I neglected to post Candida Moss' conclusion.
"The idea of a persecuted church comes predominantly from authors who were writing after the reign of Constantine had begun and in some cases centuries after his death. Although there were other historians and church thinkers, Eusebius has uniquely shaped the way that people tell the story of Christianity. Eusebius helped to make the history of Christianity the history of persecution. The historical evidence suggests tha the majority of texts about martyrs were written down or heavily edited during this period of relative peace and quiet. These stories were composed because a martyr's opinion as a holy person prepared to die in denfense of Christ, had great authority in the eyes of readers. When it came to matters of truth there was no better authority than a saint.
At the same time that Eusebius was editing his Church History, other Christians began to edit and compose their own stories about persecution and suffering. As competition between religious centers and towns grew, there was a greater motivation for longer, more ornate martyrdom stories. It was important to demonstrate concrete links between the remains and the story of a saint over and against the claims of nearby religious centers. More broadly, Christians enjoyed hearing martyrdom stories. They relished the horrifying tortures, delighted in the battle between good and evil, and cheered the martyr's final triumph. As time went on, the stories about early Christians were edited and changed in order to address later doctrinal issues and cater to evolving liturgical and literary tastes."
It continues but that is enough for starters. The martyrs may have been bullshit but it was bullshit with a reason.
"The idea of a persecuted church comes predominantly from authors who were writing after the reign of Constantine had begun and in some cases centuries after his death. Although there were other historians and church thinkers, Eusebius has uniquely shaped the way that people tell the story of Christianity. Eusebius helped to make the history of Christianity the history of persecution. The historical evidence suggests tha the majority of texts about martyrs were written down or heavily edited during this period of relative peace and quiet. These stories were composed because a martyr's opinion as a holy person prepared to die in denfense of Christ, had great authority in the eyes of readers. When it came to matters of truth there was no better authority than a saint.
At the same time that Eusebius was editing his Church History, other Christians began to edit and compose their own stories about persecution and suffering. As competition between religious centers and towns grew, there was a greater motivation for longer, more ornate martyrdom stories. It was important to demonstrate concrete links between the remains and the story of a saint over and against the claims of nearby religious centers. More broadly, Christians enjoyed hearing martyrdom stories. They relished the horrifying tortures, delighted in the battle between good and evil, and cheered the martyr's final triumph. As time went on, the stories about early Christians were edited and changed in order to address later doctrinal issues and cater to evolving liturgical and literary tastes."
It continues but that is enough for starters. The martyrs may have been bullshit but it was bullshit with a reason.
