A martyr is characterized as a person who suffered persecution and death for their religious beliefs or practices or fails to renounce certain religious beliefs as demanded by a group in power. More specifically, a Christian martyr is someone who has been or is killed due to their beliefs regarding Jesus and God. These people were captured, tortured, and killed using various forms of punishment including burning at the stake, crucifixion and stoning, which were often horrific public displays. The story of the discovery of two of these early Christian martyrs, known as Gervasius and Protasius, is told by Augustine in his novel Confessions. Augustine describes how in 386 CE the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, was being persecuted by the Arian family in power and one day received a vision. In response to this vision, Ambrose took a large group into a Christian cemetery in Milan. There, two bodies were discovered that were presumed to be the martyrs; they were then taken to the Ambrosian Basilica where they remain today. This moment in history propelled the expansion of the denomination of martyrs and saints within the religion of Christianity, which became especially prominent in Latin-speaking western Europe during this time where Confessions took place.  

I believe that some of the direct effects of the discovery of Gervasius and Protasius and their display in the Ambrosian Basilica is an increasing involvement in church among people of this time, a further promotion of the idea of reverence and an overall affirmation of the Christian religion. Practices such as shrine building and worshipping of martyrs became increasingly important, encouraging greater and more frequent participation in church and furthering the idea of idolizing religious figures. To Christians, martyrs have made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their life for God and are therefore worthy of worship and ultimate respect. The discovery of these martyrs in Milan was thought to be a miracle within the Christian community and provided a lot of reassurance at a time when they were being persecuted. During the time of this discovery, Milan was under the power of an Arian family including the wife of the emperor, Justina, who actively sought to persecute the anti-Arian bishop Ambrose. It was at this time that the vision of the location of the martyr’s bodies came to Ambrose. For many, this event was a huge reassurance of their faith, including Augustine who was still struggling to officially identify himself as a Christian. After this event, Augustine goes and gets baptized. 

One of the quotes that stood out to me in this section is found in Conf. 9.7.16-18 (166) and reads “‘You make people to live in a house of unanimity’ (Ps. 67:7). To my understanding, this section of reading references God’s ability to join people together, foster consensus and encourage harmony. I think that the placement of this quote in the context of the reading is pretty ironic, considering the discussion of martyrs and persecution within this part of the book. While I do believe that God and religion can create a large community that promotes consensus and unity, I believe that its divisive effects are of equal impact, if not more. People who have very strong ties to their faith tend to hold their religious beliefs and views of the world as a whole very strongly and passionately, however, these beliefs vary widely throughout the multitudes of different religions. The combination of the importance of religious beliefs to people and the diversity of these beliefs among people stimulates large controversy. This controversy tends to be incredibly divisive and therefore, instead of bringing people together, the various beliefs in or about God stimulate debate, renunciation, and resentment among the various religions. These effects can be seen throughout history on both large and small scales. The growth of martyrdom and the absolute renunciation of beliefs that were contrary to one’s religion during Augustine’s time are some of the best examples of this idea. The torture, persecution, and murder of religious figures, such as Gervasius and Protasius, show the dangerous and schismatic effects that religion can have. I believe that one of the most important historical ideas about late antiquity and one of the more broad effects that these events had can be pulled from this excerpt, and the novel as a whole, and that is the incredibly strong influence and divisiveness of religion during this time. It is important to also realize that although many of these practices or ideas may not be as prominent in modern religion, the effects of such events and beliefs have persisted today and continue to foster dissension among and within religious groups.