(2) Records of direct persecution of Christians are kept in written historical materials and archaeological relics. Among them, the most famous are the letters from ignatius in Antioch, the martyrdom of Polycarp and the letters to the churches in Lyon and Vienna. In the early church, some people edited a series of historical documents, that is, the so-called biographies of martyrs, and listed the names of martyrs, so that members could hold celebrations to commemorate them during the memorial service. In short, from the fragmentary bamboo slips and inscriptions, scholars have a profound insight that becoming a Christian at that time was almost the first step on the road to martyrdom. This is the famous saying of Q.S.F Tertullianus (about 160-230): "The blood of martyrs becomes the seed of the church. 」
(3) In the early period of Christian religious history, martyrs gradually became the object of tribute. The saluted martyr must meet the following three conditions: 1) He must sacrifice his physical life and truly experience death. 2) The truth preached should be taught by Christianity. 3) His death must be acceptable, at first because he was a witness and defended the value of Christian faith. In addition, worshippers who were martyred for testifying were regarded as "blood-washing" initiation ceremonies and entered the Christian community.
(4) It can be seen that the spiritual practice of martyrs is a remarkable feature of the early church. This spiritual practice originated from the initiation ceremony of Christians. Because of this initiation ceremony, Taoists entered the church by sharing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A Christian's life lies in participating in the death and resurrection of the Lord Christ. The transcendence of Christ inspired many believers in ancient times to testify bravely. For martyrs, death is the door to another field; You must enter it before you can become a complete Christian and be with Christ forever.
(5) After the religious dilemma was lifted, Christian groups began to seek alternative ways of martyrdom; From an ascetic monk to a secluded life in the desert, he finally sought a thorough Christian lifestyle under the seclusion system. In fact, the development of church monastic life can be traced back to the martyrs' era. The document (LG 42) of Vatican II Grand Council (1962- 1965) clearly points out that "Christ" emptied himself, appeared as a slave ... and obeyed to death "; There are many men and women who pursue the self-humiliation of the savior more closely ... to bear poverty and give up free will with the freedom of God's children. 」
(3) martyrdom is not a thing of the past, but still has modern significance; Today, thousands of good people in Qian Qian are still being persecuted. Due to various attacks, modern believers have to stand up and suffer torture, imprisonment and death for believing in the Lord Jesus and the gospel. In addition, modern persecution appears in cunning gestures such as "discrimination" and "isolation", which makes parishioners struggle and suffer under the pressure of wrong political ideology and ethics to expose the truth. Indeed, in every era, the existence of martyrs in the church strengthened the loyalty of Christ's body to the Fuehrer (Christ).