Martyrs Polycarp and Rachel Scott
Regan Roth
Mr. Wujek
Honors Western Civ.
A martyr is someone who chooses to suffer death rather than deny Jesus Christ or His work. There have been people martyred all throughout history. From Stephen, who was the first martyr, to present day, people are still being executed for their faith in certain parts of the world. Two important and interesting martyrs who gave their lives up for Christ are Polycarp, and Rachel Scott.
Polycarp was a Bishop during the second century in the Roman Empire. During this time, in Lower Asia Minor, which is where he did his work, Christians were under persecution by the power hungry emperors. Also, during this period, the spread of Gnosticism began and false teachers were trying to lead the church astray, now that the first generation of apostles was beginning to die off.
Not much is known about Polycarps life before christ. His date of birth is unknown. He was converted at a relatively young age, in 70 AD. He was in lower Asia and was talking to the apostles and others who had seen Jesus. He accepted Christ and was baptized by John the apostle.
He was an apostle of John, and he was the companion if Papios. Polycarp is mentioned in the writings of many other church leaders such as Ignatius an Irenaeus. He was consecrated bishop in Smyrna, and he also wrote an epistle to Philippi. Polycarp once journeyed to meet with Pope Anicetus to set dates for holidays such as Easter and the Passover.
Polycarp is known as heretic fighter. He once told a man named Marcion, who was a teacher of gnosticism, that he was the son Satan. Polycarp was true to the teachings of the apostles and taught from the scriptures. He tried to sq...
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...d her about her faith before she was shot, but that was later found to be illegit. They are not exactly sure what motivated the shooters to do this, but some believe that the boys were targeting christians and racially diverse people.
Rachel’s legacy is a still remaining story of her life for christ and her death which has had several books written about it. She won several awards after her death, and there was a foundation started in her honor called Rachel’s Challenge. It is devoted to showing kindness and is against bullying.
As you can see, martyrs give the ultimate sacrifice to God. They are examples of him in their life and in their death. Rachel Scott and Polycarp were both great Christians who were killed for their faith. They both gave up their lives instead of deny Him, and have inspired many others in the faith by doing so.
During a weekly Bible study, witnesses say a white male came into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and opened fire around 9 p.m. On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, 21, entered into this church and opened fire. He killed 9 people that day. The church was primarily African American which also caused the nation to go into a panic and think of one explanation: racism. Whichever viewpoint you see this from; everyone can agree it was a tragedy that innocent lives were taken that day. Many speculate different reasons as to why he committed such an act: racism, mental illness, hate, etc. However, when confronted by someone in the church while committing this tragic action, he said “I have to do it. You rape our women and you 're taking over our
There is a lot that has been said about the missionary trips of this distinguished servant of Christ which started about fourteen years after his transformation. His travels have left many Bible scholars confused about his powerful impact and how he founded of the Western Christian Church.
Between sacrifice and success, sacrifice contributes more to heroism. A hero is someone who would be willing to sacrifice almost anything for something greater. Heros also show great courage, leadership, and sometimes other qualities. Usually, a hero will sacrifice themselves to protect other people, displaying that they are caring. Being a hero can be defined or seen in several ways, but sacrifice is still important to heroism.
Who is Francis of Assisi? What makes him such an influence in our religious history? What are his accomplishments and insights that helped shape Christianity to what it is today? How did his actions to perform the gospel life change the view of Christianity? There are many factors that went into the life of Francis that made Christianity what it is today. The transition that Francis had to go through in order to become a man of Christ, to the attempt to convert the Sultan. Saint Francis relationships with his father, Saint Clare, and Bishop Guido, all of which have contributed to the successes of Francis throughout his life.
Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care that they were sentenced to death. They believed that by dying for what they believe, it would only bring them closer to God and the Gates of Heaven. The document states, “For this cause have we devoted our lives, that we might do no such thing as this; this we agreed with you” (para. 18). To the martyrs, nothing was more important than fulfilling God’s duties.
