Fools, Martyrs, Traitors

by Smith, Lacey Baldwin

• ISBN13: 9780810117242
• ISBN10: 081011724X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press

Summary

Lacey Baldwin Smith takes us on a riveting journey through history as he examines one of the most baffling characteristics of human experience: the willingness to die to sanctify a deity, to defend a cause, or simply to prove a point. By delving into the psyches, politics, and personalities of martyrs, he illuminates the complex and elusive subject of martyrdom as it has evolved over 2,500 years.

Author Biography

Lacey Baldwin Smith is an emeritus professor of history at Northwestern University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
The Debate over Definition	3	(20)
Socrates: The Genesis of Martyrdom	23	(18)
The Maccabees and the Doctrine of Suffering	41	(22)
Jesus of Nazareth: ``Follow Me''	63	(26)
The Early Christian Martyrs: ``My Lady'' Perpetua	89	(28)
Thomas Becket and the Honor of God	117	(32)
``A Hero of Selfhood''	149	(36)
Sir Thomas More
The Marian Martyrs: Group Identity Through Self-Destruction	185	(24)
Martyr by Act of Parliament	209	(20)
Charles I
``Let Them Hang Me''	229	(34)
John Brown
School for Martyrs	263	(38)
Mahatma Gandhi
The Twentieth-Century Martyr: An Endangered Species?	301	(60)
Epilogue: The Disinterested Martyr	361	(14)
Notes	375	(42)
Index	417