Wolfram Kinzig Christian Persecution in Antiquity Trans. Markus Bockmuehl Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2021. Wolfram Kinzig’s short volume, only 142 pp, is a concise and riveting narration of the many persecutions of Christians in Roman antiquity as well as examining the various motivations and legal mechanisms behind the various outbursts of violence against Christians. Kinzig analyzes martyrdom accounts of the early church, cautiously drawing on these ancient voices alongside contemporary non-Christian evidence to reconstruct the church’s experience as a minority sect. In doing so, Kinzig challenges recent reductionist attempts to dismantle the idea that Christians were ever serious targets of intentional violence. He is also conscious, however, that there is a vibrant hagiographical tradition surrounding martyrs and martyrdom.
Christian Persecution in Antiquity
Christian Persecution in Antiquity
Christian Persecution in Antiquity
Wolfram Kinzig Christian Persecution in Antiquity Trans. Markus Bockmuehl Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2021. Wolfram Kinzig’s short volume, only 142 pp, is a concise and riveting narration of the many persecutions of Christians in Roman antiquity as well as examining the various motivations and legal mechanisms behind the various outbursts of violence against Christians. Kinzig analyzes martyrdom accounts of the early church, cautiously drawing on these ancient voices alongside contemporary non-Christian evidence to reconstruct the church’s experience as a minority sect. In doing so, Kinzig challenges recent reductionist attempts to dismantle the idea that Christians were ever serious targets of intentional violence. He is also conscious, however, that there is a vibrant hagiographical tradition surrounding martyrs and martyrdom.