New Martyr
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The title ofNew MartyrorNeomartyr(Greek:νεο-,neo-, the prefix for "new"; and μάρτυς,martys,"witness" ) is conferred in some denominations ofChristianityto distinguish more recentmartyrsandconfessorsfrom the old martyrs of thepersecution in the Roman Empire.Originally and typically, it refers to victims ofIslamicpersecution.[1]
The earliest source to use the termneomartysis theNarrationesofAnastasius of Sinai,who died around 700. The title continued to be used for the next three hundred years to refer to victims ofUmayyadandAbbasidpersecution. It was mainly used inGreeksources, but is occasionally found inArabic,GeorgianandSyriacsources. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, theByzantine–Seljuq warsalso generated a number of neomartyrs.[1]
TheGreek Orthodox Churchtraditionally gives the title to those who had been tortured and executed duringOttoman rule in Greecein order to avoid forced conversion to Islam.[2][3]This meaning is the dominant one, so much so that pre-Ottoman use of the term has been almost ignored in academia. Sectarian conflicts of the 19th century within theOttoman EmpireandCommunist persecution in eastern Europealso generated saints considered neomartyrs.[1]
List of new martyrs
[edit]Under Umayyad rule
[edit]- Euphemia of Damascus(before 700)[1]
- Sixty Martyrs of Jerusalem(725)[1]
Under Abbasid rule
[edit]- Elias of Heliopolis(779)[1]
- Romanus(780)[1]
- Theophilus the New(780s)[1]
- Abo of Tiflis(786)[1]
- Bacchus-Ḍaḥḥāk(786/7)[1]
- George-Muzāḥim(978)[1]
Under Turkish rule
[edit]The first new martyrs were recorded after the Seljuk invasion of Asia Minor (11th century).[4]In theEastern Orthodox Church,the third Sunday afterPentecostis known as the "Commemoration of All New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke."[citation needed]
- Ahmed the Calligrapher[citation needed]orAhmed Kalfas[5]
- Akylina of Chalkidike
- Anthimos the Georgian
- Aquilina of Thessalonica
- Athanasios the Neomartyr
- Boris the Pomak
- Chrestos the Albanian
- Chrysostomos of Smyrna
- Constantin Brâncoveanu
- Constantine Hagarit
- Cosmas of Aetolia
- Cyril VI of Constantinople,ethnomartyr
- Demetrios Doukas
- Demetrios of Philadelphia
- Demetrios the Neomartyr
- Ephraim the Neomartyr
- Gabriel I of Pec
- Patriarch Gabriel II of Constantinople
- George of Ioannina
- George the New
- George of Kratovo(d. 1515)
- Gregory V of Constantinople
- Hasan
- John Calphas ( "the Apprentice" )
- John of Ioannina,a.k.a. John the Tailor
- John the New of Suceava
- ArchbishopKyprianos of Cyprus
- Makarios the Monk
- Michael Mavroudis
- Niketas the Young
- Paisius and Habakkuk
- Panteleimon Dousa
- Paul of Constantinople,6/19 April 1683
- Paul the Russian
- Philothei
- Theocharis of Nevşehir (Neapoli)
- Teodor of Vršac
- Theodore Gabras
- Theodore of Komogovina
- Thomas Paschidis
- Zlata of Meglen
Under Communist rule
[edit]In theRussian Orthodox Church,the Sunday closest to 25 January (7 February on theGregorian Calendar) is the "Sunday of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia." The date of 25 January was chosen because that was the date in 1918 of the martyrdom ofSt. Vladimir (Bogoiavlensikii),MetropolitanofKiev,who is referred to as the "Protomartyrof the communist yoke in Russia. "
- Alexander Hotovitzky
- Anastasia Hendrikova
- Andronic Nikolsky
- BishopArcadius Ostalsky,
- BishopArseny Zhadanovsky,who was the last abbot of theChudov Monasterywhich was also destroyed
- Bishop Basil (Preobrashensky) of Kineshma
- ArchbishopDimitry (Dobroserdov)
- Grand DuchessElizabeth FyodorovnaandNun Barbara
- Dr.Eugene Botkin(seeRomanov sainthood)
- BishopHermogenes (Dolganyov)
- MetropolitanBenjamin of Petrograd
- John Kochurovof Tsarskoye Selo (First martyr of the Revolution)
- ArchpriestJohn Vostorgov
- Metropolitan Joseph,1938
- ArchimandriteKronid Lubimov
- ArchpriestMakary Kvitkin
- Margarete of Menzelinsk
- Maria of Gatchina,c. 1930
- Bishop Maxim of Serpukhov23 June/6 July 1931
- Nicholas II of Russiawith his immediate family and servants (seeRomanov sainthood)
- Fr. Nicholas Zagorovsky,1943 (confessor)
- BishopNikita Dilektorsky
- Nikodim of Solovki
- ArchbishopNikolay Dobronravov
- MetropolitanPeter of Krutitsy
- MetropolitanSeraphim Chichagovof St. Petersburg
- Patriarch Tikhon,1925 (confessor)
- Vladimir Beneshevich
- MetropolitanVladimir (Bogoyavlensky)First hierarch martyred by the Bolsheviks.
