I've begun a reading of Craig Hovey's "To Share in the Body: a Theology of Martyrdom for Today's Church." Today, I'm merely posting some excellent quotes from the first third of the book. When I finish, I will do a more complete review. Check these few passages out.
Not long after the Diet of Worms and the subsequent Edict in 1521, Augustinian monks Johann van den Esschen (Johannes Esch) and Hendrik Vos (Heinrich Voes), sympathetic to Luther and his teachings, were taken captive and branded for execution. On 1 July 1523, van den Esschen and Vos were burned at the stake. They are [...]
The persecutors and executioners would press for them to convert or face death. Probably 99% of the time, a recantation or conversion garnered them freedom.Then you have quite the dilemma that I have to work through almost on a daily basis in my studies on Christian martyrdom and persecution. What do you do with the lapsi?
