Blessed Victors

“Timely and insightful. In Blessed Victors Sutcliffe makes a significant contribution to current debates about how best to understand ancient Christian martyrdom by situating the phenomenon in larger theological frameworks. Experts in the field and those more generally interested in the subject of persecution need this book.” -- David E. Wilhite, Baylor University, USA “Blessed Victors breaks new ground in the study of early Christian theology. It recovers the thought of four great early Christian teachers as they lived and led through persecution showing that fundamental Christian convictions led to persecution, but also sustained believers through that and were shaped by it. This fascinating and careful study demonstrates the continued relevance of voices from the Christian past.” -- John McClean, Christ College, Australia “By her detailed surveys of the treatment of martyrdom in four major Christian writers of the third century, Ruth Sutcliffe effectively responds to recent questioning its central role in Christian practice. Her analysis of Cyprian’s efforts to deal with the effects of a well-documented persecution updates the prior scholarly literature and moves beyond it by the comparisons with the social contexts and religious perspectives of Clement, Origen, and Tertullian.” -- J. Patout Burns Jr., University of Notre Dame, USA “Given all that has been written on martyrdom, it’s surprising that the theology of persecution has been so neglected. Sutcliffe situates these key early Greek and Latin authors in their contexts and deftly examines the similarities and differences in their thought. I hope this book will be read not only by those interested in early Christianity, but also by theologians who need to grapple with this significant area of doctrine.” -- Edwina Murphy, Australian College of Theology, Australia