The blood of martyrs
Subtitle: unintended consequences of ancient violence
By: Joyce E. Salisbury.
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 233
Subjects: Martyrdom -- Christianity -- History of doctrines -- Early church, ca. 30-600.; Christian martyrs.; Persecution -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600.; Rome -- Politics and government -- 30 B.C.-476 A.D.
Description: "In The Blood of Martyrs, historian Joyce E. Salisbury chronicles the horrific displays of martyrdom during the first three centuries of the Christian era, describing the role of martyrdom in the early Church and its continuing influence on today's ideas." "For the Roman rulers, the elaborately staged dismembering of the bodies of a growing religious minority was one of several futile efforts to preserve the authority of a dying state. For pagan spectators, the fearless Christians and their mysterious beliefs exerted an attraction akin to the voyeurism that draws millions to today's reality television shows. For the Christians themselves, the martyrs' sacrifice connected elements of ancient religion - blood offerings, miracles, and folk rituals - with the metaphysical language of their new faith." "Exploring a disturbing intersection of faith and murder, The Blood of Martyrs shows how this torture led people to see the world as a struggle of good against evil, a view that haunts our cultural memory to this day, shaping our ideas of sacrifice, suicide, magic, violence, and resurrection."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The power of the martyrs; title: The struggle between evil and good; title: Resurrecting the flesh; title: Magic and the warrior martyr; title: Dreams and visions; title: Misplaced anger: the growth of anti-semitism; title: How martyrs became mothers and mothers martyrs; title: The blood of sacrifice; title: Controlling the martyrs; title: Revolutionary martyrs: good versus evil again; title: Controlling the message; title: You shall not kill [yourself]: prohibiting suicide.