Emilia Hernandez

LBST 2102
Would you always stand up for what you believe in even if it could cost you your own
life? I believe that martyrs are brave for standing up for their religious beliefs, even if that meant
facing the ultimate consequence, their lives. I believe that martyrs are some of the most powerful
people, standing up for their religion was their act of passion which ultimately resulted in their
deaths. No matter what the circumstances were they knew who they were and nobody was going
to take that away from them. To have passion for your religion like that, is so honorable. To
never experience life without their religion is an experience martyrs just werent willing to take.
During the 3rd century the homicide of Christians was in its beginning stages. The
emperor at the time, Emperor Decius, decided that Christianity was a threat to the Roman gods.
Therefore, he decided that everyone in the empire had to sacrifice to the Roman gods and a
Roman official would sign of an approval slip after this matter was taken care of. The reason
behind the emperors madness was obviously he felt threatened by religions that did not include
the Roman gods. It is to be believed that Christianity started out as a small minority group which
ultimately started to gain more power and the emperor was having none of it. Meeks wrote that
the Emperor has recognized this counter-cultural tendency and says, "This is dangerous - we
can't have this large a group, which by the way, is also very highly organized, and, unlike other
religious communities, is organized not just on a local basis, but is organized on an empire-wide
basis. Something has to be done about it...." This ultimately means say your religion doesnt
matter to you or face your demise.
Martyrs are those who no matter the circumstance, they will not stray from their religion.
During this time martyrs were very rare because as soon as people were faced with death they

would cower in fear and sacrifice to the Roman gods. However, there are journals of martyrs that
still exist today. For example, a diary of a martyr by the name of Perpetua, exist and it recalls her
experience leading up to her death. Perpetua talks about how her family wants her to sacrifice to
the Roman gods so that she can live out her life with her family. Despite that she is set to be a
Christian and will die for her religion. No matter the circumstance she was not going to stray
away from Christianity. Perpetua and her family were given a hearing were they would either
sacrifice to the Roman gods or would be put into a fight with beasts. Hilarianus, the governor,
asked Perpetua to sacrifice and her response was I will not He asked her are you a
Christian? to which she replied Yes, I am. This is a powerful statement by her because she
knew she would be punished by death but still could not ignore her love and passion for her
religion, that she would sacrifice her own life for it.
Perpetua was a strong Christian when it came to the belief that God had a plan for
everyone who believed in him. Perpetua is having visions about God during her time in prison
and days leading up to her battle with the beasts. Also she believed that God set everything up
for her so she wouldnt have the worry of her baby when she went into battle. Perpetua talks
about how a man in shepherds clothes called her over as soon as she climbed out of her prison
and said I am glad you have come, my child. He was surrounded by many who had on white
garments. During her time in prison she was breastfeeding her child but after she was sentenced
to the battle, under Gods power, the baby no longer longed for her milk and she felt no pain from
it. Another Martyr by the name of Felicitas delivered a baby, days before she was sent into battle.
Luckily the baby was not punished also and was raised by someone else as their daughter. The
stories of Perpetua and Felicitas. These women helped each other out by making sure their

bodies were covered at all times while in battle. Fredriksen wrote that Perpetua grabs the hands
of the young gladiator and helps guide it to her throat in a way assisting her death.
Around the year 250 many Christians gave up their religion so they would not be
punished by death. During this time martyr were seen as the heroic minority according to
Fredriksen. Obviously, not many were lining up wanting to be killed because they didnt want to
give up their religion. I learned that martyrs were few and that these people were the most
passionate, dedicated people Christianity may ever see. Also that people wanted to have a say in
what they believed in but they were to scared to stand up for themselves and face death. I believe
martyrs were those who in their minds knew God had a plan for them. For them not to worry
because God knew what was going to happen and they shouldnt fear death if it meant they were
going to be led lead to God. Clark wrote that cults of martyrs began to form, preserving bones
and parts of the bodies and worshiping them with great honor. I still believe that martyrs were
some of the strongest people during this time. To stand up for what you believe in and to never
shy away from who they are inside show their character as a person. To never try and be
something you are not is the greatest thing you can do for yourself and for your religion.