Christian martyr

Uncommon card · No. 79734

In Christianity, a martyr is a person who is murdered for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In the years of the early church of Christianity, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word martyr comes from the Koine word μάρτυς, mártys, which means "witness" or "testimony". At first, the term applied to the apostles that followed Jesus Christ. Once Christians started to undergo persecution, the term came to be applied to those who suffered hardships for their faith. Finally, it was restricted to those who had been killed for their faith. The early Christian period before Constantine I was the "Age of Martyrs". Early Christians venerated martyrs as powerful intercessors, and their utterances were treasured as inspired by the Holy Spirit. In western Christian art, martyrs are often shown holding a palm frond as an attribute, representing the victory of spirit over...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Juan Correa de Vivar, Public domain