Martyrdom...Everyone! Out of the water! Can't you see that fin!? If this line sounds familiar, you too were watching sitcoms in 1979. Mork calling Orson, come in Orson!
But anyhow, on to martyrdom. And thank you for joining me on this more than auspicious occasion! Martyr is a word that pops up a lot in our post-Freudian vernacular, (e.g. "Oh, stop being such a martyr -- no one's buying it anymore!"), but did you ever stop to consider the source? Yes, once again I plunge you into the dark recesses of etymology. Look up martyr in the OED (I shrink before the mention of the mere acronym) and you will find that martyr is more originally a verb, not the adjective or noun usages which are more popular today, meaning "to witness." How did that ever happen? you ask. Well, I'm duty bound to inform you that a true martyr was one who actually witnessed the crucifixion of Christ. And in the olden days, these witnesses were the true believers because, even then, seeing was believing. They had witnessed the, therefore, undeniable truth of the miracle of Christ. As time went on and people started being persecuted for this that and the other, the only real proof one could offer of one's devout belief in the Christian God, was to die for it all. This demonstrated that they had as good as seen the miracle themselves. I think you get the drift.
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library The tale of St. Ignatius' demise. The tale of St. Thomas Becket.
Max's Ax: Lower the donkey!
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