Heroic Death: The Role Martyrdom Played in the Spread of Christianity Throughout the Roman Empire Prior to the First Council of Nicaea
Open Access
Author:
Fesolovich, Kara
Area of Honors:
History
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Thomas Christopher Lawrence, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Cathleen Denise Cahill, Honors Advisor
Keywords:
rome christianity roman empire martyr martyrdom heroic death
Abstract:
This thesis examines the cross-cultural phenomenon of the honorable or heroic death. Namely, it looks at how Christian martyrdom fit into the cultural milieu of the Roman empire. It focuses on the first three centuries of the common era, prior to the first Council of Nicaea and Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. This way, we can examine what Christianity looked like within the empire before it was legitimized by imperial powers. This thesis looks at Greco-Roman precursors to Christian martyrs as well as Christian martyrdom tales themselves, and how Christians viewed martyrdom in the early church. We see that while there were instances of Christian persecution occurring within the empire, the spread of Christianity relied on an interplay of its own ideas along with existing cultural practices.