Who Invented Christian Martyrdom Religion Essay

Who Invented Christian Martyrdom Religion Essay The questions of who invented Christian martyrdom and why, and who was the first Christian martyr, are ambivalent in themselves as there cannot be a definite correct answer. When considering the history, many key related figures become apparent. There are three possible areas in which martyrdom may have been invented, these are the Christians, the Jews and the Romans. There is evidence of martyrdom stemming from each of these groups, which will be addressed in this essay. As well as the three groups mentioned above, there are individual examples of those who may have had been responsible for the initial inspiration that formed the invention of martyrdom. The Romans undoubtedly played a large part in the development of martyrdom. The formation of the Roman Empire following the Republican period, created an autocratic empire that ruled the majority of Europe and surroundings areas of the Mediterranean. This gave the first Emperor Augustus and his predecessors power to control the religious institutions. The development of Christianity was seen by the Roman Empire as both superstition and atheism. The first accusations of the Christians came after the Great Fire on Nero in 64. The Christians were a convenient religious group to blame this upon (even though after the fire Nero himself used the landmass to build, making the fire seem extremely convenient for his own uses, which brings about questions of the sincerity of the accusations of the fire) and from this came persecution and execution. Christians were subsequently dealt with in this way, and from this it can be claimed, that martyrdom stemmed from the Roman Empire. Christians were being forced into execution, and through support of their religion they came to prefer death rather than deny their religion and live.  [1]  The Roman Emperors views differed on the prosecution of the Christians. The attitudes were sporadic. Nero, Decian and Diocletion were responsible for serious attacks on Christianity however Trajan was rather lenient to Christians compared to other Emperors. Pliny is somewhat ambivalent, not knowing whether the crime is being a Christian or the secret crimes connected with the name  [2]   It can be argued that Christian martyrdom was invented by the Jews, as it was Jesus himself who died for his faith, and obviously being a Jew this would lead the invention back to Judaism. However as this was pre-Christianity it cannot be said to be the invention of Christian martyrdom, just a moral example. As well as the latter point, Jews had been taught from the early prophets to scorn the religions of his neighbours, even if these for the time being appeared to be more successful in earthly rewards than himself.  [3]   It was of course the Christians themselves who were martyred, but it can be suggested that if it were not for the prosecution of the Christians by the Roman Empire then Christian martyrdom would not have come about at all. There would have been no need to prove their faith. The martyrs became something of an example for other Christians, and inspiration to stick by their faith. The author of source 20 in A New Eubusis states how blessed and noble are all the martyrdoms which have taken place and respects their nobility and endurance and love for their Master.  [4]  As in the words of Polycarp, when told to curse Christ, Polycarp continued to confess himself as a Christian, and when faced with being burnt alive commented that I must needs be burnt alive, so that he might take a portion among the martyrs in the cup of Christ, because he wanted to be a rich and acceptable sacrifice  [5]  This gives evidence to show that despite the imminence of death, their faith would remain. As well as looking at the groups mentioned above, there are certain individuals who can be said to have had a significant effect on the development of martyrdom. Martyrdom can be thought to have originated from the figure of Jesus, and his crucifixion at the hands of the Romans due to his blasphemous claims. Jesus apostles were thought to have emulated him in this way, as nearly all his apostles in turn died at the hands of their beliefs and faith in Jesus. It is this act of Jesus that is claimed by some to be where martyrdom began, making Jesus the inventor of martyrdom. Despite this claim, I would argue that Jesus is an exemplar rather than a creator. Evidence for this statement is clear in the account of Polycarps martyrdom where there are references to crucifixion, the Lord might once again give an example of the martyrdom which resembles the gospel story.  [6]  It is also stated in the martyrdom that Polycarp refused to blaspheme saying For eighty-six years I have been his servant and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme against my king and saviour?  [7]  It also becomes clear in the Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne, 177, where Christ if often mentioned, with references such as then in turn a mighty dispensation of God came to pass, and the measureless compassion of Jesus was displayed , in a manner rarely vouchsafed among the brethren, but not beyond the art of Christ.  [8]  Both letters make clear and relevant that Jesus actions were the incentive, and that his actions gave them the strength and power to die for their beliefs. Although it can be argued that Jesus was the martyr exemplar, he cannot be called a martyr himself. There is very little evidence suggesting he was ever called a martyr. In fact the only time the word is ever mentioned is in Revelation 2:13 and Acts 22:20 with reference to his disciples as martyrs, meaning witness as this is the Greek root of the word. So the word martyr is associated with Jesus death, but with a different meaning and this is further highlighted by a very relevant Christian martyr, Ignatius of Antioch, who didnt even use the Greek word martyr for himself. Another example of what same may call a martyr is Socrates, however in this case, as well as with Jesus, Christianity was not yet born, and so this pre-Christian martyr can only be seen, as Jesus was, as a model for the Christians. This is referred to in Justin Martyrs second apology; Socrates was charged with the same things that we are.  [9]  Both of these examples perhaps give Christians the idea to carry ou t this heroic action. This then calls for an explanation of how the new meaning of the word martyrdom came about. How did it move away from its original meaning and why? As previously said there is ambiguity as to who the first Martyr was, and hence who invented Martyrdom. We have established the neither Jesus nor Socrates were martyrs, so then we come to the Jewish Maccabees, their relevance is highlighted through the way in which Blandina is likened in Lyons and Vienne to the mother of the seven sons. At this point martyrdom had come to mean what it does today as Professor Baron stated there were born that great exaltation of Christian martyrdom which was to dominate the minds of the jews and chritians for countless generations.  [10]  However, the two terms are clearly linked and may be seen to merge together. As the Apostles were witness to the death of Jesus, they then became venerable due to their everlasting faith, and could at anytime be called upon to deny what was witnessed under penalty of death. As the apostles would never deny their beliefs, they moved from being a witness, to being open to the idea of death, which will lead us on to the controversial topic of voluntary martyrdom. St. John, at the end of the first century, describes martyr as a faithful witness (martus) who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth (Revelation 2:13). In Bowersocks Martyrdom and Rome he highlights the point from the latter paragraph, that despite the use of the word itself in the New Testament, the meaning is by no means the same. Bowersock believes that it was not until the 2nd Century that the word martyr came to mean what is means today. Even though links can be drawn to earlier events, such as Nero at Rome which followed the great fire in 64, the change and the more relevant events come later. It is suggested by De Ste. Croix that from approximately 112 onwards Christians started to be prosecuted by pagans simply for being Christians the nomen Christianum, and Pliny states in a letter to Trajan that he executed those charged before me with being Christians.  [11]  The definition of the word martyr was emphasised when the title was turned down by the confessions of Lyons, as they did not actually die, and stated They are already martyrs whom Christ has deemed worthy to be taken up in their confession, having sealed their te stimony by their departure; but we are confessors mean and lowly.  [12]   The interesting movement that occurred, that is dissimilar to Jesus, Socrates and the Maccabees was the voluntary martyrdom. Not only were devote Christians willing to give their lives, they actually wanted to. This was something that very much puzzled the Roman Empire, and became interpreted as almost a provocation. But the sincerity was entirely there as proved by Perpetua and Germanicus. Voluntary martyrdom was in fact forbidden by the church, and those being executed voluntarily were said to be considered far less heroic. The bishops of the churches were supposed to refuse to the voluntary martyrs the honour of the name martyr, and this is backed up by a number of sources including Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Lactantius, the canons of the council of Elvira and the passion of Polycarp. Yet despite this, the martyrs were usually seen in high regarded, seen also as heroic figures.it has been said, notably by De Ste. Croix that it was a montanist practice in origin, however he then goes on to suggest that it began far earlier, but there is not sufficient evidence to back this up. Christian Martyrdom was essentially invented to prove the seriousness of the Christian faith. Initially those who were sentenced to death, did so graciously, without hesitation, yet not with the will of that being the case. These were described as glorious examples of resistance to tyrannical authority and painful suffering before unjust judges. Despite the development of martyrdom, and from that the stemming of voluntary martyrdom, it is made clear from Perpetua how difficult, and how much of a dilemma the Christians faced when deciding between sacrificing their beliefs, or their lives. It must be noted that the ambiguity of this invention can be partly resolved when considering that Christian martyrdom stems from Christian theology. Even though the discussion of the invention of martyrdom is centred around the denominations and figures mentioned above, none of the martyrs would have died if they were not following closely their religious beliefs, and obeying what the church required of them. It is impossible to say who invented Christian martyrdom, and I question whether invent is even the correct term to use in this context. The action came about due to devotion and faithfulness to the Christian religion, and thus became almost a tradition, in which followers showed their dedication to Christ and their one God. It was not invented for a particular purpose, but became something of a statement. Its roots are deeply embedded in the Jewish history concerning Jesus and then Socrates, as well as in the lives of St. Stephen the first Martyr and the many other Christian figures who gave their lives to support their faiths. Word Count: 1,950

