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1 - Protomartyr

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2010

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Summary

Stephen is traditionally designated the first martyr, πρωτομáρτυρες. But in the earliest centuries of the Church this was by no means the case. In the account of the martyrs of Lyon in AD 177, as preserved by Eusebius in what is arguably an authentic document (see Appendix iv below), the first to advance to their deaths in the persecution are simply and plausibly called πρωτομáρτυρες (HE 5.1.11). There is no suggestion that the singular of the noun might describe the first of all martyrs in the history of Christianity.

The word does not appear in the New Testament. In the detailed narrative of Acts 7 on the stoning of Stephen those who witness the event are called οἱ (μάρτυρες (7.58).

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Martyrdom and Rome , pp. 75 - 76
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1995

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  • Protomartyr
  • G. W. Bowersock
  • Book: Martyrdom and Rome
  • Online publication: 06 January 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518546.006
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  • Protomartyr
  • G. W. Bowersock
  • Book: Martyrdom and Rome
  • Online publication: 06 January 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518546.006
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Protomartyr
  • G. W. Bowersock
  • Book: Martyrdom and Rome
  • Online publication: 06 January 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518546.006
Available formats
×