In an age of faithlessness, spin and cynicism, how many of us would be prepared to stand on a ladder, a rope around our neck, facing a gruesome death for no apparent crime, and choose not to recant and live but to die for our beliefs? How many of us, like Thomas Garnet, would say, 'I give my body to Caesar [James I] and my soul to God'? This compelling and finely researched compilation of the lives and state murders of Catholics from all walks of life in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries demands our attention as a reinforcement of Christian commitment and an antidote to indifference. Malcolm Pullan's stated aim is to reach a general readership, and his text is full of historical background material and fascinating detail. He firmly believes that we should not consign England's Catholic martyrs to some obscure corner of our consciousness. Their Faith lives still; they were true to it till death. Surely they did not die in vain.

A unique, wide-ranging volume exploring the historical, religious, cultural, political, and social aspects of Christian martyrdom Although a well-studied and researched topic in early Christianity, martyrdom had become a relatively neglected subject of scholarship by the latter half of the 20th century. However, in the years following the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the study of martyrdom has experienced a remarkable resurgence. Heightened cultural, religious, and political debates about Islamic martyrdom have, in a large part, prompted increased interest in the role of martyrdom in the Christian tradition. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Christian Martyrdom is a comprehensive examination of the phenomenon from its beginnings to its role in the present day. This timely volume presents essays written by 30 prominent scholars that explore the fundamental concepts, key questions, and contemporary debates surrounding martyrdom in Christianity. Broad in scope, this volume explores topics ranging from the origins, influences, and theology of martyrdom in the early church, with particular emphasis placed on the Martyr Acts, to contemporary issues of gender, identity construction, and the place of martyrdom in the modern church. Essays address the role of martyrdom after the establishment of Christendom, especially its crucial contribution during and after the Reformation period in the development of Christian and European national-building, as well as its role in forming Christian identities in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This important contribution to Christian scholarship: Offers the first comprehensive reference work to examine the topic of martyrdom throughout Christian history Includes an exploration of martyrdom and its links to traditions in Judaism and Islam Covers extensive geographical zones, time periods, and perspectives Provides topical commentary on Islamic martyrdom and its parallels to the Christian church Discusses hotly debated topics such as the extent of the Roman persecution of early Christians The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Christian Martyrdom is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of religious studies, theology, and Christian history, as well as readers with interest in the topic of Christian martyrdom.

We live in an age of faithlessness, spin and cynicism; a world where religious belief is derided and there is increasing hostility to Christian values. How many of us would have the fortitude to stand on a scaffold, a rope around our neck, facing the most gruesome of deaths, having committed no apparent crime, and choose not to recant and live but to die for our beliefs? How many of us, like Thomas Garnet, would say, 'I give my body to Caesar [James I] and my soul to God.' Thirty years of research have gone into the writing of this comprehensive compilation of the lives and state murders of Catholics from all walks of life in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Vividly set in the context of the turbulent times in which they lived it makes compelling reading. A moving, fearful and inspiring narrative it demands our attention as a reinforcement of Christian commitment and an antidote to indifference. Malcolm Pullan's stated aim is to reach a general readership, sadly all too often kept in ignorance of the truth of this awful, dark period in our history. His text is full of illuminating background material and fascinating detail. Notwithstanding the present 'ecumenical' age, he contends that these men and women were the real heroes of their epoch, and firmly believes that the Catholic martyrs of England and Wales should not be consigned to some obscure corner of our consciousness: their sacrificial witness should be unapologetically extolled and celebrated. Their Faith, the 'Faith of our fathers' lives still: they were true to it till death. They did not die in vain.

The survival and revival of Roman Catholicism in post-Reformation Britain remains the subject of lively debate. This volume examines key aspects of the evolution and experience of the Catholic communities of these Protestant kingdoms during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Rejecting an earlier preoccupation with recusants and martyrs, it highlights the importance of those who exhibited varying degrees of conformity with the ecclesiastical establishment and explores the moral and political dilemmas that confronted the clergy and laity. It reassesses the significance of the Counter Reformation mission as an evangelical enterprise; analyses its communication strategies and its impact on popular piety; and illuminates how Catholic ritual life creatively adapted itself to a climate of repression. Reacting sharply against the insularity of many previous accounts, this book investigates developments in the British Isles in relation to wider international initiatives for the renewal of the Catholic faith in Europe and for its plantation overseas. It emphasises the reciprocal interaction between Catholicism and anti-Catholicism throughout the period and casts fresh light on the nature of interconfessional relations in a pluralistic society. It argues that persecution and suffering paradoxically both constrained and facilitated the resurgence of the Church of Rome. They presented challenges and fostered internal frictions, but they also catalysed the process of religious identity formation and imbued English, Welsh and Scottish Catholicism with peculiar dynamism. Prefaced by an extensive new historiographical overview, this collection brings together a selection of Alexandra Walsham's essays written over the last fifteen years, fully revised and updated to reflect recent research in this flourishing field. Collectively these make a major contribution to our understanding of minority Catholicism and the Counter Reformation in the era after the Council of Trent.

Some illustrations. An inspiring dramatic account of the colorful and courageous life and death of the martyr, St. Edmund Campion, "hero of God's underground" during the persecution of Catholics in England in the 1500's.

Explores the Catholic predicament in Elizabethan England through the eyes of one remarkable family: the Vauxes of Harrowden Hall.