Martyrdom and double tellings

Remembering resistance and trauma

Abstract

I propose viewing the martyr stories through the lens of trauma theology, recognizing their double-edged nature as stories both of the perseverance and strength of the faithful and of tragic, traumatic violence. Using Chris Huebner’s characterization of martyrs as neither victims nor victors and Serene Jones’s concept of “double tellings” of traumatic events, in which the complexity of the traumatic experience necessitates multiple narratives, I take the position that the martyrs must be remembered as both victims and victors if we are to fully honour them these centuries later.