Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church

by William H.C. Frend

Drawing on biblical and historical material as well as archaeological evidence, Reverend Professor William Frend surveys martyrdom and persecution during the rise of Christianity.

Genres: History, Religion, Church History, Christianity, Christian History

626 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

William Hugh Clifford Frend was an English ecclesiastical historian, archaeologist and Anglican priest. He served as Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Glasgow and was a fellow of the British Academy.

Reviews

[Martin Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid old work. I read this about twenty years ago so obviously I do not remember too many details. However, it was invaluable for a paper I wrote which was about the so-called '10 Great Persecutions of the Church' between Emperor Nero and Diocletian in the early fourth century. Frend has lots of very well-researched data about the nature and scope of these ten epochs of quite intense Christian martyrdom. Despite ancient church historians like Eusebius, and Paulus Orosius maintaining that there were ten universal, Empire-wide persecutions prior to Constantine's accession, Frend's evidence demonstrates that really only the Decian and Diocletianic persecutions were truly universal. I think he stated, also, that a case perhaps can also be made for Valerian. Nero, Diocletian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Maximin Thrace, Septimius Severus, and Aurelian, however, whilst very cruel, only promulgated local pogroms, if you will, of ante-Nicene believers. The detail in this work is very impressive, and the footnotes and bibliography are very substantial. It was a slog at times, but I did manage to finish this book from cover to cover. I would think still a very helpful reference work, too, even today, despite the fact that it was published in 1963.

[Laura Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the material on Judaism and Christian relations is quite dated a lot of this book really can't be beaten. I wish there had been more engagement with the phenomenon of martyr literature and acta but this is a great overview of the history of Christian relations with the state, for good or for ill, more broadly. Older, but highly recommended.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're going to read anything by Frend, this should be it. This is what he's good at: the social aspect, the background, the circumstances.