Editing Martyr (section)

==Meaning==
[[File:King Charles I from NPG.jpg|thumb|[[King Charles the Martyr|Charles I]] is regarded by many members of the Church of England as a martyr because, it is said,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Episcopal Church. Diocese of Eau Claire|title=annual convention|journal=Journal of the Diocese of EAU Claire |year=1978|quote=Whereas, as Bishop Creighton in 1895 said, 'Had Charles been willing to abandon the Church and give up the episcopacy, he might have saved his throne and his life, but on this point he stood firm. For this dying, saved it for the future'|publisher=The Diocese|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wn_kAAAAMAAJ&q=stood+firm&pg=24}}</ref> he was offered his life if he would abandon the historic [[episcopacy]] in the Church of England. It is said he refused, however, believing that the Church of England was truly "[[Catholic (term)|Catholic]]" and should maintain the Catholic episcopate.]]
In its original meaning, the word martyr, meaning ''[[witness]]'', was used in the secular sphere as well as in the [[New Testament]] of the [[Bible]].<ref>See e.g. Alison A. Trites, ''The New Testament Concept of Witness'',  {{ISBN|978-0-521-60934-0}}.</ref> The process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of the witness, although it is known from ancient writers (e.g., [[Josephus]]) and from the New Testament that witnesses often died for their testimonies.

During the [[early Christianity|early Christian]] centuries, the term acquired the extended meaning of believers who are called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endure suffering or death. The term, in this later sense, entered the [[English language]] as a [[loanword]]. The death of a martyr or the value attributed to it is called ''martyrdom''.

The early Christians who first began to use the term ''martyr'' in its new sense saw [[Jesus]] as the first and greatest martyr, on account of his [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]].<ref>Frances M. Young, ''The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom'' (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004), pp. 107.</ref><ref>[[Eusebius]] wrote of the early Christians: "They were so eager to imitate Christ ... they gladly yielded the title of martyr to Christ, the true Martyr and Firstborn from the dead." Eusebius, ''Church History'' 5.1.2.</ref><ref>Scholars believe that [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] was written during the period when the word for ''witness'' was gaining its meaning of ''martyr''. Revelation describes several Christian reh with the term ''martyr'' (Rev 17:6, 12:11, 2:10–13), and describes Jesus in the same way ("Jesus Christ, the faithful witness/martyr" in Rev 1:5, and see also Rev 3:14).</ref> The early Christians appear to have seen Jesus as the [[Archetype|archetypal]] martyr.<ref name="D. Rusk, 2011 pp. 217-229">A. J. Wallace and R. D. Rusk, ''Moral Transformation: The Original Christian Paradigm of Salvation'' (New Zealand: Bridgehead, 2011), pp. 217–229.</ref>

The word ''martyr'' is used in English to describe a wide variety of people. However, the following table presents a general outline of common features present in stereotypical martyrdoms.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width: 75%;"
|+ Common features of stereotypical martyrdoms<ref>From A. J. Wallace and R. D. Rusk, ''Moral Transformation: The Original Christian Paradigm of Salvation'' (New Zealand: Bridgehead, 2011), pp. 218.</ref>
| style="width:5%;"| 1.
| style="width:20%;"| A hero
| style="width:75%;"| A person of some renown who is devoted to a cause believed to be admirable.
|-
| 2. || Opposition || People who oppose that cause.
|-
| 3. || Foreseeable risk || The hero foresees action by opponents to harm him or her, because of his or her commitment to the cause.
|-
| 4. || Courage and commitment || The hero continues, despite knowing the risk, out of commitment to the cause.
|-
| 5. || Death || The opponents kill the hero because of his or her commitment to the cause.
|-
| 6. || Audience response || The hero's death is commemorated. People may label the hero explicitly as a martyr. Other people may in turn be inspired to pursue the same cause.
|}