The Passion of Saints

Summary

"The Passion of Saints" explores the fascinating history of Christian martyrdom and sainthood, tracing the evolution from early Christian martyrs like St. Stephen and St. Paul, who chose death over renouncing their faith, to modern-day saints like Maximilian Kolbe. The documentary dives deep into the stories of these individuals, examining their unwavering devotion and profound influence on Christianity, as well as the shifting criteria for sainthood throughout history. Through narratives of bravery, sacrifice, and the miraculous, it captures the transformation of Christianity from a small sect to a dominant religion.

Highlights

• St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, stoned to death for his faith. 🪨
• Maximilian Kolbe famously volunteered to die in a concentration camp, inspiring many. 🔥
• Ancient Romans misunderstood Christians, leading to severe persecutions. ⚔️
• Joan of Arc, a peasant girl, became a national symbol and saint of France. 🇫🇷
• The concept of martyrdom has expanded to encompass sacrifices made out of love. ❤️

Key Takeaways

• Martyrdom is considered the ultimate form of emulating Christ. ⚔️
• Early Christian martyrs faced brutal deaths but their stories inspired many. 🙌
• Over time, sainthood requirements evolved, extending beyond martyrdom. 🌟
• Miracles and relics played a significant role in spreading Christianity. ✨
• Modern interpretations of martyrdom can include acts of charity and love. 💖

Overview

In the tapestry of Christian history, martyrs hold a revered place, representing unwavering faith and ultimate sacrifice. The early accounts of Saints like Stephen, who was stoned for his beliefs, and Paul, who spread Christianity tirelessly before facing his demise, lay the groundwork for understanding martyrdom as a powerful testament to faith. Their stories transcended time, inspiring future generations and consolidating the foundations of Christianity.

The narrative through the ages reveals not just a history of persecution, but also of transformation. From the gruesome executions in Roman arenas to medieval castles, Christians were tested for their beliefs. Yet, each martyrdom added a layer to the indomitable spirit of the faith. The role of miracles attributed to martyrs, coupled with the veneration of their relics, helped to solidify Christian influence, making it a beacon of hope and a source of divine intercession for believers.

In modern times, the definition of martyrdom has evolved, reflecting a broader understanding that includes selfless acts of love and charity. Figures like Maximilian Kolbe exemplify this, where martyrdom becomes an expression of ultimate love and sacrifice. This evolution underscores an enduring truth: the message of courage and faith these saints carried remains profoundly relevant, continuing to inspire and challenge the faithful in contemporary contexts.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Stephen, the First Christian Martyr The chapter narrates the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who is about to be stoned to death one year after the crucifixion of Jesus. A young Jewish tent maker named Saul, who later becomes an important figure in Christianity, witnesses Stephen's execution, considering him a blasphemer who deserves this punishment.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Martyrdom of Maximilian Kolbe The chapter discusses the martyrdom of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. It highlights Steven as the first follower of Jesus who chose death over renouncing his beliefs, thereby becoming the first Christian martyr and subsequently one of the first Christian Saints.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Sainthood and Martyrdom The chapter titled 'Sainthood and Martyrdom' appears to explore themes around the concepts of sainthood and martyrdom potentially existing within religious, historical, or cultural contexts. However, the transcript provided lacks detailed content—comprised solely of music and applause—which suggests that this section might be an introductory or concluding part of the chapter, possibly serving as a transition or an atmospheric setup for the thematic exploration. Without additional spoken or written content, it's difficult to ascertain specific discussions or narratives covered under this title.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Persecution of Early Christians The chapter titled 'Persecution of Early Christians' provides a historical perspective on the trials faced by Christians during the formative years of the faith. It begins with an account of the canonization of Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, in October 1982 in Rome. Kolbe's selfless sacrifice at Auschwitz during World War II is highlighted, serving as a modern reflection of the early Christian martyrs who faced persecution and death for their beliefs. The chapter likely explores the parallels between these historical and contemporary examples of faith under oppression, emphasizing the enduring strength and resilience of the Christian spirit.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Nero's Persecution of Christians Nero's Persecution of Christians discusses the brutal actions taken by Emperor Nero against Christian believers in ancient Rome. It likely explores the context and motivations behind Nero's persecution, examining the impact on the early Christian community and the legacy of those like St. Steven and others who were martyred for their faith. The chapter may detail specific events or anecdotes of Christian trials, suffering, and the eventual reverence of these martyrs as saints.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Accounts of Martyrdom The chapter, titled 'Accounts of Martyrdom,' discusses the process and evolving criteria for canonizing saints within the Christian tradition. It highlights how, unlike St. Steven, whose sainthood was recognized without formal investigation due to his early martyrdom, later candidates like Col had to undergo a thorough examination before being canonized. Despite the changes over time, certain characteristics of saints have remained constant, notably their genuine capacity for love. They are described as imperfect individuals whose love is authentic and profound, making them truly saintly in nature.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Perpetua and Felicity The chapter 'Perpetua and Felicity' focuses on the theme of martyrdom within Christian history. It discusses how saints have often been associated with martyrdom, indicating that it was not only important to live like Jesus but also to die like him. This concept is illustrated through the story of St. Stephen, who, like Jesus, was put on trial and faced with a crucial decision, ultimately choosing his faith over his life.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Polycarp and the Cult of Martyrs The chapter explores the theme of religious conviction, emphasizing the willingness of individuals to sacrifice their lives for their beliefs, akin to Jesus' own sacrifice. The narrative predicts a future where thousands will choose martyrdom, signifying a growing movement of faith. Additionally, it hints at the transformative journey of Saul, who is set to have a significant experience on his path to Damascus, foreshadowing his eventual dedication to Christianity.
