Paste your essay in here…Candida Moss argument and contribution to the scholarship of this book is that in previous decades and in today's decade, Christians are known to be prosecuted by the Roman empires. Also, she argues that, the myth of Christian persecution is imprecise, and that Christianity makes a contribution to violence among the world while being under attack by human beings in which is a fiction as she introduces us to the "Age of Martyrs".
In chapter one "Martyrdom Before Christianity", it is argued that individuals who have died for a king, country, nation, God, or on principle died what some scholars are called noble deaths. It is given that; these deaths are not martyrdom, but it is given that the term martyr carries religious overtones. According to the text, our author points out that, "Death is a fact of human existence; the important part is how you choose to die" (Moss, 30). This quotation basically explains how we as human beings are supposed to take death as it is. Along with this, we should take it like a "man" sort of speak with demonstrating a lot of bravery when dying. When speaking about death, in the words of the great philosopher Socrates, death is something that should not be feared from no human being. But today, when we discuss someone dying a "great death" we generally mean that the individual died comfortably without pain. Another piece of evidence that the author uses to help develop this argument for this chapter is that "A righteous person died for God was no longer a potential threat to the omnipotence of God; it was a means of securing eternal reward" (Moss, 43). We learn in this chapter that Christians die for Christ and for the truth of their deaths which in this case, their deaths different and special in their own way. Therefore, with the meaning of martyr, it teaches us the importance of death and the cause of death among the expectations for Christians who are well-known victims of their own afterlife.
Christians were previously influenced by the legends of the Trojans heroes. According to chapter two, dying for Christ in the manner in which he himself died has become the ideal for generations. This is where it appears that Jesus demonstrates as being "weak". The cause for this is that no one could mistake him for being the only divine. It is argued in chapter two that the death of Jesus appears as a kind of philosophical martyrdom but in the aspect of where Christians are borrowing Jewish and pagan martyrdom traditions. For instance, Jesus comes into comparison with Socrates in references to be a philosopher according to Luke. With this, Luke wants us to understand the importance of Jesus death. In fact, understand it as the heroic death of an emboldened philosopher. From this chapter, we get that when an individual is asked to die for Christ, he or she is also asked to die for Socrates and the Maccabees. There were Christians who are known for being martyrs who were intentionally portrayed as being like Socrates. From this chapter, we learn that the connection between Christian and pagan martyrs happen to be problematic. The inspiration for killing Christ by these executions of Greek idols became argument within this chapter. This is where the idea of all martyrs was accepted. However, the reason for them being accepted was they died for Christ and followed in his footsteps.
Moss wrote chapter three to basically discuss the topic of Inventing Martyrs within the Early Christianity. This is where it is argued that the brand of religion was increased desirability. In this time period, it was important for those who were Christian martyrs who wished to confess to becoming Christian. Along with this, it was their duty to maintain this confession leading up to their deaths. According to the text, we learn that "the martyrs themselves are sources of consolation, inspiration, and spiritual guidance" (Moss, 93). These stories gave meaning to what all martyrs did and/or said. A parallel in which we notice in this chapter would be the parallelism between Jesus and Polycarp. This parallelism happens to be strategic and purposeful; with a point. It is known that Polycarp is the way of showing what Jesus would have likely done in a certain type of setting. Christians have claimed from the beginning of Christianity up until today in which they have faced recurrent and relentless opposition and persecution. With this being stated, Christians would easily break their legal and biological ties in order to join or to die with a new family composed exclusively of Christians (Moss, 119).
The point of chapter four was to discuss how persecuted were the early Christians. This is where they lived under a threat that was a constantly brutal persecution. In which forced them to live and worship in a secret. However, these Christians only could communicate with the usage of only passwords and secret symbols; such as the fish. In this time period, Christians would declare that they were persecuted merely for being Christian and were treated as a scapegoat but only when something went wrong. Some Christians were persecuted, but it was never justified that these Christians have died. The argument that is being made in this chapter is that, Christians should have all sacrificed their lives for God. In this sense, Roman emperors were not a big fan of Christians. As if they found them irritating; however, some were willing to turn over to their existence. Along with this, we are finally able to get that the perception of Christians before Constantine became ruler. Which lead the Romans to become excused, Jews anatomized for the prosecution of Jesus, and the Christians facing oppression.
