You have at least a vague idea of what today's blog header refers to, don't you? In the ancient church Christians heroically stayed true to their faith, even though it meant being thrown to the wild beasts for sport. Christians would hide out in the catacombs of ancient Rome for worship to avoid persecution. Out of these stories grew the concept of "red martyrdom," bearing witness to Christ even though the consequence was a gruesome death. Christians were the first to use the Greek word martys to denote those killed for faith.
What if this just wasn't true, or at least not accurate in its severity? There is a new book called The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom by Candida Moss. In it she argues that the martyrs were few and far between, and that there was a greater tolerance of Christians by the Romans than we have been led to believe. Moss acknowledges widespread animosity toward Christians in the ancient world. But the Romans effectively punished disloyalty from any group, including but not exclusively Christians. Moss figures that many of the stories were amplified, embellished, or just made up. It may be that Christians were persecuted in particular periods and locales, but not universally.
I was a bit surprised by this, and not everyone agrees with her thesis. As I ponder it, though, I realize that my Christian faith is not predicated on the persecution of Christians in another era. I am more concerned about the Christians who suffer for their faith today. I think of Iraqi Christians who were pushed out of their homeland into Syria in the past decade, only to suffer again in the terrible civil war which we hear about daily. But even in these circumstances it is a matter of solidarity rather than glorification.
I do trust that Stephen, Paul, and of course Jesus himself suffered and died for their faithfulness. I don't doubt that the Revelation of John was born out of persecution. I can also accept that martyrdom didn't shape the early church quite the way we might have imagined.
Have you ever pondered all this? Does it really matter to you?
2 comments:
I will admit to having little knowledge of the details of historical persecutions so obviously it hasn't shaped my faith except for the sense of gratitude it evokes to those who paved the way so that I might be free to explore and live my faith.
Funny, I heard the title of your blog early this morning on an schmultzy rerun I watch that portrays life in a small mining town after the great depression....as societal changes caused strife in the community the lions were said to be leading over the Christians...and I didn't know the reference....but now I do...true or not.
I have to confess I become more and more puzzled as I read more of the "experts'" writings , which reverse the things I was taught and have believed for a long time - some of the changes and new interpretations I have gladly embraced, but I do wonder just how much of our "faith teachings" and knowledge is credible any more ... don't you?
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