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A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, ''mártys'', "witness"; stem μάρτυρ-, ''mártyr-'') is somebody who suffers persecution and/or death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, and/or refusing to advocate a belief or cause of either a religious or secular nature. Most martyrs are considered holy or are respected by their followers, becoming a symbol of exceptional leadership and heroism. Martyrs play significant roles in religions. Similarly, martyrs have had notable effects in secular life, including specific figures such as Socrates, as well as in politics and Chinese culture. ==Meaning== In its original meaning, the word martyr, meaning ''witness'', was used in the secular sphere as well as in the New Testament of the Bible.〔See e.g. Alison A. Trites, ''The New Testament Concept of Witness'', ISBN 0-521-60934-8 and ISBN 978-0-521-60934-0.〕 The process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of the witness, although it is known from ancient writers (e.g. Josephus) and from the New Testament that witnesses often died for their testimonies. During the early Christian centuries, the term acquired the extended meaning of a believer who is called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endures suffering and/or death. The term, in this later sense, entered the English language as a loanword. The death of a martyr or the value attributed to it is called ''martyrdom''. The early Christians who first began to use the term ''martyr'' in its new sense saw Jesus as the first and greatest martyr, on account of his crucifixion.〔Frances M. Young, ''The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom'' (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004), pp. 107.〕〔Eusebius wrote of the early Christians: "They were so eager to imitate Christ ... they gladly yielded the title of martyr to Christ, the true Martyr and Firstborn from the dead." Eusebius, ''Church History'' 5.1.2.〕〔Scholars believe that Revelation was written during the period when the word for ''witness'' was gaining its meaning of ''martyr''. Revelation describes several Christian reh with the term ''martyr'' (Rev 17:6, 12:11, 2:10-13), and describes Jesus in the same way ("Jesus Christ, the faithful witness/martyr" in Rev 1:5, and see also Rev 3:14).〕 The early Christians appear to have seen Jesus as the archetypal martyr.〔A. J. Wallace and R. D. Rusk, ''Moral Transformation: The Original Christian Paradigm of Salvation'' (New Zealand: Bridgehead, 2011), pp. 217-229.〕 The word ''martyr'' is used in English to describe a wide variety of people. However, the following table presents a general outline of common features present in stereotypical martyrdoms. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「martyr」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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