Martyrdom and Identity
The Self on Trial
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Hardback
£160.00
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Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9780567526281
Number of Pages: 224
Published: 13/05/2010
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
This title presents an exploration of the Christian concept of martyrdom and its relation to the understanding of the 'self'. What does Christian martyrdom tell us about being a self? I argue that Christian martyrdom provides a coherent and compelling narration of the self in terms of the narrative of the life and death of Jesus Christ: a narrative that orients the self in hope towards the good and turns the self towards recognition of and sacrificial service of other selves. In conversation with writers such as Salman Rushdie and Charles Taylor and prompted by T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral", I show that Christian discipleship is not the path of establishing oneself securely, or pursuing the good made possible through collaboration with earthly power, or making oneself an identity through action according to some ideal, or seeking earthly or heavenly renown, but is rather narrated in the light of the experience of pierasmos (temptation/testing) and with reference to God's providence.
1. Introduction; 2. 'What Kind of Idea Are You?' Martyrdom and Identity in Charles Taylor and in Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses; 3. The First Temptation: The Temptation to Security and the Risk of Martyrdom; 4. The Second Temptation: The Temptation to Collaborate and the Mission of the Martyrs; 5. The Third Temptation: The Temptation to Idealism and Martyrdom as Passive Action; 6. The Fourth Temptation: The Temptation of Honour and Reward, and Martyrdom as Renunciation; 7. 'Who Killed the Archbishop?' Martyrdom, Temptation and Providence; 8. Martyrdom and the Self in Review.
"'Displaying extraordinary literary sensibilities, Jensen illumines how martyrs help us better understand why and how our lives as Christians require the embodiment of narrative.' Stanley Hauerwas Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC, USA"