• 08:00 - 09:00: Relics and the Spread of Christianity This chapter discusses the transformation of Saul into Paul, a significant figure in Christianity. It highlights Paul's conversion to Christianity following a miraculous experience, leading to his influential role in spreading the religion. Despite facing persecution, including martyrdom like Steven, Paul played a crucial role in establishing Christianity's foundations and impacting future Christian thought.
• 09:00 - 10:00: Political Martyrdom Analyzes the parallels between the story of Steven and Jesus, highlighting Steven's preaching, witnessing, false accusations, and eventual martyrdom. It reflects on the Christian teaching of imitating Christ, suggesting that following his path may lead to martyrdom.
• 10:00 - 11:00: Thomas Becket's Martyrdom The chapter discusses the concept of martyrdom, particularly focusing on Thomas Becket. It emphasizes the idea that imitating Christ to the ultimate extent can involve becoming a martyr.
• 11:00 - 12:00: Joan of Arc, the Warrior Saint The chapter begins with a depiction of Rome around 64 AD, characterized by Hollywood's interpretation with an emphasis on societal decadence. The narrative paints a picture of a society where both the upper and lower classes are influenced by boredom and corruption, with a shared desire for entertainment. This setting provides a backdrop for contrasting it with the story of Joan of Arc. It sets the stage for understanding the call to action and inspirational nature of Joan's character in a world driven by different values.
• 12:00 - 13:00: The Debate over Sainthood The chapter delves into the intriguing aspect of Roman culture, specifically their fascination with violent games and spectacles. The Romans, described as polytheists, had a bloodthirsty appetite for events where animals fought each other or men fought men. These gruesome games served as their form of entertainment, akin to how people today might enjoy a football game. The chapter highlights the Romans' unique cultural practices and their societal norms towards such spectacles, emphasizing their distinct historical identity as committed pagans.
• 13:00 - 14:00: Maximilian Kolbe's Sacrifice The chapter explores the societal context of ancient Rome during the time of Nero, highlighting the stark contrast between the violent Roman lifestyle and the emerging Christian sect. This sect, which followed the teachings of Jesus, a deceased carpenter, was a curiosity to the Romans, who were uncertain about this group's beliefs and practices. The chapter also mentions some of the accusations faced by the Christians during this period.
• 14:00 - 15:00: Modern Martyrdom The chapter "Modern Martyrdom" delves into the perception of early Christians by Roman society, who viewed them as antisocial due to their tendencies to meet in secret, particularly during early morning gatherings for worship. This secrecy fueled Roman paranoia about secret societies and led to the spread of various rumors about Christians, one of which is hinted at in the text but not explicitly mentioned.

