Final Farewell: The Culture of Death and the Afterlife

Martyrdom

In theology, a martyr is one who is put to death for his/her religious beliefs. During the Roman Empire, particularly under the emperors Nero, Trajan Decius, and Diocletian, Christians were martyred because of their religious affiliations. While Nero blamed the group for Rome’s devastating fire of 64 C.E., Decius and Diocletian persecuted those who would not sacrifice to the gods or honor the emperor as a god. These persecutions were sporadic, however, and between them, Christians lived freely throughout Rome’s sprawling empire.

With the accession of Constantine I to the throne in 306 C.E., persecution of religious beliefs by the state ceased. The pre-Constantinian martyrs would ultimately attain great theological importance as icons of faith who gave their lives for Christianity. Their names were entered in martyrologies (catalogue or list of martyrs), days were designated for their veneration, and their physical remains became cherished relics throughout the western world.

Though martyrdom is often identified with pagan-versus-Christian disputes, it continued to exist among Christian societies. Christian emperors persecuted pagans, the notorious Inquisition of the Catholic Church executed many “heretics,” Henry VIII executed those who did not accept him as head of the Church of England, and Mary of England (“Bloody Mary”) tortured and killed hundreds of Protestants. Religious conflicts continue even today; some estimate that more people have died for their religious beliefs in the twentieth century than in the previous 2,000 years.

Enter Martyrdom >>

Death in the Ancient Mediterranean World
-Egypt
-Greece & Italy
-Suicide in Graeco-Roman Society
-Jewish Practices

Death in the Non-Western World
-Africa
-Pre-Columbian
-Human Sacrifice in Pre-Columbian Cultures
-Tibet

Death & the Afterlife in Europe & America
-Introduction
-Martyrdom
-Christian Afterlife
-Memento Mori
-Funerals, Burials & Mourning

Giuseppe Erts
(Venetian, 17th–18th c.)
The Card Game of Death
detail
1663
Oil on canvas
(68.455)
Gift of Russell M. Arundel

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