The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs

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Summary: Amazing--yet sobering-- accounts of Christian martyrdom
Review: "The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs," compiled with an introduction by Mark Water, is an amazing--yet sobering--collection of accounts of Christian martyrdom, beginning with Bible martyrs from both the Old and New Testaments up through the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Sources for this anthology represent various eras and traditions of Christianity, including: "The Martyrdom of Polycarp," Eusebius' "Ecclesiastical History" (also known as "The History of the Church"), Foxe's "Book of Martyrs," "Martyrs Omitted by Foxe," "The Apostolic Fathers," "The New Christian Martyrs," "Christian Biographies" by James Kiefer, and "The Catholic Encyclopedia," to name a few.

It is interesting, but tragic, to note that in the first thousand years of the Christian faith, when there was indeed "one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church," persecution originated from those who were opposed to the faith, such as Roman emperors, Persian kings and the expanding Muslims. Yet, shortly after the Great Schism of 1054 AD, which separated the Church of Rome from the Eastern Patriarchs, persecutions against heretics, and eventually Protestants, became a common tool of the Roman Catholic Church, often resulting in death. Sadly, Protestants did not learn from this abuse of power and often resorted to similar tactics when they came to power in localities throughout Europe.

To be fair, persecution by some Russian Orthodox Tzars of non-Orthodox Christians is briefly mentioned. (Overall, the Eastern Orthodox Church has dealt with heretics and dissenters by way of excommunication, not violence, which is why there is virtually no mention of persecution instigated by the Orthodox Church.)

Portions of "Part Five: Martyrs from the Fifth to the Fifteenth Century," and all of "Part Six: Martyrs of the Reformation Era" (as well as some later sections) are filled with horrific accounts of violence against Christians by other Christians. One can only weep and mourn over these abuses of those who claim to follow the one who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."

Once this volume reaches modern times, we again see attempts to wipe out the Christian faith from without, although now it's at the hands of Liberals (yes, Liberals in France), Communists, Nazis, Muslims and unfriendly native tribes. The final chapter has the martyrdoms listed by country.

Some of the names mentioned in this volume are obvious, such as the first deacon and martyr Stephen, the Apostles Peter and Paul (to name just two), Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Cyprian, Eusebius, Alban, Martin, Thomas a Becket, Joan of Arc, John Huss, William Tyndale, Thomas More, Thomas Cranmer, Fr. Damien, Jim Elliot, and Maria Skobtsova. A couple of entries that surprised me were individuals who were more likely killed for their political views than for their faith: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King.

This is an extensive anthology, mentioning over 200,000 martyrs (many only by name). However, at times this book is difficult to navigate. Each section (chapter) has its own quasi table of contents, but no page numbers. Each entry does not indicate its source until the end of the entry, making it awkward at times to know who's writing you're reading.

There is a helpful index, listing many of the names in the book, but some of the subjects I wanted refer back to were not included. The bibliography appears to include both sources and titles for suggested reading.