Introduction

Suffering and persecution forms an almost ubiquitous backdrop to most of the documents that make up the New Testament. In the first extant piece of Christian writing, the epistle to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul suggests persecution is an ever-present danger. He claims that his converts “received the word in much affliction (ἐν θƛίψϵι ποƛƛῆ; 1:6)” and received at the hands of their fellow townsfolk the same kind of persecution believers in Judea suffered from the Jews (2:14). This theme continues throughout the New Testament. As Jesus had suffered, so true Christians are called to imitate his example, embracing death where necessary (cf. Mark 8:34-38). From Paul onwards, suffering was regarded not as an unfortunate necessity, but as a mark of true discipleship. Martyrdom quickly became the ultimate act of “following the Lamb wherever he goes” (Rev. 14:4). Christians reflecting on these experiences promoted themselves, as Judith Perkins has demonstrated, as a community of sufferers. Their worship of an executed criminal, their novel rites, and their scorning of state, city, and familial gods made Christians so unpopular that Luke could have one of his characters write of Christianity, “We know that everywhere it is spoken against” (Acts 28:22).

While William Bramley-Moore asserted in his introduction to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs that “the history of Christian martyrdom is, in fact, the history of Christianity itself”, it is now generally recognized there was little in the way of official persecution of the Christians before the mid-third century. Christian populations did undoubtedly experience hostility and some violence, but prior to Decius there was no state-wide action taken against Christians. Instead, anti-Christian actions tended to be local and sporadic. Even so, themes of persecution, suffering, and martyrdom are prominent in the writings produced by early Christians.

In their martyr accounts, Christians promoted those who endured suffering and death as heroes. The martyrs were examples of piety from whose example other Christians could learn how to be true followers. As we will see, Christians promoted the martyr as an example of a noble athlete or combatant who provided an example of courage, endurance, and bravery.