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      'All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted' (2 Tm 3:12) — An Eastern Orthodox perspective on persecutions and martyrdom

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          Abstract

          The purpose of this article is to offer a perspective on persecutions and martyrdom in the context of today's world, when so many Christians are under threat and even die for their faith. In the Introduction section, some short exegetical comments on 1 Timothy 3:12 and some impressive references to the religious persecutions in a Communist regime are made. The first part contains some terminological aspects and biblical references concerning the term 'witness' (martys, testis), from Genesis to Revelation where Jesus Christ is called 'the faithful Witness (Martys)' (1:5). Then special emphasis is put on the martyrdom of St Stephen, St Polycarp and St Ignatius of Antioch. In the second part, the author tries to offer a theological perspective on persecution and martyrdom. Although persecution is a deeply spiritual struggle and a result of satanic attack, it is also an opportunity for witness (martyria), while martyrdom is the fruit of sacrificial love. Acts 9:4 clearly reveals who is the main target and who is finally persecuted; hence, the conclusion is that persecutions and martyrdom represent a permanent condition of the Church, the Body of Christ. During persecutions, Christians are advised to keep their faith, but not to force martyrdom, not to self-inflict it on themselves.

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          Most cited references3

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          Once again the Heavenly Witness of PS 89:38'

          P.G. Mosca (2024)
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            'The Status of Christianity in Albania'

            J.A Broun (1986)
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              'The witness in the clouds: Ps 89:38'

              T. Veijola (1988)
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                hts
                HTS Theological Studies
                Herv. teol. stud.
                Reformed Theological College of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Pretoria and Society for Practical Theology in South Africa (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa )
                0259-9422
                2072-8050
                2019
                : 75
                : 4
                : 1-11
                Affiliations
                [01] Sibiu Romania orgnameLucian Blaga University orgdiv1Faculty of Orthodox Theology South Africa
                [02] Pretoria orgnameUniversity of Pretoria orgdiv1Faculty of Theology and Religion orgdiv2Department of New Testament Studies South Africa
                Article
                S0259-94222019000400110 S0259-9422(19)07500400110
                10.4102/hts.v75i4.5576
                ce50f175-6772-4271-8c0d-0c959bbaf9b0

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 25 May 2019
                : 01 August 2019
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 45, Pages: 11
                Product

                SciELO South Africa

                Categories
                Original Research

                death,martyrdom,martyr,persecution,Communist prison,atheism,ecumenism of suffering,ecumenism behind the bars,birth in the kingdom of God

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