It was given that the Romans were not a fan of Christians during this time frame. In fact, Christians were even put to death for even becoming Christians. For the Romans, religious freedom was something that did not really exist. It was more of something that was a privilege, and not a right. Moss gives us a comparison between the Catholic Romans and paganism. She also discusses the rationale between societies in which the Romans have accepted the Christians into. Meaning that, the Protestants believed that Catholicism was encumbered by ceremonies and devoid of faith. The cause of Christians being persecuted is because of their religious beliefs. In the sense of them changing the way of what it meant to be religious language wise and definition wise. For their everyday practices, they use political, and legal vocabulary to express their "beliefs" for their God. From this current chapter and the previous two chapters, it shows to us that Christians have never been victims of sustained or targeted persecution. Romans did not normally persecute the Christians, but when they did; it was a reason behind it. In fact, Christians were actually misunderstood by the Roman Empire with the rejection of expectation of defending.
When you think of a myth, you think of a story that is traditional – that includes any type of early history of people and/or explaining some type of natural or social phenomenon. Chapter six explains the myths about martyrs during this time period and the idea of Christian followers being portrayed for ignoring conflict with individuals and for randomly being targeted. The conception of Christian martyrs was that the idea in which they had was something that was a humble peacemaker. These Christian martyrs were compared to normal martyrs from other religions. However, in this case, this humble peacemaker accepted torture because it was their way of demonstrating their love for their Jesus. Martyrs who are Christians are good, true and can be a lot more complicated. As mentioned previously, just as Socrates was eager to die; Christians were eager to die as well. The idea of suffering for Christians is a way of following the death of Jesus. Those who love God so much, are willing to lay down their lives for him as a sign as a Christian virtue. God rewards his children; that reward is to get into heaven. Furthermore, as mentioned before, they die for Christ and for Christianity and not to get anything in return. Those who are actually able to go to heaven are Christians and Christians martyrs. The martyrs would go right to heaven to avoid any form of judgment along with taking part in any judgment between the enemy. To close out chapter six, it is well aware that Christians noticed that they were at odds with the world and were eager for suffering to occur.
The concept of chapter seven is to discuss the invention of the persecuted church within Christianity. This is where the followers of Jesus were all expected to be persecuted in the past and even in the future as Christians. Eusebius makes a point in this chapter where Christians were given the higher positions of authority before the Great Persecution. It is mentioned in the text that the Orthodox Christians and the church were in comparison to the martyrs. However, these martyrs were people who had the characteristics of being powerful, persuasive while attracting the pilgrims. But as for Christians, they viewed martyrs as some sort of soldiers who battled within the good and evil. Christians who were persecuted were given an explanation. This explanation was that, the obsession with punishment and violence that occurred during this time period. We were able to overlook the dark side of early Christianity because of this acceptance of this explanation. With this, there was the new persecution in which became a threat by schismatics and heretics to the existence of orthodoxy.
In the final and last chapter which is titled "The Dangerous Legacy of a Martyrdom Complex". This chapter closes out with Moss's argument about Christianity and the relevance after the deaths of martyr's. This is where she points out how there is a connection between persecution and politics. For instance, it is stated that in the terms of being a Christian, "if you're being persecuted, you must be doing something right" (Moss, 250). In this sense, Christians live in situations where it is oppressive and where it leads them to become persecuted. Also, it was argued that being persecuted was the sign for either an individual's own moral failings or one's deity being weak. Due to this, a way of obtaining political and cultural power was from the experience of persecution within Christianity. As mentioned in my thesis, Moss argues that the myth of Christian persecution is not just wrong, but it leads to violence among all human beings.
After reading the text The Myth of Persecution; How Early Christians Invented A Story of Martyrdom, which was written by author Candida Moss, makes a valid argument that becomes persuasive about Christianity. She also argues that the myth of Christians who are being persecuted among today's decade and previous decades. In which, she did support the thesis of the book that the myth of Christian persecution is imprecise. Moss' philosophical perspectives influence her conclusions and her argument throughout the book. Throughout the book, she encourages the modern Christians to understand the history of persecution correct along with embracing the spiritual guidance. Hence, she does not ignore any information that could have contradicted the argument. Along with this, the text may appeal to those who are interested in reading or learning about Christianity. Also, those who want to know more information about the idea of Christians suffering for Christ, and persecution. In this case, I was able to take from reading this book that in Christianity, these Christians were not the issue of stained persecution. However, when we think of Christian martyrs, they are more of the peaceful makers, who wanted to come closer to their God, follow in his steps and perhaps die as he did; but just for him and only for him. I like that Moss was able to connect the concept of Christianity, Martyrdom before Christianity to the philosophical aspects. Which was relating to the theories of Socrates and Plato's deaths.