Why did some Christians seek to be martyrs?

Answer 1

We didn't choose martyrdom. In the early days of Christians, Christians were persecuted because of their beliefs. Since they wouldn't give up their beliefs, they were killed. That is when martrying started. All over the world- not hardly in America, Christians are being killed because of their beliefs.

Answer 2

Anyone who was killed preaching or teaching gospel of Jesus was considered a martyr. Note that in todays world a Muslim is a martyr for killing, by giving up his own life. But as christian we do not believe that violece coexists with martyrdom. But to give up your life and submit it for the work of god whether you have died or are still alive, makes you a martyr

Answer 3

Clearly, the early Christians believed that it was a great privilege to be martyred.

Tertullian (Ad Scapulam) described how, around 185 CE, all the Christians of a town in Asia presented themselves to the Proconsul Arrius Antoninus and demanded the privilege of martyrdom. The proconsul told them that if they wished to die, they could hang themselves or throw themselves from the precipices. During the Great Persecution of the early 300s CE, many Christians, including the young, presented themselves to the authorities to affirm their faith, in the desire and expectation that they would be martyred. There is no doubt that those who did die for the sake of the faith were highly venerated in the Christian community.

In the Letter of Ignatius of Antioch to the Romans(circa 117 CE), Ignatius, being escorted to Rome to face the emperor and certain execution, writes ahead to the Christian community at Rome: "Let me be food for the wild beasts, through whom I can reach God. I am God's wheat and I am being ground by the teeth of wild beasts, that I may prove to be pure bread. . . then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world will no longer see my body." Ignatius would have been disappointed not to be martyred, and sought an assurance from the Christians of Rome that they would not intercede on his behalf. Even if this epistle really was written by Ignatius, it still implies that Ignatius was not condemned by the emperor at all; for otherwise it would have been useless for him to forbid the Romans to intercede on his behalf. An appeal was possible from a lower tribunal, but not from the emperor's. In fact, we do not know for certain whether Ignatius ever lived.

A new genre of Christian literature arose in the second century, known as Martyr Acts. They were brief and purposive accounts of martyrs' heroism, suffering and death, read out in church meetings and on the anniversaries of martyrs' deaths. The events they described were most unlike the corresponding Roman court transcripts, but there seems to be a common structure, described here by Keith Hopkins (A World Full of Gods: The Strange Triumph of Christianity ):

• The hero's modest reluctance but unshakeable faith
• The volunteer who then fails and recants
• A crude, uncultured Roman underling
• The governor/judge's initial courtesy and evolving cruelty
• His curiosity about Christianity and his easy deception by the martyr, whose double-entendre jokes only the Christians understand
• The martyr's incredible bravery and endurance under torture
• The pagan crowd as chorus and swing voters
• A loyal minority of fervent Christians
• Miracles
• Death, burial and more miracles.

Answer 4

Roman Catholic AnswerThis is a very important concept to get a hold of, we are only on this earth for a very short time. God has made the earth sort of as a testing place for us to determine where we want to spend eternity. Where you want to spent eternity is heaven. In a million years (which is actually meaningless in eternity, but you get my drift) you will look back on your time on earth and it will be so short, it will be like an eyeblink, like your being born back when you were born on earth - which you don't remember now, right? Anyway, no one can enter heaven unless that are a saint, that is the very definition of saint. And the only way any of us become a saint is to live and die as martyrs here on earth. Our Blessed Lord was very specific about this, unless you pick up your cross daily and follow Him, you aren't going to make it! How do you follow Him? Easy, by picking up your cross and bearing it cheerfully each day. By helping others to get to heaven. Physical martyrs, those who got killed by the lions or nailed to a cross had it easy, they just had to endure the brief terrible pain. We who live year after year have the LONG martyrdom, which is easy because God gives us the grace to bear it, if we ask and cooperate with him. So you asked the wrong question, not some Christians sought to be martyrs, every real Christian seeks martyrdom, read the Lives of the Saints, and you will start to understand. Ask God each night before you go to bed, and when you get up in the morning to face the day, to show you what you need to do His will. If you are sincere and you persevere in your prayer, He will answer you - that is a guarantee, and you will joyfully face the martyrdom that He sends you!

Answer 5

Christians were martyred mainly for their christian faith.