- BishopPlaton (Kulbusch)
Under Nazism
[edit]- Alexander Schmorell,member of theWhite RoseResistancegroup
- BishopGorazdof Prague
- ArchimandriteGrigol Peradze
- Maria Skobtsovaof Paris andRavensbrück,nun
Serbia
[edit]The feast of "All New Martyrs of Serbia" is celebrated on 28 June [O.S.15 June].
Boxer Rebellion
[edit]24 June [O.S.11 June] is celebrated as the feast of the "New Martyrs of China Slain During theBoxer Rebellion"
Austria-Hungary
[edit]- Hieromartyr Maximus Sandovic,[6]24August/6 September 1914
Post-Soviet Russia
[edit]- Daniel Sysoyev[7][8]Muscovite priest and missionary assassinated by an Islamist militant
- Yevgeny Rodionov,a Russian soldier who fought inFirst Chechen War,was taken prisoner, tortured and eventually murdered for his refusal to convert to Islam[9]
As of 2016[update]theRussian Orthodox Churchhas not glorified either of the martyrs listed above, but each has received widespread popular veneration.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijkChristian Sahner (2002),"Old Martyrs, New Martyrs and the Coming of Islam: Writing Hagiography after the Conquests"(PDF),Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,65:89–112[dead link].
- ^Encyclopedia "Papyrus-Larousse, c. 1965, article" Νεομάρτυς ", in Greek language.
- ^""Threskeutika", Textbook of Religion, for the 3rd year of Greek high school ( "Gymnasion" ), chapter 30 (b), circa 2007. In Greek language ".Archived fromthe originalon 2018-12-14.Retrieved2016-08-22.
- ^Byzantinoslavica.Academia, Slovanský ústav v Praze. Byzantologická komise. 1996. p. 104.
- ^Saint Ahmed,Synaxaristes(Compedium)of Neomartyrs,editions "Orthodoxos Kypsele" (Orthodox Bee-hive)
- ^"HIEROMARTYR MAXIMUS SANDOVICH".lemko.org.Retrieved24 April2015.
- ^"Hieromonk Job Gumerov. Can One Consider the Death of Father Daniel Sysoev to be a Martyrdom? / OrthoChristian.Com".pravoslavie.ru.Retrieved24 April2015.
- ^"Byzantine, Texas: Podcasts on New Martyr Fr. Daniel Sysoev".blogspot.ru.Retrieved24 April2015.
- ^ John Sanidopoulos."MYSTAGOGY".johnsanidopoulos.com.Retrieved24 April2015.
Further reading
[edit]- Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity,341-43
- Sahner, Christian C.Christian Martyrs under Islam Religious Violence and the Making of the Muslim World.Princeton University Press, 2018.
- Vaporis, Rev. Nomikos Michael.Witnesses for Christ: Orthodox Christian Neomartyrs of the Ottoman Period 1437-1860