Martyrdom

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term for martyrdom, sungyo (殉敎), is a Sino-Korean word meaning "to lay down one's life for one's religion." It refers to being put to death for keeping the faith or for refusing demands to renounce it, and a person who dies in this way is called a martyr. The Greek word rendered "martyr," martys, originally meant "witness." In the early church the word became the established term for those who bore witness to Christ with their lives.

Biblical and Historical Background

According to the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen prayed for those who were killing him as he was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). Church tradition honors him as the first martyr (the martyrdom of Stephen). Among the apostles, James the son of Zebedee was killed with the sword by Herod (Acts 12:2). The Book of Revelation calls Antipas of the church in Pergamos a "faithful martyr" (Revelation 2:13) and exhorts the church in Smyrna, "be thou faithful unto death" (Revelation 2:10).

Under persecution in the Roman Empire, the early church produced many martyrs. The saying "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" is generally traced to the writings of Tertullian, a church father of the second and third centuries. During the Reformation as well, some people were executed over matters of faith.

In the Korean Church

Korean Protestants often honor Robert Jermain Thomas, who died on the Taedong River in 1866, as their first martyr. Some, however, have questioned whether his death can rightly be considered martyrdom, since he was aboard an armed merchant ship.

Martyrdoms during the Japanese colonial period include the Jeamni Massacre at the time of the March First Movement. A representative martyr of this era is Joo Ki-chul, who died in prison after refusing Shinto shrine worship. During the Korean War, many pastors and church members lost their lives, including Son Yang-won and Moon Joon-kyung.

Various denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, and Holiness churches, have undertaken commemorative projects, such as documenting the lives of their martyrs and erecting memorial halls and monuments. The lives of martyrs are frequently cited in preaching and Christian education as examples of faith. The term is also used figuratively for everyday devotion, as in expressions such as "a martyr's resolve" or "martyrdom offered through one's life."

Traditions differ in how they honor martyrs.

• The Catholic Church formally declares martyrs blessed or saints and venerates them. In the Korean Catholic Church, 103 martyrs were canonized in 1984.
• Protestantism has no process for declaring saints. It remembers martyrs not as objects of prayer but as examples of faith.

Opinions differ on which deaths should be called martyrdom. One view holds that the term should be applied strictly to cases in which a person was killed because of his or her faith. Others point out that people who died amid war or political turmoil, where faith was intertwined with other causes, have also traditionally been commemorated as martyrs in a broader sense.