Faithful Unto Death: The Martyrs of the Early ChurchThe word martyr comes from the Greek martys, “witness.” In the first three centuries of the church it came to mean a believer who bore witness to Jesus with his or her life. Jesus said, “ye shall be witnesses unto me”…Acts 1:8Revelation 2:10Acts 7:55–6000Polycarp of Smyrna: The Disciple of John Who Would Not Deny His KingPolycarp of Smyrna learned the faith from the apostle John, led the church at Smyrna for decades, and at eighty-six would not deny Jesus to save his life. His story is one of the best documented in the early church, and…Revelation 2:8–11Revelation 2:9–10Revelation 2:1000
Church History
Martyrs of the Early Church
Faithful unto death: Stephen, the apostles, Ignatius, Polycarp, Blandina, Perpetua and those who followed.
