Martyrdom
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained
Revelation 6:9
STORY
Frederick Faber was born in 1814 in Yorkshire, England. He was ordained in 1843 as an Anglican priest in the Church of England. He became disillusioned when the Church of England began to emphasize piety and disavowing the necessity of liturgy as an avenue for understanding and receiving grace. Faber, along with many other Anglican priests, considered the Church of England to be a “high church,” that is, a very liturgical church that emphasized church liturgy as a means of grace. This is the same position that is reflective of Roman Catholicism. Unable to tolerate the ecclesiastical changes of the Church of England, Faber, again along with many other Anglican priests, associated himself with the Roman Catholic Church.
In his first parish as a Roman Catholic priest Faber noticed that the Catholic church lacked vibrant hymns to sing during worship. So, the priest accepted the task of writing hymns for Catholic worship. He wrote 150 hymns before his early death at the age of forty-nine.
One of the hymns that he wrote was titled Faith of Our Fathers. The intended message of the hymn was to remind Catholic congregations of their many leaders who were martyred during the reign of Henry VIII in the sixteenth century. In 1527 King Henry wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon as she had failed to produce a son and male heir to the throne. Henry had also become infatuated with one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boylen. The king petitioned Pope Clement VII to allow the divorce and new marriage. The pope refused because marriage in the Roman Catholic Church is a sacrament, preventing any possibility for a divorce. Defying the pope, and with the consent of Parliament and passage of the Act of Supremacy in 1534, the Roman Catholic Church was abolished in England. In its place the Church of England was established with the king as the Supreme Head. This solidified England’s break from the Vatican, and what followed was the confiscation of property and the execution of any priest who did not recognize the king as the Supreme Head of the church.
The first stanza and refrain read:
Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!
Refrain:
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
DEVOTION
The word martyr comes from the Greek word which means “witness” or “testimony.” At first the word was only applied to the original eleven Apostles, but as the church expanded and more Christians were executed for their unflinching witness for Jesus, the designation was applied to all Christians. The persecution and executions of Christians was unceasing during the first four centuries and it did not cease until Constatine became the emperor of Rome.
The tolerance for Christians occurred when Constantine had his vision of the Chrisitan symbol of the cho rho cross before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Constantine interpreted this to be a sign that in the next day he would have battlefield dominance over his foe Marcus Aurelius. In victory the emperor forbids the persecution of Christians, ending the period in church history known as the “Age of Martyrs.”
During this period one of the most inspiring martyrs was Polycarp for the words he spoke on the day of his death in the year 155. Prior to being burned at the stake he said, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.”
The first martyr for the Christian faith was Stephen. His story is recorded for us in the Book of Acts. Saul instituted and oversaw his stoning, which is known because all of Stephen’s executioners laid their cloaks at the feet of the Pharisee leader. Saul, who was converted to Christianity and took on the new name of Paul, was martyred, beheaded, in Rome in the year 65.
The church has always symbolized martyrdom with the wearing of a white robe.
Points to Ponder
Ø Have you experienced physical or emotional martyrdom
o For me: I have never experienced physical persecution. The emotional persecution that I have experienced has always been mild, as it has been no more than a rebuke or a criticism. I could say that this is because I live in a tolerant society, but the real reason is that I am not bold and forthright enough in my witness, as I am always trying to avoid confrontation and conflict. I know I must change this about my Christian witness.
Ø Have you been an outspoken and uncompressing witness to cause you to be judged to be and be martyred by society
o For me: I have not because I am too timid as I always want to avoid confrontation and conflict. It has been this way for the seven decades of my life, and I realize that I must now be bold and forthright in my beliefs. I am writing Points to Ponder to be more explicit in my beliefs.
Ø What testimony could you make that would be so offensive that others would want to make you a martyr
o For me: I am more concerned and sacred of Christians who would fiercely criticize me for my beliefs if I shared them without hesitation. I am leery of Christians who would confront me because of my progressive theology that still resides in the boundaries of scripture. For this reason, I often withhold my views.
Ø If placed in that position, would you choose to be a martyr or would you think that you could better serve the Lord by quietly continuing in ministry
o For me: I would like to think that I would accept martyrdom, though I would probably rationalize that I could be a better servant by remaining silent so I could witness another day. But to be honest, I don’t think anyone can really know if they would accept martyrdom until they were placed in that position.
Please share other Points to Ponder so I can update my list
Please share your thoughts with me – if you desire I will publish them for others to read anonymously or first name only or your entire name as you choose