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Radical Martyrdom and Cosmic Conflict in Early Christianity
Paul Middleton
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LIBRARY OF NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES
307
Editor
Mark Goodacre
Editorial Board
john M.G. Barclay, Craig Blomberg, Kathleen E. Corley,
R. Alan Culpepper, james D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans,
Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler, Simon j. Gathercole, John S. Kloppenborg,
Michael Labahn, Robert Wall, Robert L. Webb, Catrin H. Williams
RADICAL MARTYRDOM AND COSMIC
CONFLICT IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY
PAUl MIDDLETON
·"
t&t clark
Copyright © Paul Middleton, 2006
www.tandtclark.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in anyfonnorby
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Preface xi
List of Abbreviations Xlll
Chapter 1
RADICAL MARTYRDOM IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY 16
Introduction 16
Orthodoxy and Heresy 16
Death in Early Christian Perspective 18
Martyrdom and Early Christian 'Orthodoxy' 18
The Gnostics and Martyrdom 21
Radical Martyrs 23
Criticism of Radical Martyrdom 24
Radical Martyrdom and Scholarly 'Orthodoxy' 24
The Quintus Pericope 25
Rediscovering the Radical Martyrs 28
Problems with Clement 28
Radical Martyrdom in the Early Church 29
Secondary Martyrdom 31
The Acts of Cyprian 32
Saturus 32
Agathonice 33
Willing Death 34
Pagan Perceptions of Christianity as a Death Cult 36
Conclusion 38
vm Radical Martyrdom and Cosmic Conflict in Early Christianity
Chapter 2
DRAWING BATILE LlNES: CHRISTIANITY AND ROME 40
Introduction 40
Caesar Is Lord? 40
Dom.itian 43
Christians and Local Cults 45
The Emperor Cult 48
A Stakeholder Society 48
Clash of Realities 54
Jews, Christians and Romans 54
The Romans in the 'World' of the Christians 56
The Christians in the 'World' of the Romans 61
Conclusion 68
Chapter 3
TOWARDS A THEOLOGY OF RADICAL MARTYRDOM 71
Introduction 71
The Early ChristianPresentation of Martyrdom 72
Martyrdom as Contest 72
Martyrdom asPublic Witness 75
Martyrdom as Cosmic Conflict 79
Martyrdom asParticipation in Christ 82
Martyrdom as Confession of Christ 84
Martyrdom asParticipation in Christ's Victory 88
The Martyrs' Cosmos 93
Life and Death 93
A Cosmos without Barriers 96
A Cosmos in Action: The Visions ofPerpetua 97
Conclusion 101
Chapter4
THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIAN MARTYRDOM 103
Introduction 103
The State of the Question 104
Judaism as a Source of Christian Martyrology 106
The Maccabees 107
Comparing Jewish and Christian Martyrology 110
Contrasting Jewish and Christian Martyrology 112
Noble Death 116
Types of Noble Death 116
Jewish Noble Death? 117
Devotio 120
Christian Noble Death? 120
Christian Martyrdom as 'Something Entirely New' 123
The Bowersock Thesis 124
Resetting the Question 127
Contents 1x
Holy War and Cosmic Conflict in Judaism and Early Christianity 128
Holy War and Ancient Israel 128
Holy War in the Books of the Maccabees 130
Cosmic Conflict in Early Christianity 132
Conclusion 134
Chapter 5
RADICAL MARTYRDOM AND COSMIC CONFLICT
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 135
Introduction 135
Paul 136
Suffering inPaul 136
Cosmic Conflict 139
Life and Death inPaul 143
Taking up the Cross: A Call to Martyrdom 146
The Cross and Radical Martyrdom 146
Discipleship and Death 148
Cosmic Conflict 149
Following Jesus 151
Death and Life 155
Confessing and Denying in the New Testament 156
The Apocalypse: A Martyr Charter 158
Faithfulness to Death 160
The Call to Conquer 161
Cosmic Conflict 163
Death and Life 168
The Lamb 169
Conclusion 171
CONCLUSION 172
Bibliography 173
Index of References 189
Index of Authors 203
PREFACE
These days, martyrdom is a serious business. The interface between the worlds of
politics and religion has never been more important, and yet religion perhaps has
never been more misunderstood. The academic study of Theology and Religious
Studies surely has a crucial, but as yet unrecognized, contribution to make in con
temporary political and cultural discourse.