These courageous people were not afraid of being persecuted and were willing to die for their faith in order to prove that they really did believe in God. They wanted to set an example for others so that they too may believe and spread the word to others. The narrator believes that martyrs were "truly called and chosen for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (9). The narrator also believed that martyrs were important in that they were "examples for the building up of the Church" (9). While this may first appear to be referring to building a physical church, the church actually has a more symbolic meaning. Since the people are considered to be the Church, the building of the Church is referring to building up the faithful and spreading the word to others. They wanted anyone who was willing to honor and adore God in all His glory to be members of the
A biography on Saint Augustine is not our primary concern on this writing but, since he was the most important Christian theoretician in the late Roman Empire in the elaboration as stated Marvin Perry in his book, Western Civilization: “A Brief History” (117). It is relevant to stress out that his explanation of the origin of the unity of the human race has evoked the most pertinent questions. Augustine of Hippo or Saint Augustine was born on November 13th, 354 in Tagaste, Algeria then died on August 28th, 430 in Hippo Regius. Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo in North Africa and author of The City of God, was an early Christian theologian and philosopher who developed the view of life and of the individual about the Christianity.
After thinking and developing his philosophies he compiled it and wrote several essays, one of which is The Anti-Christ, based on his theories about the Catholic religion and God or the lack thereof.
Aurelius Augustinus, or better known now as Saint Augustine, was born in 354 A.D. in North Africa. Saint Augustine is one of the most influential converts of Christianity, and through his works, such as The Confessions, he discusses his life, and describes his experiences from infancy all the way through to his later years as an adult. As stated in the Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Saint Augustine was born into a world that was no longer at peace, and the Church was split, and it is Aurelius whom of which is credited with providing the systematization of the Church’s doctrine and policy.
A hero is a person who cedes to benefit others. Through many complications that were faced they stood up with the greatest bravery. Welles Crowther is a great example of a hero who sought to help the other people in the World Trade Center during 9/11. Though he could’ve saved himself he tried to save others. Though he lost his life he inspired others to help others in need. Ling Young says,”He said,”I’m going back up again.” Cause he knows that there were a lot of people still up there on the 78th floor that needed help (“The Man in the Red Bandana”). Though he could have saved
Augustine of Hippo - One philosopher that I found interesting was Augustine and his involvement in the early church. "Augustine is acknowledged as having been one of the most important influences on the development of the western Christianity. The theological system he developed dominated the mediaeval church until the thirteenth century and its influence is still felt today (Bradshaw, 2009)."
After Paul became a believer of the Christian faith, he started teaching the people he preached to that they were save...
There is an ever growing dispute in society where some people view others as heroes either when they physically put themselves in danger to defend a cause or to safeguard others, or when they say what they are thinking out loud when others are not brave enough to do so. The recognition of a hero should go to those who are able to stand up for others against the oppressors or conflicts in society by voicing their opinion and by stating the opinions of the people who do not have the courage to do so. However, some may believe that heroes are those who seek danger to protect others or a cause, an example being a firefighter or cop who goes into work every day to protect the people in society, even though they know their lives are in stake. The articles, "Inspired by a hero: What Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life means to me" by La Prensa, "Profiles in Greatness - Gandhi" by Success, and "Nelson Mandela, hero to the world" by New Pittsburgh Courier, support the claim that heroes are those who are the voice for the voiceless. There has been many people in history who have put their lives at stake due to their courage to stand up for others, an example being Martin Luther King, Jr.
Heroes are brave people who overcome their own pride and insecurities to face the complex conditions presented to them. They put themselves on the front line to defend a moral cause. Dr. Martin King Jr. is an example of a hero because of his bravery for speaking out against racism during a time when this was considered very dangerous. He kept fighting because he believed it was something that had to be done for the good of his race and the entire country. He con...
Ultimately, a hero does many sacrifices. They do sacrifices for many people, actually. A hero just does not have one goal, but they can have any goals that they want to achieve. Some heroes do not do the good. They can be bad at first, but soon make their own way to turn good. A hero can not always do whatever the people please, but they can give it a try. The worse things that they can do are not to care or not even try, at all. Some traits of a hero are different than others, but they all mean the same thing. You can say that a hero is basically your inspiration, and the light in your life to keep moving on.