The Passion of Saints Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 it is one year after the crucifixion of Jesus and this man is about to be stoned to death his name is Steven he is a Christian watching the execution is a young Jewish Tent Maker named Saul in his view Steven is a blasphemer and deserves to die
• 00:30 - 01:00 Steven is the first follower of Jesus to choose death rather than renounce his beliefs thus he becomes the first Christian martyr and almost automatically one of the first Christian Saints [Music]
• 01:00 - 01:30 oh [Music] [Applause] [Music]
• 01:30 - 02:00 October 1982 Rome a new Saint is being added to the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church his name is maximilan Colby a Polish priest who was killed at aitz during World War War I when he
• 02:00 - 02:30 volunteered to take the place of a Jew who had been condemned to [Music] death with this ceremony kby officially joins the ranks of some 10,000 men and women who are venerated as Saints by Catholics throughout the world like St Steven Colby is considered a martyr that is someone who died for
• 02:30 - 03:00 his Christian beliefs but unlike St Steven col's life had to be formally investigated before he could be canonized over the centuries the qualifications for sainthood have changed but All Saints share certain traits in common they are loving persons they may have lots of other imperfections but when they love uh they are the the real thing we consider a
• 03:00 - 03:30 saint somebody who's either given his life for his face he was placed before a choice either to do something against his Christian conscience or else to be killed Saints have um from the very beginning been identified with martyrdom that is to say it wasn't enough to live like Jesus first of all you had to die like Jesus and that is just what St Steven did like Jesus he was put on trial and given the chance to make a deal his
• 03:30 - 04:00 religious convictions for his [Music] freedom like Jesus he refused and forfeited his life in the years to come thousands more will follow Steven in choosing death Saul will be one of them soon on his way to Damascus to far it out Christians Saul will have an encounter
• 04:00 - 04:30 with a blinding light and a voice transformed by the miracle he will leave Damascus himself a Christian with a new name Paul and though like Steven he will later pay with his life Paul will lead this heretical new religion to Victory and influence every generation of Christian thinkers to this day
• 04:30 - 05:00 when we read the story of Steven we see that it's very much the story of Jesus all over again which is to say he's preaching he's witnessing uh he is falsely accused um he is uh uh goes through the same thing that Jesus does he finally dies if indeed the teaching of Christianity was that one was to emulate or somehow imitate Christ the imitatio Christi then in fact the call to Christians was to become Martyrs
• 05:00 - 05:30 because this was the ultimate way to to Really imitate Christ over the next 30 Years the small Christian communities springing up throughout the Mediterranean in Cyprus Asia Minor and Greece will multiply there will be sporadic persecutions and even the occasional martyrdom though nothing wide spread or systematic but that is about to change
• 05:30 - 06:00 [Applause] Rome about 64 ad at least as Hollywood imagines [Applause] it the upper levels of Roman society are increasingly bored and corrupt attitudes that filter down to the lower classes and Everyone likes to be entertained
• 06:00 - 06:30 ained one of the very curious things about the Romans is this enormous bloodthirst that they had for uh games in which uh animals fought animals or men fought men their idea of a wonderful Saturday afternoon or whenever they went to the game was to go out and watch people kill each other the Romans who were committed pagans if you will polytheists loved the spectacles as we love a football game today ancient Rome
• 06:30 - 07:00 was in fact a very violent Society their entertainments were violent and uh they lived in a violent world and no one likes a spectacle more than the emperor Nero but there was another kind of citizen living in Rome at the time and they were different they were members of a religious sect that worshiped a dead Carpenter named Jesus and the Romans weren't quite sure what to make of them there were a number of um charges made
• 07:00 - 07:30 against the Christians one was that they were antisocial the Christians tended to meet uh in secret uh in the sense that they gathered early uh in the morning for their worship uh and so on and the Romans were almost paranoid about secret societies now when you have a kind of a secret society certain rumors are going to start one rumor that started was that
• 07:30 - 08:00 the uh Christians were cannibals and this was probably connected to Christian beliefs about the Eucharist The Bread and Wine being the body and blood of Christ the other was uh and this is almost always said about people that are secretive about their lives that they were sexually promiscuous it was in this atmosphere spere of Suspicion and mistrust that
• 08:00 - 08:30 Nero decided to create the greatest spectacle of all Rome of flame Rome is in Ruins when word gets out that Nero himself may have set the fire the mood in the streets gets ugly Nero needs a scapegoat and he finds one I hereby
• 08:30 - 09:00 Proclaim that the guilt of the burning of our beloved City rests with the foul sect which called itself Christian their punishment will be a warning an official edict is the answer spectacle of [Music] ter and the rest as they say is history [Applause]
• 09:00 - 09:30 [Music] and while it may not have happened quite like it does in the movies there's no doubt that something very much like this did actually occur [Music]
