian martyrs had the perfect perspective. No matter what the struggle, their minds were focused on God and their eternal, not temporal reward. It was extremely convicting to read the words of Perpetua as she prepared to face her assured demise and all she could think about was the safety of her friends, the example she would set, and the hope she had of meeting Jesus face to face. In perfect timing, my speech coach sent me this C.S. Lewis quote just this week: "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." What he is saying is the greatest Christians had the goal of eternal glory and peace ingrained in their minds. This hope in Christ and his plan for us is what lead these people to be (1) such loyal followers of God and (2) so peaceful in death. They worshipped God until the end, knowing their sacrifice would empower those around them to press on in the faith with fortitude and unwavering dedication, knowing this is not our home. I think we can all use the example of these martyrs and be reminded that everything we do and say - up until our final breaths - should be a beacon to point to Christ. Not only is this a powerful admonishment but it is also the greatest comfort to know Christ has a plan for us and no matter what happens on earth, we have something far greater in store.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that this weeks readings were quite difficult to read, for the immense amount of pain the early Christians experienced for their faith is nearly indescribable. Going back to a quote I shared last week, “Let not the godly man, therefore, grieve; if for the present he suffer affliction, blessed is the time that awaits him there; rising up to life again with the fathers he will rejoice for ever without a grief.” However, to maintain your faith, in the shadow of wild beasts and the blood stains of others, is a truly amazing testimony to the strength of Christ. What I find just as remarkable, is that early martyrs were given many "ways out," so to say. For instance, all they needed to do is receive a chit stating that they made a sacrifice in the name of the Empire, "knowing that these gods are nothing." If they did not want to do it themselves, they could have sent a servant to receive the papers. The could have even bought the papers if they wanted to. However, it was because they were reluctant to take the, "easy" way out, that the Lord was able to give them the strength and courage to be killed for their faith, and in doing so, spread a sense of awe that in turn converted many people. I find this immense trusting in the Lord, down to the last breath, lacking from much of todays society, my self not excluded. Because of this, I agree with Christopher, "we can all use the example of these martyrs and be reminded that everything we do and say - up until our final breaths - should be a beacon to point to Christ."
ReplyDeleteI too think the Martyrs' steadfastness, in the face of so many easy ways out, is inspiring and challenging! All the diversions and exits reminded me of the temptations Christian is faced with in Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress."
DeleteWow. That was not easy reading. These martyrs certainly were willing to place their entire lives on God. I think it is interesting that there seems to be two kinds of martyrdom from the readings. One author mentioned those who would voluntarily die in the arena for Christ.While the face value of this is not necessarily wrong, the idea is stupid. If you were part of of the early Church, would running into a public square or arena asking to die a terrible gory death be the best use of time? That's like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the midst of crisis, telling the Nazis to kill him!
ReplyDeleteI (indeed, I think we all) have much more respect for Perpetua's group and those who were merely arrested for humbly but forcefully obeying God. I wonder if many Christians thought that the Roman persecution was the beginning of the Second coming. From 70 A.D. to these persecutions, Christ's words concerning end times in Luke 21 come to mind.
I will finish partially in response to Katie above. I think that persecution of the church is the beginning of a cycle. Persecution is necessary to establish the church on a firm foundation.The Roman's purge separated the sheep from the goats, and by the time Constantine legalized Christianity, it was a community of sincere believers which became central to Western thought. As our society moves further from Christ's teachings, there is a rapid growth of Christianity in Asia, even though there is heavy persecution. Is this the beginning of the cycle?
Sorry my thoughts were very sporadic in this post.
After reading these excerpts it seems that this period of glorified martyrdom was the beginning of some of the flawed thinking, rituals, etc. that ran rampant through the Church in the byzantine and medieval age. This era of martyrdom opened up positive and negative effects in the Church. A positive outcome of the persecution was the amounts of people that came to faith through seeing these martyrs steadfast resolve. According to the author this era was not vigorously opposing Christianity and searching them out but every now and then a heroic martyr would, in effect, push the empire to execute them. This helped to create sympathizers for the Christian religion and was one reason Constantine was able to start promoting Christianity with so little adversity. Negative effects of these martyrdoms seemed to effect mostly the theological thinking. The biggest and most obvious flaw in this era was Christian deification of these martyrs and worshiping them as perfect Christians. Obviously some of these martyrs were a little ludicrous, ranging from assisted suicide to some sketchy ordained visions. Others like bishop Polycarp showed the true nature of martyrdom by holding to there faith even when pressed with death instead of looking for death. Sadly a lot of these people just wanted to die because they believed that by looking for death as a martyr they would be greatly exalted in heaven. While these martyr’s ideas were a little skewed it was not them but there actual martyrdom that brought conflict in the Church’s thinking. As I already mentioned they started to worship these martyr’s which reflects the ordaining of saints which would soon take effect in the Church of the time. After persecution stopped another problem arose on whether people who had recanted the faith should be let back in upon repenting, and if people who had been baptized by bishops who had forsaken the faith were really baptized Christians. The obvious answer is that God rejects nobody no matter how many times they fall away and must come back to repent, but to the people of the time it was not so simple. There was controversy because some thought that people baptized by a past Christian/bishop meant they were not actually Christians and they also thought that people could not come back to the faith if they recanted it. This division in Church thinking hurt the Church for many years and helped to open controversies such as Arianism in the coming era.
