Talk:Martyr

"Die if you want to, you innocent puppet!" --Ed Poor 15:18, 13 April 2007 (EDT)

I thought Stephen in Acts 7 was the original martyr for Christianity. DanH 17:20, 17 June 2008 (EDT)

I think it's the idea of the very word being named after him, that there was something special about him that was used as a focal point. Since all of the disciples except John died of unnatural causes (at least according to tradition), and Paul didn't die of old age either, we could say that other people died for the faith before him. Learn together 21:08, 17 June 2008 (EDT)

That makes sense if the phrase originated with him. DanH 21:09, 17 June 2008 (EDT)

I believe that St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles was the first to be martyred for Christ. Plus, the case can be made for John the Baptist as the original martyr -- jp 00:49, 23 August 2008 (EDT)

The earliest Christian historians Africanus and Eusebius unhesitatingly state that according to Christian tradition handed down from the earliest eyewitnesses apart from the witness of the Book of Acts Stephen was indeed the first to be killed. (Their extant writings in English translation are accessible online). They only confirm the account in Acts, acting as independent historical witnesses. I should be very interested in a citation of the authoritative source for the assertion that the martyrdom of Thomas the Apostle preceded the stoning of Stephen. Traditionally, the Innocents of Bethlehem were martyred by Herod because of Christ years before John the Baptist was beheaded by him (Matthew 2:16).
Semper Fi! --Dataclarifier (talk) 01:33, 3 January 2017 (EST)