• 09:30 - 10:00 [Music] we have a very specific description of of what Nero did tacus says that one of the things that Nero did was to pour pitch or tar on the Christians and hoist them up on poles and set them on fire to act as ways of Illuminating the guard he also says that he would uh tie them up
• 10:00 - 10:30 in the U skins of wild animals and set hunting dogs on them and um tacitus who did not like the Christians at all uh thought they were just another wacky Superstition uh says in the annals he says that nonetheless as bad as they were people sort of pied them not so much because they agreed with him but because of the cruelty uh with which they were treated and by all accounts the Christians faced
• 10:30 - 11:00 death with an uncommon courage and Grace they are [Music] singing no one knows exactly how many Christians died during this first wave of persecutions but St Paul the man who had watched the stoning of St Steven just 30 years earlier was almost certainly among them so was St Peter one of the 12 original disciples and 10 T of thousands more
• 11:00 - 11:30 would [Music] follow by the middle of the 2 Century the Christian writer tertullian could dry and truthfully observe if the Tyber should flood its banks or the Stars Stood Still or the Earth trembled the cry in the streets was always the same Christians to the lions in the second and 3D centuries ad
• 11:30 - 12:00 the Christian martyrdoms continued though at a slightly less feverish Pace than back in the days of [Music] Nero the usual reason for executing a Christian was his or her refusal to honor the Roman gods the Romans had this very strong sense of what was called PS We somewhat flaccidly translate that into piety but it meant the kind of the fear and respect that children should have for a
• 12:00 - 12:30 parent that the family then should have for the state and that the state should have for the gods and when patas functioned then there was peace in the Empire and the Christians in a sense subverted that because they would not show paas towards the Roman [Music] gods we actually possess
• 12:30 - 13:00 uh some uh court records of Trials of Christians they're very very brief and they simply say um are you a Christian yes uh will you uh abjure that Faith No and the prefect when then sudden someone to be executed and each time someone dies the stories of who they were and how they met their end are circulated [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]
• 13:00 - 13:30 [Music] [Applause] one firsthand account comes to us from 21-year-old perpetua imprisoned with her pregnant Slave Girl [Music] Felicity the mother of an infant perpetua chose to die rather than renounce her faith in spite of the pleas of her Haan
• 13:30 - 14:00 [Music] [Music] father she said goodbye to her father and her child and prepared to [Music] [Applause] [Music] die as she waited Perpetual recorded a series of Visions in her
• 14:00 - 14:30 diary in some she triumphed over dragons and pagans in another her long Dead Brother [Music] appeared on the day before the games perpetua had a final vision of herself being stripped and then vanquishing an evil looking Egyptian in hand-to-hand combat at that moment she wrote I awoke
• 14:30 - 15:00 and I perceived that I would not be fighting with beasts but with the devil and I knew that victory was mine for perpetua and Felicity the end was supposed to come on the horns of a Mad Bull it gored perpetua first then went after Felicity the women struggled to their feet several times but the animal
• 15:00 - 15:30 would not finish them off in the end Felicity was beheaded then a clumsy young Gladiator tried to behead perpetua but only maimed her finally she herself guided the sword to her neck welcoming death in the Name of Christ the martyrs felt in a way almost free to invite death and that's exactly what they went about doing uh many of them exhorted uh the authorities to kill them we see uh all kinds of of
• 15:30 - 16:00 wild stories really of uh Martyrs uh who literally almost laughingly went before the Roman authorities uh refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods and thereby invited death uh and when death came again embracing it uh you see stories of St Lawrence for instance the famous martyr who was grilled alive on a on a grid iron and at one point this is kind of a a strange story but at one point Point uh he declares himself done on one
• 16:00 - 16:30 side and asks to be flipped over uh Ignatius was uh one of those people who really seem to welcome death uh wrote letters to the Romans telling them that he wished to be and I quote ground between the teeth of the wild beast that he might be the pure bread of Christ um so he's he's looking forward to the agonizing death that that presumably awaited him in the arena as as a lions and and and other wild animals would tear him limb from limb
• 16:30 - 17:00 and there were others Roman soldiers found 6us II preaching to his flock in the catacombs under the appion way he was beheaded where he [Music] sat the beautiful young Agatha spurned the advances of a Roman Cil enraged he had her stretched on a rack had her breasts cut off and finally ordered her thrown naked onto burning coal [Music]
• 17:00 - 17:30 Sebastian was a Christian who Rose to a high rank in the emperor's personal guard when the emperor found out he ordered Sebastian used for target [Music] practice appolonia was attacked by a mob and thrown on a bonfire for refusing to curse Christ but not before before they broke out all her teeth she is
• 17:30 - 18:00 remembered as the patron saint of toothaches the persecutors of 17-year-old venas whipped him hung him upside down over a fire smashed his jaw then threw him to the Lions who showed no interest in the end they had to cut off his head to silence his prayers yet in spite of all the Bloodshed the number of Christians continued to grow