Originally my PhD thesis, this project began in 2000 , when the world was a
different place. Although my thesis statement remained unchanged, I could not
help but be shaped by unfolding events. My direct contribution to the discussion
of contemporary 'martyrdom' is brief, and restricted to the Introduction. None
theless, this project is concerned with a group of people whose deaths were
regarded as bizarre, fringe and not a proper expression of their religion: those
early Christians, whom I have called the Radical Martyrs.
This book is a milestone on a long educational journey, which has taken me
from Glasgow to Edinburgh- via Princeton. At each institution, I have benefited
from the teaching and support of a great many academics. However, I would par
ticularly like to thank John Barclay, Joel Marcus and John Riches, who encour
aged my first faltering steps on the path of New Testament Studies in Glasgow.
At Princeton Theological Seminary, my guides were Brian Blount (with whom
some of the ideas in this book took shape), James Charlesworth and Beverly
Gaventa. I am grateful to them for contributing to a year of study on which I look
back with fondness.
New College, Edinburgh, is as stimulating an environment in which anyone
coul d hope to study, and I am especially grateful to those whose comments and
observations had some effect on the course of this book. The comments and
insights of an anonymous reader have also been greatly appreciated, as were
thos e of my examiners, Judith Lieu and Paul Foster. Nonetheless, the greatest
inflttence on this work was my supervisor, Larry Hurtado, who demonstrated
both patience and impatience in appropriate measure, and whose often vigorous
engltgement and illumination I will always value.
As I have laboured on the road to the production of this book, I have enjoyed
the <;ompany of many travelling companions, who have offered advice, friend
ship and, most importantly, coffee. In particular, George Newlands has been a
reli&ble source of all three, for which I thank him, especially for reading through
the lnanuscript. Above all, David Smith has been an ever present support, con
siderably lightening my step on the road, and it is to him I dedicate this book.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Introduction
This project seeks to re-examine Christian martyrology, focusing on a particular
form of early Christian death, a phenomenon that I am terming radical martyr
dom. Radical martyrs are those Christians who so desired death, that they inten
tionally sought out arrest and martyrdom. Until now, these Christians have been
relegated to the deviant margins of early Christian martyrology, and ignored by
scholars considering questions concerning the origins and theology of Christian
martyrdom. The omission of the radical martyrs from these scholarly enterprises
is quite unjustified, and this project is intended to redress the balance.
I. But see J.M. Lieu, '"The parting of the ways": theological construct or historical reality?', in
Neither Jew nor Greek: Constructing Early Christianity (London/New York: T&T Clark, 2002), 1 1-
30. For discussion and bibliography, see below, I ()4..6.
2. Of course, Judaism was also monotheistic, but theirs was a religion of a conquered people and
therefore tolerated to a large degree by the Romans. In any case, state-funded sacrifice for the
Emperor's health was carried out twice daily in the Temple (see M.P. ben Zeev, 'Did the Jews enjoy
a privileged position in the Roman world?', Revue des etudesjuives 154 [ 1995], 23-42). The new
religion of Christianity called previously pluralist pagans to monotheism (I use 'pagan' as a non
pejorative term for those who were neither Christian nor Jew in the ancient world).
3. So D.S. Potter, 'Persecution of the early church', ABD, V, 231-5.
4. G.E.M. de Ste Croix, 'Why were the early Christians persecuted?', Past and Present 26
( 1963), 5-23.
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