the.com/martyrdom
Suffering or death endured for refusing to abandon a belief, cause, or faith.
means Suffering or death endured for refusing to abandon a belief, cause, or faith.
from From Greek 'martys,' meaning 'witness' — originally a legal term for someone who testifies to what they saw. Early Christians adopted it for believers who 'witnessed' their faith even unto death, and the word's whole meaning tilted from seeing to suffering. By the time it passed through Latin and into English, a martyr wasn't someone who merely watched — they were someone who paid for what they swore was true.
- etymology
- greek martys means witness, not victim
- self fulfilling
- the belief creates the willingness to die for it