• 18:00 - 18:30 martyrdom uh in a sense promoted Christianity people would learn of the of the grusome deaths of these people and in Vivid detail they love to of course relate all of the various tortures and the Bloodshed and whatnot and folks would hear of this and theyd say gee you know that Christianity that's powerful stuff how can I get in on this Christianity um became an answer to the problem of death uh it the God who dies suffers and
• 18:30 - 19:00 dies for others and it was that aspect of Jesus I mean it was considered it an honor to die a [Music] martyr by the year 70 Christians are active in Spain by the year 100 in the area of the Black Sea early in the 2 Century there are Christians in France and Great Britain Christianity grew almost by cell division house churches breaking off
• 19:00 - 19:30 into further house churches Etc they formed networks of communities for people and I think that was also a very attractive part of early Christianity and one of the things that the Christians did do was to provide within their communities care for the most vulnerable people um in the community which were widowed women and children and orphans and the elderly the Christians were getting organized with power invested in the
• 19:30 - 20:00 hands of local Bishops and even Bishops could be martyrs polycarp Bishop of smirna was among the second generation of disciples those who had known the apostles but not Jesus himself polycarp was 86 when a violent persecution broke out when the Romans came for him he invited them to share
• 20:00 - 20:30 his meal then went willingly he told friends not to be concerned he had already foreseen his martyrdom in a flame he would be taken to the arena and after refusing three times to renounce his faith he would be burned alive [Applause]
• 20:30 - 21:00 according to eyewitnesses when the Flames rose up they form gentle sails around polycarp as if refusing to touch his flesh eventually the Romans stabbed the old man to death and when they did it said a dove flew forth from his [Music] side it was intended that nothing whatever of polycarp remain but secretly his followers retrieved and hid some of
• 21:00 - 21:30 his bones a new chapter in the history of martyrdom had begun when polycarp's followers reclaimed his bones from the fire they were acting on a mixture of beliefs partly Pagan partly Christian it had to do with what was considered sacred this was a sacred World by which I mean that it was commonly held by
• 21:30 - 22:00 everyone in the Roman Empire in fact almost among all ancient peoples that the sacred could erupt into ordinary life in many different ways the sacred could manifest itself in Springs in rivers in forests in woods at certain Corners at certain times of the year Christians extended this belief in the general sacredness of the natural world to include the body as especially the body of a
• 22:00 - 22:30 [Music] martyr polycarp's bones and the bones of all Martyrs were especially sacred they had power the power to intercede with [Music] God if you prayed over the bones of a martyr the faithful believed God was more likely to hear your prayers and
• 22:30 - 23:00 answer [Music] them what happened in Christianity is that when the martyrs died their uh bodies were buried in in Christian cemeteries and people on the anniversary of their date of death which they interestingly called their birthday the Diaz natales that is the day when they were born into heaven they would go and pray at these places the idea was that because these were
• 23:00 - 23:30 people who had died for the faith these places were uh loai of great spiritual power that it was here that God particularly could be heard that the power and the grace of the Saints could intercede for people the catacombs outside of Rome were one such place though their function has been misinterpreted contrary to all those movies that you've seen on Late Night tele Vision Christians did not hide out
• 23:30 - 24:00 in the catacombs During the period of persecution they were cemeteries they were not even called catacombs in the Roman days that was just the name of one of the Catacombs they were places for burial and Christians would go down there uh on the um day of the martyrdom of a saint and maybe offer religious services or visit these places but they did not hide out it's not like Christians were like trolls living under underground uh hiding out from the Roman
• 24:00 - 24:30 authorities plenty of people uh saw the martydom certainly heard about these passions of the martyrs and then quickly came over to Christianity I think it is one of the most important reasons why Christianity took over the crumbling Roman world in the third and fourth centuries ad uh that and of course Miracles which were also a wonderful propaganda and and public relations devices as well with Miracles one hears
• 24:30 - 25:00 of Supernatural events uh performed by these leaders of this infant sect and and again these wondrous Deeds they are appealing to people in the ancient world so in that sense martyrdom and Miracle both of those uh those those means were were terrific you know advertising uh devices and and and public relations devices then at the beginning of the 4th Century the emperor Constantine had a vision that would change change the
• 25:00 - 25:30 world in the sky he saw a brilliant cross inscribed with the words in this sign conquer he took it to mean that if he accepted Christianity he would Triumph in battle when he did win he quickly instituted a policy of religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire from about the year 320 on the persecutions virtually