College :: essays papers

College College! Why is it such a big deal to go right in to collage! I understand, however I just don't know what I want to do yet. I know I want to do something that has to do with criminal justice. As in the FBI. I just think that would be so cool. It would make me happy and I'll get paid O.K. My plans were to graduate, then stay with my mom for a year and just work 2 jobs, maybe take a class at U.A.A. So, I can keep with the whole study thing. Oh, and I would go into the Air Guard also. They really help with collage. Then a friend and me would get an apartment and split the rent. I would then go to U.A.A for 2 years and after that I would transfer to the University of my Choice. I got all of these ideas from my sister. I look up to my sister a lot. I learn from her experiences. She never took her SAT's and she did really badly in high school. But, when she went to U.A.A she got really good grades then she transferred over to N.Y.U. It's the 3rd hardest college to get into for her field! So, ya know if she can do it so can I. My father on the other hand! He thinks I should go to Grays Harbor Community College. And if I do, then I can live with him and he will pay for my BOOKS! If you don't know, Grays Harbor is a really bad college, it is worse then U.A.A. Even if I wanted to go, my mom wouldn't let me! I mean come on; he will help me pay for my BOOKS that's a real help. I remember one day I was in the truck with my dad and we were talking about colleges and he said "you can't go to a good college like your sister, you just cant. You're not like her. And, I'm sure as hell I'm not going to pay that much!" I told him I don't expect him to pay for anything. My sister went through college without her dad's help, so I can do it to. Every time I try and talk to him about the university that I'm interested in or when I tell him I want to be in the law or psychology field, he just changes the subject!

My Chautauqua Essay -- Personal Narrative essay about myself

My Chautauqua I have a tendency to forget to breathe when I'm sitting in my art history class. A double slide projector set-up shoots its characteristic artillery - bright colors, intense shapes, inscriptions in languages that are at times read merely as symbols by my untrained mind, archaic figures with bodies contorted like elementary school students on the recess monkey bars. I discuss Diego Rivera's "The Liberation of the Peon," Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait," and Anselm Kiefer's "To the Unknown Painter" with my classmates. The room is never silent as we marvel at these images. When the slide projectors give off that first glimmer of light, their Gatsby spot of a blurry green hope at the end of the dock, we depart on our collective imaginary field trips. The teacher doesn't need to coax, to pry, to pose multiple-choice questions. We are already on our way. I wander down the Hall of Mirrors in the French Palace of Versailles. Soon after I am thinking of the converse style, and recall that German Architect Mies van der Rohe has created the most simplistic a...

Functions Of Management Essay -- Business Management

There may be many ways for an organization to become successful but the key to success is not the system of the firm but the character and skills of the individual manager (Maister, 2002). Maister further stated that the character and skill of individual managers who "practice what they preach" and recognize the manager's role in training employees are what's really significant. Management is necessary for a business to function, yet when exploring the role of the manager, it becomes rather complex. Managers must be resourceful; they are individuals who wear many hats. The job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management. Richard Daft definition of management is "the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through the employment of the four management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources" (2005). Daft adds that these functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent. The first of these functions, planning, involves creating a systematic process for achieving the goals of the firm. It prepares the organization for the future. Planning can take many forms and a variety of methods may be employed. Creativity and communication becomes very important in the function of planning. For example, during my employment with a tax service, in planning a marketing campaign several people had to be contacted. Communication was initiated in different forms such as e-mail, telephone, written memorandums and creative jingles. Today managers make use of planning through software and technological items such as blackberries in order to be well prepared during the planning process. Planning can also be seen as a way of control. ... ... needed (2005). Managers also play an important role is advancing these goals. Rather than just manipulating things and people to achieve goals, managers must advance overall organizational goals through the use of information systems. Technology is one element that is helping managers take control. The use of the internet and other technology has enabled them to keep tabs on performance without maintaining daily authoritarian control over employees (Daft, 2005). In Maister's book, "Practice What You Preach", he list nine statements as the most important truths for employees and profitability. The performance from company to company, despite the country, the size of the practice and the line of business, the four functions of management I found to be equally significant in his nine truths. Works Cited Maister, D.H. (2001), "Practice What You Preach"

Women Overcoming Domestic Violence in Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat Essay

