Savannah Oakes

Martyr Essay
Global and Intercultural Connections 2102-342
Sinclair
2/17/16
Word count: 850
The Martyrs are a heroic minority. They dont represent a huge popular
swelling. We dont have tens of thousands of people being martyred. What we do
have, is tens of thousands of people admiring the few who are martyred. Paul
Fredricksen
I believe that the Martyrs were the few people in the year 202 who were
willing and courageous enough to die for their religious freedom. The acts of the
Martyrs were the first stepping stone religious freedom that still rings to this day.
The Martyrs of year 202 were following in the footsteps of Jesus, being the first
martyr in history. He willingly was nailed to the cross for outspokenly being a
Christian. This inspired other Christians to take a stand against the Roman Empire at
the time.
The Roman Empire (Emperor) did not necessarily have a problem with
Christianity, most disputes were executed by local Governors. The Empires were
more focused on other things going on at the time. Basically, as long as servants
and horses are not disturbed, taxes are collected, and body starts a rebellion, the
Empire was relatively pleased. But as a result of these local Martyrs, that where we
get the story of Perpetua, a local women willing to courageously die in the name of
Jesus Christ.
Perpetua was a young woman who was martyred in the year 202 or 203 in
Carthage, as part of a civic celebration. Perpetua insisted on being killed if that
meant not having to claim another religion other than what she was, Christian. Even
begging and crying from her own Father could not change Perpetuas mind about
her what her fate would become. Perpetua had never even been baptized, but in
her heart she knew she must stand up from the oppression of the Roman power.
Many other Christians during the time respected and looked up to Perpetua, so they
would come visit her while she was in prison. Perpetua knows her fate will lead her
to an arena to fight some sort of beast. The story ends right before Perpetua is led
into the arena to face her death. Perpetua was of a very rare kind, because during
this time there were not a lot of Christians willing to die in the name of Jesus Christ,
or to be Martyred.
To be honest, I did not even know what a martyr was before reading these
sources on the story of Perpetua. I literally googled the definition for martyr before I
began reading. As I read on I had a little trouble followed Perpetuas story, I felt like
a lot was going on all at once. But, after reading I realized that this story is one to
be admired (religiously or not). Perpetua was a young women, but was as brave as a

whole army of men. She was willing to die for the sake of religious freedom. She
could be compared to people such as Dr. Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks. She was
one of those people who just knew they could not sit down and keep quiet any
longer. Perpetua was and still is a role model to her community. Perpetua influences
other people in her community just as she did, and one example of that is Felicitas.
Felicitas is another young women on the verge of giving child birth when she is
killed along with Perpetua. Perpetua created an intense sense of community that
binds together these people who are insisting on being martyred. They take care of
each other.
In my opinion, there are two ways to look at this story: you can see how
people did not let other shake their beliefs and relationship in God or you can see
the story of a young women fighting for what she knew was right, and was willing to
die for it. I respect Perpetua, she was a pretty extraordinary young women. Not
many people today are willing to fight and sacrifice themselves for what they know
in their hearts is the right thing. Although not many people were martyred during
this time, the few that were, were looked up to and respected by a multitude of
people. The Martyrs wore almost worshiped throughout time by having shrines of
the bits of their bodies, or having liturgies that were written to them. People today
still go worship at the tombs of the martyrs. Paul Fredrickson says, And I think
thats, in a way, Christianitys effort to reclaim its own heroic history after it had
already become an arm of government, itself, and was, of course, persecuting other
Christians. This goes to show that Christianity is not perfect, but obviously it means
something to people that is worth dying for, and that is all that matter in a sense.
Christians still look up to Perpetua and her unshakable Christian faith. I do not
consider myself religious in any way, but I do respect the story of Perpetua as a
young women who willing gave her life for something she believed in.