• 25:30 - 26:00 ended now the Christians were free to seek out converts and once again the martyrs would play a pivotal role it's very interesting that the word Pagan comes from the Latin word pagus meaning the village or the countryside so that in the Christian vocabulary The Pagani that is the non-believers were people who basically lived out in the country in the beginning of the 4th Century Pro probably 30% of the
• 26:00 - 26:30 population uh was uh Christian Christianity was mainly located in the cities but the idea of effectively christianizing the outlying districts and the country districts and whatnot that took a long time some historians have argued that the countryside was never effectively uh christianized what you do see beginning in the 4th Century on is the uh great influence of these shrines of the martyrs from the 4th Century on
• 26:30 - 27:00 Christianity began to move north in this largely Pagan world the Christian Cult of the saint became a powerful force connecting people still close to the gods of the forest and [Music] Sky it was very common as the Christian Church began to evangelize uh out of the traditional areas of the Roman Empire that the Christians would destroy
• 27:00 - 27:30 the Pagan temples and then over those temples build Christian churches and entar maybe the bones of part of the bones or part of the body of a martyr what developed was a system of shrines local spiritual power centers each built around the story of a saint and their relics without relics a church wasn't considered a church in fact at the
• 27:30 - 28:00 beginning of the 9th century according to ecclesiastical law any local church that didn't have the bones of a saint in the altar could be torn down predictably the demand for relics intensified what happened if you were a Christian and you happen to live in a town where you didn't have a martyr's grave well the tendency was then was to was to maybe find a martyr body and move it to to your place uh in order to also
• 28:00 - 28:30 have a sacred place where uh the power of these Martyrs uh could be experienced by [Music] people the bones of the early Martyrs were considered especially powerful Untold thousands were stolen from the catacombs of [Music] Rome the skeleton of a single Saint might be broken up and pedal to a number
• 28:30 - 29:00 of different churches this had the effect of encouraging the traffic in relics both legal and [Music] illegal if you couldn't find an extra martyr around and this was very common in the Early Middle Ages you could always steal a body and then of course it was inevitable that that it would be maybe parts of body but as powerful as the relics of the early Martyrs were the
• 29:00 - 29:30 remains of a contemporary holy man could also produce Miracles e your sword morville before you impale your soul upon it especially if they like Steven and perpetua and polycarp died defending the Faith with the spread of Christianity into new lands the martyrs who became sainted were now not so much the
• 29:30 - 30:00 oppressed as those defending their Christian domains or converting new ones King wesl good King wies in the song was murdered while trying to convert his Pagan Kingdom of bohemia in the British Isles Oswald battled to bring all of England into the fold only to be dismembered by a neighboring Pagan King Edmund of East Anglia died fighting off
• 30:00 - 30:30 Viking [Music] Invaders all of these men became Saints the era of the political martyr was at [Music] hand in the Town Square beneath the shadow of canterbury's great Cathedral a man is being whipped
• 30:30 - 31:00 wielding the whips are the monks and Bishops of Canterbury and the man being whipped is Henry II King of England all of Europe has demanded this humiliation and the King has willingly submitted to it all because in a fit of peak he once muttered that he wished an old friend
• 31:00 - 31:30 [Music] [Music] dead that friend was Thomas [Music] Becket Thomas ackett was popular in a sense after his death because he was a homegrown sort of a saint uh he was the son of of lowborn Norman parents and he
• 31:30 - 32:00 kind of Rose through the ranks by the seat of his pants as Becket seems to have had a certain Charisma uh and Henry himself he seems to have been much taken with uh Becket who was 15 years his senior uh they rode together and and and uh ped around together that kind of thing by the age of 24 Beckett had a well-known weakness for women and wine are you listening to me Thomas but 17 years later against becket's own wishes Henry named him the
• 32:00 - 32:30 most powerful Churchman in England the Archbishop of Canterbury my Royal edict nominating you Thomas Becket primate of England Archbishop of [Laughter] Canterbury shut up Thomas I'm in deadly earnest my Lord don't do
• 32:30 - 33:00 [Music] this the day he became Archbishop he seems to have suddenly gotten religion uh he began to wear a hair shirt underneath his his robes he began to eat frugally and most importantly he began actually to oppose Henry II on matters of church and state policy in England issues of church versus State steadily drove the two old friends apart you you can't laugh you can't
• 33:00 - 33:30 stand by are you taking yourself seriously as Archbishop I am the Archbishop my prin after excommunicating some members of Henry's court for mishandling church Estates Becket wisely fled to France and I shall go back and fight with a weapon it has pleased you to give
• 33:30 - 34:00 me 6 years later he returned to England only to find that Henry's son had been crowned Prince in his absence in direct violation of church [Music] law Beckett promptly excommunicated the Bishops who had presided at the [Music] [Applause] coronation so long as he's alive I
• 34:00 - 34:30 tremble I shake I'm the king the volatile Henry shouted that he wished to be rid of this Troublesome pret a small group of knights within earshot decided to take the king at his [Music] word on the evening of December 29th 1170 four armed men appeared at canabury Cathedral and entered with their swords