Zora Neale Hurston's 'Sweat' is a short story about the struggles and hardships in the life of an African American woman living in the south. The short story talked about the treatment of women in these times. Many women of present times can identify with the hardships that Delia encountered in her marriage. The story also deals with adultery in relationships and the dishonesty and heartache it brings to a relationship. The story gives many women of domestic violence the strength and the courage to stand up for themselves and against their husbands. In these times it was hard for African American women to stand up to their abusive husbands. Getting a divorce was not a very common thing to do. Most women endured the pain and troubles of being physically and mentally abused everyday. A number of women were too poor to get a divorce or even runaway from their husbands. Husbands of these times supported the family and were the only ones who had a job in the family. In 'Sweat' Delia was the supporter of the family she worked every day supporting herself and Sykes. This was not very common in these times. Most women stayed home and watched the children while the men supported the family. With women not working this made it hard for them to get enough money to leave their husbands and support themselves and their children without their husbands. The story gives women of domestic violence courage and strength to get out of an abusive relationship. In one part of the story Delia...

Rdr Experiment No. 9 Integrated Concepts of Equilibrium

Experiment No. 9 INTEGRATED CONCEPTS OF EQUILIBRIUM RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A system in equilibrium can be affected by the addition of another reagent leading to a change in chemical equation with a new equilibrium constant. An overall reaction is the sum of two or more reaction steps with different equilibrium constants. The overall equilibrium constant, Koverall, is the product of the equilibrium constants of the individual reaction step. If a reaction step is reversed, the equilibrium constant is set into its reciprocal.If a reaction step is multiplied by a common coefficient n, the new equilibrium constant is raised to the nth. The first part of the experiment dealt with the equilibrium reaction Cu(OH)2(s) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq). 0. 10 M Cu(NO3)2 and 0. 10 M NaOH were reacted together in seven test tubes to form the solid Cu(OH)2, a blue precipitate. Distilled water was added to the first test tube. This served as the control. When 6. 0 M H2C2O4 was added to the second test tube, t he precipitate turned cloudy blue. The new equilibrium can be attributed to the formation of the solid CuC2H4 which is cloudy blue in color, and the ionization of H2C2O4.The addition of Zn dust in the third test tube resulted into a gray-brown precipitate. The mechanisms in this reaction are the dissociation of Cu(OH)2(s), redox of Cu2+ and Zn, and precipitation of Zn(OH)2, leading to an overall reaction of Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) ? Zn(OH)2(s) + Cu(s). When 6. 0 M HNO3 was added to the fourth test tube, the precipitate disappeared. The H+ ions from the complete dissociation of HNO3 neutralize the OH- ions. This results to the shifting of the system to the right. The addition of 6. 0 M NH3 in the fifth test tube caused the formation of the deep blue [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex.The new equilibrium was established from the dissociation reaction of Cu(OH)2 and NH3, and the formation of complex [Cu(NH3)4]2+. 1. 0 M Na3PO4 was added to the sixth test tube, and formed a light blue precipitate. The bas ic PO3- hydrolyzes to form OH- and HPO42-. The increase in OH- ions caused the system to shift to the left and formed more Cu(OH)2(s). In the seventh test tube, the addition of Cu(NO3)2 caused to form a cloudy turquoise precipitate. The addition of a common ion Cu2+ caused the formation of more solid.The cloudy supernate suggested that the solubility of a slightly soluble ionic compound is lowered in the presence of a common ion. In the second part of the experiment, saturated NaCl was put into three test tubes and in each, three different reagents were added. The initial equilibrium reaction was NaCl(s) ? Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq). The addition of 95% ethanol resulted to a clear supernate and very minimal white precipitate. Ionic compounds such a NaCl dissolve in polar solvents like ethanol. The addition of concentrated HCl resulted in the formation of more white precipitate, due to the addition of a common ion Cl-.When MgSO4 was added, there was no visible reaction. This is due to the the displacement reaction of the two solids forming aqueous solutions of MgCl2 and Na2SO4. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS A. test tube 1 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 K_eq=[? Cu? ^(2+)]? [? OH? ^-]? ^2 B. test tube 2 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 H2C2O4 (aq) HC2O4-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 5Ãâ€"10-2 HC2O4-(aq) C2O42-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 1Ãâ€"10-5 Cu(OH)2(s) + H2C2O4 (aq) Cu2+(aq) + C2O42-(aq) + 2H2O(l) Keq=8. 23Ãâ€"10-26 C. test tube 3 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + Zn(s) Zn2+(aq) + Cu(s) Kredox=3. 46Ãâ€"1034 Zn2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Zn(OH)2 (aq) Ksp=5. 435Ãâ€"1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) Zn(OH)2 (aq) + Cu(s) Keq=4. 137Ãâ€"1028 D. test tube 4 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 2HNO3(aq) ? 2H+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) Ka=? Cu(OH)2(s) + 2HNO3 (aq) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) + 2H2O(l)Keq=? E. test tube 5 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + 4 NH3(aq) Cu(NH3)4]2+(aq) Kf=5. 0x1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + 4 NH3(aq) [Cu(NH3)4]2 +(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Keq=1. 1Ãâ€"10-6 F. test tube 6 3Cu(OH)2(s) 3Cu2+(aq) + 6OH-(aq) Ksp=1. 0648x 10-59 2H3PO4 (aq) 2H+(aq) + 2H2PO4-(aq) Ksp=5. 625Ãâ€"10-5 2H2PO4-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2HPO42-(aq) Ksp=3. 844Ãâ€"10-15 2HPO42-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2PO43-(aq) ¬ Ksp=2. 304Ãâ€"10-27 3Cu(OH)2(s) +2H3PO4 (aq) Cu3(PO4)2(s) + 6H2O(l)Keq? 0 A. Test tube 1 B. Test tubes 6, 5, 3, and 2 C. Test tube 5 D. Test tubes 7, 6, 4, 3, and 2 E. Test tube 7, and 2 F. Test tube 6, 5, and 3In test tube 1, the addition of ethanol to the solution produced little precipitate. It is because ethanol is capable of hydrogen-bonding with water, thus, depriving the Na+ and Cl- ions of water molecules to â€Å"hydrate† them. On the other hand, adding HCl produced a greater amount of precipitate because it completely ionizes into H+ and Cl- ions. Because Cl- is part of one side of the dissolution process, the equilibrium shifted to the side favoring the reformation of NaCl crystals. Lastly, the addition of MgSO4 doe s not affect the system because none of its constituent ions were present in the equilibrium reaction of NaCl.

