“It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr” (Napoleon Bonaparte). There is something that is far more dangerous than any weapon man can create, more uplifting than any act of service. This concept can catch the world on fire, or, if weaponized, burn it down. What is this “something?” What is this world changing substance? It is simple, an idea. An idea can inspire millions to act, whether as a proponent or an adversary. It can cause death, a universal fear of mankind, to seem like an honor. In fact, the men and women and children who are killed for an idea are viewed as an inspiration; these martyrs become symbols, points of encouragement. In Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine mentions the journey of Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, as he searches for the corpses of Christian martyrs, martyrs who would be forever preserved in the Church of Milan. Why did these martyrs mean so much to the early church? According to Ambrose, and further Augustine, these martyrs exemplify absolute faith, absolute determination to follow the Christian faith, regardless of their circumstance.

The Roman Empire was an early adversary to the church. An illegal religion until the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, Christianity was faced with violent opposition. The famed Roman coliseums became a place of executions for early believers. As Saint Perpetua writes, those who refused to denounce the religion were the victims of hungry lions, beastly bears, grizzly gladiators. Bloodied and battered, the believers who survived were killed with the sword. Even after Christianity was made legal, those in power attempted to force their beliefs on the common people. Different sects of Christianity began to fight with each other over miniscule details. In Ambrose’s service as Bishop, his church was persecuted by the mother of Emperor Valentinian, an Arian who disagreed on the divinity of Jesus Christ. As Augustine writes, “The devout congregation kept continual guard in the Church, ready to die with their bishop, your servant” (IX. vii.15). The whole congregation was prepared to face a gruesome death for the Christian faith. Luckily, they would not face the sword. Shortly after the congregation was safe, Ambrose had a vision revealing the location of two famous relics, the bodies of Saints Protasius and Gervasius, two men who were martyred in the name of Christianity. The church rejoiced about the discovery. With the preservation of these two icons, miracles began to happen. Possessed people were purified, blind men could see. Why were these Saints set apart, seemingly by God himself?

To the early Christian church, persecution was expected. The Roman Empire wanted to do everything in its power to discourage the faith. Its strategy was simple: it wanted to make an example of certain believers. It wanted to show the entirety of the empire how horrible a death could be. How could it be avoided? To denounce the Christian faith. A few simple words could save a man from a horrible demise. Little did the Roman Empire know, these executions would earn the martyrs a place in heaven, in the hearts of believers everywhere. Instead of feeling fear, the church felt determination. No longer was it horrible to die at the hands of the Romans; it was an honor to die for the idea of Christianity. After all, Saint Prosasius was executed, Saint Gervasius was executed, yet both hold divinity after death. Both are so holy that even their cloaks have the power to heal, centuries after their martyrdom. The church no longer feared persecution, it welcomed it. No man, no centurion, no king, no emperor, could intimidate the new church. If the prospect of a miserable death could not change the mind of the church, what could? To Augustine, Ambrose, and the church, these Saints became an image of defiance. They became an example of the blessings of martyrdom.

If everyone who was asked to denounce Christianity did so, the religion would not be anywhere near what it is today. Those who refused became immortal images to the church, these great figures smiled and shook death’s hand for the sake of their belief, their idea. They became figures to the church itself; they became a symbol of ultimate devotion to Christianity. Prosasius and Gervasius were blessed after death; they were blessed to a degree where their corpses could provide miracles through the Holy Spirit. For Saint Augustine, Ambrose, and the entirety of the early church, their deaths were an inspiration: the worst punishment in this life is death, yet they accepted it gladly. This marked them as saints, gave them powers after death. What could persecution do against the power of God?