Radical Martyrdom and Cosmic Conflict in Early Christianity

(Hardback)

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Several view of martyrdom co-existed in the early Church. The orthodox' position, generally accepted by scholars, was that a Christian should choose martyrdom rather than deny the Faith, but should not, on any account, court death. Although it has been recognised that some in the early Church did seek a glorified death, by giving themselves over to arrest, most scholars have dismissed such acts as differing from the accepted attitude to martyrdom' in the early Church. Therefore, instances of volitional, or radical martyrdom, have been largely overlooked or sidelined in scholarly investigations into the theology and origins of Christian martyrdom.

Paul Middleton argues that, far from being a deviant strand of early Christianity, radical martyrdom' was a significant, and widely held idealised form of devotion in the late first to early third centuries. Christian martyrdom is placed within the heritage of Jewish War tradition, with each martyr making an important contribution to the cosmic conflict between Satan and God. Radical Martyrdom re-examines the presentation, theology, and origins of Christian martyrdom up to the beginning of the Decian persecutions in the light of new perspectives on the subject.

Reviews

Mention - The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 27, 2006
Mention - New Testament Abstracts, Vol. 52 No. 3, 2008
Review in International Review of Biblical Studies, vol. 54:2007/08
"A welcome addition to the study of martyrdom that offers new insights into a previously maligned group of early Christians." -- Candida Moss * Expository Times *
"This book is important, persuasive and well written. It illuminates a neglected aspect of early Christian suffering, sets out a convincing socio-historical basis in the Empire and shows how Jesus' call to disicipleship and the rich suffering motif in the New Testament contribute to this perspective. An excellent resource for those reflecting on the suffering motif in the late Second Temple period Judaism and the early church." Journal for the Study of the New Testament Booklist 2009 -- Kent E. Brower * Journal for the Study of the New Testament *
"Middleton demonstrates his thesis successfully...In all, a provocative read for the specialist or graduate researcher." - Michael W. Holmes, Religious Studies Review, June 2008 -- Michael W. Holmes * Religious Studies Review *

Author Bio

Dr. Paul Middleton is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Chester, UK.