E-Marketing Presentation

Good afternoon tutor and students. I would like to present you an e-marketing plan proposal of Royal Brisbane and women’s hospital foundation today. During the proposal I would like to introduce the RBWH foundation company and clearly identify the website that forms the basis. As many of the people know, Royal Brisbane and women’s hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Queensland. However, the RBWH foundation is the charity arm of the hospital that was first publicly in 1985. There are two of the mean projects in RBWH foundation; there are Mother’s Milk Bank and P. A. R.T. Y. Program. It also has the largest cancer services in Queensland. Therefore, the aim of the foundation is to raising funds to help and save lifes. The marketing and communication of Royal Brisbane and women’s hospital foundation are promoting on different ways. Such as newsletters by emails, Royal Mums, information on the Queensland health website, RBWH’s own websites and fa cebook page. As everyone knows, Internet communication is the fastest way to marketing the brand name and the best way to advertising the company. A website should have four generic objectives on it.It should be strategic, integrated, targeted or measurable. This is called marketing effectiveness. However, a successful website must have the key website measurement. Site usage, site content analysis, quantity assurance and how visitor arrived at the site. Home page is the first impression of the websites; it is the most important part. We can clearly see that there is a big labeled of the company name on the left top. It makes a clear mind of the name to the visitors. Also there is a big â€Å"donate now† button on the right top as this is an institution of donation charity.It makes more comfortable for the visitor where the way they can donate. Also make a clearly mind for the visitor what is the meant purpose of this institution want. The menu bar of the home page site shows up all the based information what should the visitor wants be on. Such as â€Å"contact†, â€Å"About us†, â€Å"support†, â€Å"research† and â€Å"Project†, there is a good marketing effect for researching bar, as this is the earlier and quickies way to make the visitors go to the page what they want to visit. Also Facebook page is the most successful part of the website, as facebook got the top view rate in the world.Almost everyone is using facebook in people’s lifetime. Created a facebook page not just can advertised the brand name quickly also can send visitor who do not know about the RBWH foundation to it own site. However, the website do not show out the number which people repeatedly visit the site. And do not have it search terms people used to find the site. Therefore it will lose visitors because of it. These what they need to improve to make the site more perfect. In concluding my presentation, the Royal Brisbane women’ s hospital foundation website is a successful example.As it clearly showed up the visitor what the detail information and what suppose to be in the home page and information page. It also connect to a facebook page to do a free advertising for a successful E-marketing way to let more people to know more about RBWH. However, it also need to improve more, such as showing a number which people repeatedly visit the site and search terms people used to find the website. If the website takes the e-marketing promotion more important it will improve the number of visitor and more life will be save and help. This is the end of my presentation, thank you for your time.