• 34:30 - 35:00 drawn breaking through a series of doors they found Becket praying quietly at the altar he had been expecting them the knights demanded that he reinstate the excommunicated Bishops Becket declined they attacked the blow that killed Becket was delivered with enough Force to sh The Sword and splatter the altar with his
• 35:00 - 35:30 blood and brains within hours of the murder we uh hear of peasants and other people kind of moving into the church quietly and trying to pick up bits of becket's skull and sopping rags in his blood to take away of course his relics holy relics which uh almost immediately began to perform Miracles Becket was officially made a saint 3 years after his murder and the here after that the repentant King
• 35:30 - 36:00 received his public whipping in his first defining power struggle between the English church and the English State the church had won and so had the people of Canterbury now they had their very own martyr with all the power that entailed there were 73 Miracles attributed to him at least in the 10 years after his death so his tomb became the favorite pilgrimage spot in England and in fact
• 36:00 - 36:30 was one of the most popular in Europe um Louis iith of France for instance was the first French King to visit English soil uh during the um latter part of the 12th century and he came to visit the shrine of Thomas acket so perhaps one of the most popular pilgrimage shrines of of of all time [Music]
• 36:30 - 37:00 but it wouldn't be long before the French had their own heroic martyr an unlikely Warrior who would lead France to victory over Britain and thereby become one of the most famous Saints of all [Music] time she was born to Peasant farmers in a small French Village By The River Mo she was the fourth of five children her name was
• 37:00 - 37:30 Joan for the first 13 years of her life no one noticed anything particular about the girl except that she tended to be modest and Pious just a normal child who was about to change [Music] History Joan was 14 when she began hearing voices they told her she had been chosen to lead the French Army to
• 37:30 - 38:00 victory over the British naturally no one believed [Music] [Applause] [Music] her but there's not one person in the world not among Kings or Nobles or princesses who can bring help to the France we love not one save this maid you see before you it's not because of anything in me but
• 38:00 - 38:30 because the king of Heaven wishes it all that's a point that's a point but I am to lead the Doan's armies my God to lead his armies when did the Doan have an army eventually Joan got an audience with the heir to the French throne the Doan to his amazement she was able to pick him out of a crowd though they had never met God has spoken to me through his
• 38:30 - 39:00 Messengers and it is his will that I come to Aid you and that you be king of France but the doofan was skeptical until Joan privately told him something no one knows what that convinced him she had been sent by God Joan was put in charge of the French army and promptly led her troops to victory in the battle of oron [Music] [Applause] [Music]
• 39:00 - 39:30 the witch the [Music] Witch ENT B Victory to I say never good to you free from Hell bur in Hell death by fire is a horrible thing
• 39:30 - 40:00 but when the Doan was finally crowned King he turned out to be weak and indecisive and never pressed for a final victory over [Music] Britain we have fought so hard and have given so much blood to win his majesty has signed the truce and our King never repudiates his word shortly thereafter Joan fell into the hands of the Duke of burgundy who sold her to the British so that she could be tried as a
• 40:00 - 40:30 heretic as far as the British were concerned Joan was a witch come here if you were a true Christian you give her up for nothing she's a sorceress a heretic an ulous she must be burned in the face of merciless cross-examination Joan continued to insist she was only acting under orders from God all I have done I have done by the command of my
• 40:30 - 41:00 Lord that is all that I've done [Applause] well eventually she wavered and signed a confession of heresy only to retract it a few days [Music] later the judges say and decree at 8:00 on the morning of May 30th 1431 was to the marketplace of R and burned at the stake a sorcerous lying
• 41:00 - 41:30 seducing pous presumptuous Sous cruel apostate her crime consorting with the devil witchcraft she was not yet 20 years old within a few years of the execution Joan's mother succeeded in reversing the Judgment of the British ecclesiastical
• 41:30 - 42:00 court that had condemned her daughter though most Englishmen continued to regard Joan with suspicion the interesting thing is on the other side of the coin were the French who of course uh absolutely adored her she became a the patron saint of France uh she was given much credit for the reversal of French Fortunes in the Hundred Years War but instead of the 3 years it took Becket to be declared a saint nearly 500 years had to pass before the same honor was accorded to
• 42:00 - 42:30 Joan eventually in 1920 she was canonized so uh which is she is is is my question so if the one side politically sees her as a saint the other side politically sees her as a heretic and a witch which is it uh and I think that uh gives us some problems today um and maybe speaks to uh the canonization process and the fact that in essence humans are deciding who are Saints and who are Heretics not God like the early Martyrs Joan had chosen
• 42:30 - 43:00 to die rather than renounce her faith but unlike the early Martyrs she was killed by an arm of the church [Music] itself so what exactly does it mean to die for the [Music] faith it's a question that is still being asked today especially in the case of the Polish priest named maximilan [Music]
