When they [the believers] heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. (Acts 4.24)
One text reappears in the ancient martyr-acts more than any other: Acts 4:24.It is used by Apollonius in his interrogation. 'Yes, I am a Christian...and hence I worship and fear the God who who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.' (Musurillo's Acts of the Christian Martyrs, p. 91). When Pionius is asked 'which go do you worship?' he replies 'the God who...'. (p. 157). Cyprian likewise identifies the singular object of his worship. Fructuosus likewise (p. 179). Irene declares herself unwilling to sacrifice 'for the sake of the God almighty who...' (p. 289). Crispina says 'May they never find it easy to make me offer sacrifice to demons: but I sacrifice to the Lord who...' (p. 305). Euplus adds an affirmation of the Trinity (p. 317). Phileas cites this text in answer to the question 'which God?' (p. 339-41).
What can we infer from this? A couple of suggestions:
1- the martyrs and their martyrologists consciously identified themselves with the situation of the apostles and the early church recorded in the book of Acts, and saw the language recorded there as theirs to use. They took what was recorded as a prayer and used it as a part of their witness to their captors and interrogators.
2 - an affirmation of monotheism in all its aspects is a crucial to the martyr's perception of their own witness. That is, worship was due to this one deity without compromise or comparison. He is not a tribal deity. For a Gentile Christian this must have been axiomatic.
3 - this is not because of a soteriological motif (which surprises me) but because of his sovereign power in creation. This verse attests to the power and worth of God, the Christian God, over all creation - this isn't a matter of inner conscience, but of universal declaration, even (dare I say) truth.
4 - the Christian's identity is ordered to this affirmation of the sovereignty of God. 'I am a Christian' they say, 'namely, one who worships the Lord of everything and not just of Rome'.
2 comments:
It's the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church this Sunday. I wondered what you thought of the contemporary use of the term "martyrs" for persecuted Christians? (e.g. Voice of the Martyrs ~ www.persecutedchurch.org)
Well, less is more as far as nominating martyrs goes...and we have to be careful we don't make a cult of the martyrs, a temptation the early church did not always avoid. Also, I would want it said that though Christians are being persecuted in Saudi Arabia (for example), so are homosexuals and Jews... so, just being persecuted is not in itself a mark of a special dignity.
That being said: let us remember that the age of martyrdom has not finished. The world is hostile to the gospel - it is stranger and harder in a way when it accepts it.
Post a Comment