Martyrologists study the lives and sacrifices of martyrs across religions, with a focus on the theme of sacrifice and suffering for religious faith. The first Christian martyrs were cataloged by local priests and devout Catholics, and the Catholic Church’s martyrologists frequently update the list of recognized saints. Protestant religions also have their own share of martyrs. A martyrology is a collection of names or names and biographical details of the martyrs.
A martyr studies and memorizes the lives of martyrs of various religions. The theme of sacrifice and suffering for religious faith is central to many religions. Martyrologists catalog the lives and sacrifices of martyrs and examine the importance of martyrdom in religious tradition. Authenticating the details of the martyrs’ lives and trying to verify religious truth are a martyr’s main concerns.
The first Christian martyrs were authored by local priests and devout Catholics, who kept lists of people who died during Roman rule because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Martyr catalogs expanded as neighboring churches combined their lists. The first known Catholic martyrology, the Hieronymian Martyrology, was created in Italy during the second half of the 5th century, and St. Jerome was erroneously credited with being the martyrologist. The sources of the Hieronymian Martyrology include lists of martyrs and saints from the Eastern Churches as well as Roman Churches and African sources.
Known martyrologists include Bede, a monk who wrote during the eighth century, and Usuard, another monk who wrote during the ninth century. St. Aengus and St. Maelruain published the Martyrology of Tallaght in a Dublin monastery in 790. His martyrology was based on folklore and religious writings. In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII published an edition of the Roman Martyrology, which was adopted as the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology is one of the six main books of the Catholic liturgy.
The Catholic Church’s martyrologists frequently update the list of recognized saints, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints in 2009. The process of becoming a Catholic saint has several stages. First, the Vatican begins an examination of a person’s life. The person must have led his life with “heroic virtue”. To be canonized or declared a saint, a person must have performed two miracles.
Protestant religions have their own share of martyrs. Perhaps the most famous Protestant martyrologist was the Englishman John Foxe, who published Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in 1563. Foxe’s book cataloged Christian martyrs, with a particular focus on Protestant martyrs.
A martyrology is a collection of names or names and biographical details of the martyrs. A Catholic martyrology lists saints according to feast day on the calendar. The term martyr, when understood in the context of religion, refers to someone who publicly confesses their religious belief and faces persecution as a result. In Catholicism, the martyr dies for his faith. In general, the religious views of the martyr are incompatible with other civil or religious ways of thinking.
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