• 43:00 - 43:30 colby maximilan colby was born in 1894 to a poor family in a small polish town the second of five children around the age of 10 he had a remarkable Vision in it the Virgin Mary came to him offering Two Roses one was white signifying Purity the other red signifying
• 43:30 - 44:00 martyrdom little Maximillian eagerly accepted them both he told no one but his mother he grew up entered the Franciscan order and was sent to Rome to study earning doctorates in philosophy and theology he was ordained in 1918 while the world still rumbled with the after shocks of World War
• 44:00 - 44:30 I Colby returned to Poland where he founded a popular Catholic magazine created the world's largest friery and even founded a mission in Japan when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 kby flung open the doors of his immense friy to thousands of Jewish refugees it was said he never turned away a single person in search of a safe haven but he was a Marked Man in
• 44:30 - 45:00 1941 the Nazis arrested him for treason and sent him to the concentration camp at aitz there he shared his meager rations with others and comforted those who had lost their relatives their friends and sometimes their [Music] faith ak ak the announcement began like all
• 45:00 - 45:30 others a prisoner from cellblock 14 had escaped and in reprisal 10 of his cellmates Must Die For [Music]
• 45:30 - 46:00 40-year-old polish army Sergeant Francis gich heard his number called but I have a wife and children he cried out without fear or hesitation father Colby stepped forward and urged that the Nazis kill him instead good to the commant it made no difference who [Applause]
• 46:00 - 46:30 died covich stepped back into line Colby stepped forward into [Applause] sainthood and although Colby was by no means the only person to make such a heroic sacrifice word of what he had done spread through the camp like wildfire as one aitz Survivor later
• 46:30 - 47:00 testified we became aware that someone Among Us in this spiritual Dark Knight of the Soul was raising the standard of Love on high someone unknown tortured and bereft of name and social standing went to a horrible death for the sake of someone not even related to him we were stunned by this act which became for us a mighty explosion of light in the dark camp
• 47:00 - 47:30 and yet as far as the church was concerned Colby did not die a martyr for the Catholic faith in the strict sense of the term that is he was not singled out for death because of any particular animosity towards his beliefs he took the place of a married person and said take me I'm not married I'm a priest he died a horrible death and he spiritually nurtured the people around him in fact held out so long they I think they had to give him a lethal dose but the point was did he die for the faith they didn't
• 47:30 - 48:00 come forward and say hey priest you're a priest we're going to no he took the place of he gave his life for another this left the church in an awkward position one could not hear K's story without knowing instinctively that he was a saint and yet technically he was not a martyr of the faith in the Vatican the pope himself a pole wrestled with the problem Father Peter GLE was one of the official judges
• 48:00 - 48:30 of Colby's [Music] case I had W to PO your Holiness can't see that I can come to a positive conclusion about a martydom unless you enlarge the concept of martydom because colba offered his life in substitution of a hostage who was condemned to death and this was accepted so we suggested that uh the con traditional concept of M them therefore being killed as you would say technically in odium fidy would be
• 48:30 - 49:00 enlarged that also somebody who has given his life to save the lives of others could be declared a mar and this theory was accepted and in this sense cby was canonized as a m and so the new pope citing kby as a personal hero created a new definition of martyrdom that of charity martyrdom it turns out isn't just an
• 49:00 - 49:30 old-fashioned Concept in the 20th century there are still people willing to die because their faith demands it you know we tend to romanticize the early martys I mean we have stained glass windows with virginal Saints looking up to heaven with a palm branch you know while lions are sort of coily situated around them but if we were going to do stained glass windows today of the martyrs of the 20th century uh we
• 49:30 - 50:00 wouldn't use uh lions and crowns and Palm leaves we would have barbed wire electrodes on people's genitals and starvation pits and gas Chambers and uh bullets and so [Music] on in order to give oneself over to this kind of physical pain and do so again gladly almost laughingly uh requires a tremendous amount of courage uh we sit in our modern day and few of us are
• 50:00 - 50:30 willing to sacrifice ourselves in that way I I you know speaking personally I would if when they called for Martyrs I would get out of the way um and I think a lot of us are that way in in today's secular World it it requires a tremendous devotion a tremendous commitment to Faith uh to go through that kind of thing um and that's maybe a faith and a and a commitment to it that we just don't have in today's world I don't know some may but um yeah tremendous courage it takes Scots to be a
• 50:30 - 51:00 martyr all of the earlier Martyrs were first and foremost real people flesh and blood human beings with an abiding belief in the message of Jesus Christ from humble beginnings in shadowy corners of Jerusalem the Christian Community grew and multiplied when called upon many Christians willingly gave up their
• 51:00 - 51:30 lives over the centuries through their extraordinary Faith courage and capacity for sacrifice the Martyr Saints did nothing less than change the world forever [Music]
• 51:30 - 52:00 [Music] he