ReplyDeleteThe Martyrs basically talks about the smack down on Christianity in the middle of the 3rd century. Bishops had to flee or be martyred and common people were rounded up and forced to do sacrifices. The writer talks about how it's "odd" that martyrs only helped to strengthen the Churches resolves. Which actually isn't all that odd because to see someone willing to lose everything and ultimately their lives for Christ helps us to stand stronger in our faith. "The martyrs are a heroic minority. They don't represent a huge popular swelling. We don't have tens of thousands of people being martyred. What we do have, is tens of thousands of people admiring the few who are martyred."
ReplyDeleteSo This persecution doesn't last very long and in a way backfires on the Emperor Decius.
The writer than asks the question, "Why were Christians persecuted?" The writer thinks it is because we are different, turning away from the many gods of the Roman world and instead believing in the One True God, not being a part of certain religious rituals that everyone else is doing. The writer than tells about Perpetua, a Christian girl who practically insisted on being a Martyr for Christ.
I really enjoyed this weeks reading i though it was very interesting. I especially enjoyed learning about the martyrdom of Perpetua, her story was very interesting to read about. It was interesting on how she insisted to be killed, this could also be taken as cowardly, because your leaving your responsibilities in this case it could be seen as her child. another thing i thought was interesting was how they preserved the bones of the ones that have been martyred. its also interesting think why and how the emperors would care about the Christians and spend a lot of time persecuting them and trying to make them recant their faith. If i was emperor all i would care about was getting my tax money and if they didn't cause any trouble i wouldn't see any point in persecuting. them
ReplyDeleteSomething that really struck me about Perpetua was her utter devotion to Christ. Now I am not simply referencing the fact that she voluntarily gave herself to the sword for the glory of God--testifying to her faithfulness in itself--but also the fact that she would sacrifice herself knowing full well she would be leaving her family and child behind. I think Perpetua, although she may seemed selfish in this respect to many others, epitomizes what Wycliffe believed to be an essential facet for bishops (and any Christians for that matter), the facet of unworldliness. Perpetua had the option of simply sacrifice to man made gods, getting a Roman official to sign off on it, and just like that, she could have lived a happy-ish life in this world. However, Perpetua stays true the Lord's commandment to abstain from worshiping false idols--one example of how she steers clear of clinging to this world. Furthermore, she felt so indebted to Christ that she left her physical, worldly family in this life, to die a gruesome death so she may spend eternity with them in the next one. Perpetua is an amazing Christian figurehead that many Christians, in some way or another, should look up to. But it begs the question, are there people like her today? If not, then why not? Why are we lacking such a zealous faith that existed during Perpetua's time and long afterwards? Just some food for thought I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI found the whole situation with her family (her father in particular) a difficult bit to read. I meant to talk about it in my own post, but I forgot! Thanks for mentioning it here. As for why the world lacks people like Perpetua today, I'm not certain that it does. I just think that as we're not faced with such stark persecution in the U.S. (yet), we haven't had the opportunity to commonly witness that kind of faith or be put to the test ourselves. What with the government shutting down and all the drama lately...who knows! Perhaps things will begin to change and we'll be faced with some more difficult tests and trials!
Delete"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 8:35
ReplyDeleteSince I first learned about Perpetua several years ago, her story has always remained with me (I even built a Lego vignette inspired by her story). I find it beautiful, encouraging, and challenging. I can only hope and pray that I'd have her level of faith, through Christ who strengthens me, to stand for the truth! The text offers obvious proof that she and her fellow martyrs truly understood what it meant to suffer for Christ. The following line from the text is a beautiful reflection of 1 Perter 4:13.
"And they rejoiced at this that they had obtained a share in the Lord's sufferings." (line from the Perpetua reading)
"But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13
Another thing I found intriguing about Perpetua's writing was her language. Her way with words rather reminded me of how you people today talk. I thought it was humorous how frequently she would say "or whatever" in actual quotes. Her casual tone gave me, as a young reader, something to relate to.
And lastly I find the "calm" (that she is described as having) so encouraging! The descriptions of her convey such contentment, even in the face of death! It's comforting and most beautiful.
I really enjoyed this reading i though it was very interesting. I liked learning about the martyrdom of Perpetua. It was interesting how she wanted to be killed, i was a little confused by this. its also interesting think why the emperors would care about the Christians and spend so much time persecuting them. I'm sure that there (as there are even today) so many other small cults and group that were far more disruptive and annoying to the Roman way of life than the Christians.
ReplyDelete