The Religions Book

209

See also: God’s covenant with Israel 168–75 ■ Faith and the state 189

■ The Protestant Reformation 230–37 ■ The rise of Islamic revivalism 286–90

O

n 9 March 203 CE, two

young mothers—a Roman

noblewoman, Perpetua,

and her slave Felicity—were led

into the arena at Carthage with

other Christians, where they were

flogged, mauled by wild beasts,

and finally executed. The story

of these two female martyrs was

recorded in The Passion of Perpetua

and Felicity, in order to inspire

other Christians to stay committed

to their faith even when threatened

with persecution and death.

Death brings life

The theologian Tertullian, writing

in Carthage at that time, developed

a Christian understanding of

martyrdom, noting that “The blood

of the Christians is the seed.” The

Roman emperors intended their

waves of persecution to deter

citizens from embracing a faith

that put the authority of Jesus

above that of the state. However,

as Tertullian argued, far from

being an obstacle to the growth of

Christianity, persecution helped it

to spread. The fact that Christians

were willing to be put to death

rather than renounce their belief

that Jesus was the world’s divinely

appointed and rightful ruler,

both intrigued and attracted

nonbelievers.

This understanding of

martyrdom assisted the growth

of Christianity throughout history,

because it gave Christians the

confidence that even the most

violent opposition to their message

was not a sign of failure, but rather

the seed of success. ■

CHRISTIANITY

THE BLOOD OF THE

MARTYRS IS THE SEED

OF THE CHURCH

DYING FOR THE MESSAGE

The early martyrs went to their

deaths willingly, believing that their

example would seed Christianity’s

message into other hearts and minds.

IN CONTEXT

KEY DEVELOPMENT
Persecution of the
early Christians

WHEN AND WHERE
c.64–313 CE, Roman Empire

BEFORE
c.30 CE Jesus is crucified,
having told his followers to
expect persecution in turn.

1st century CE In response
to oppression by the Roman
authorities in Jerusalem,
Christianity becomes an
underground movement, and
Christians leave the city and
spread out across the Empire.

AFTER
3rd century A breakaway
Christian sect opposes
readmitting to the Church
those who had renounced their
faith to avoid persecution.

16th century Catholic and
Protestant factions in Europe
persecute each other, each
seeing their suffering as proof
of their faithfulness.