The Martyrs—Who Are They?
By F. D. Starr
THE term "martyr" occurs three times in our common English version of the Bible, once in the plural form. Following are the instances: "And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death." Acts 22:20. "Thou holdest fast My name, and hast not denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth." Rev. 2:13. "I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Rev. 17:6. But the original word translated "martyr"—martus or martur—occurs much oftener. A good illustration of this is found in Acts 22:15: "For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard." Here the word "witness" is martus in the original, the identical word found in Rev. 2:13, and there rendered "martyr." In fact, the same word is used by Paul in Acts 22:20 as in verse 15, though in one case it is translated "witness" and in the other "martyr." Another instance of this use of the word is found in Acts 26:16: "To make thee a minister and a witness." Here "witness" is derived from the original word for "martyr." By reference to Greek lexicons, we find that the meaning of this Greek word is witness. The same fact may be learned by searching for the derivation of the word as given in an English lexicon. "To be a martyr, signifies only to witness the truth of Christ." (South, quoted in Webster's dictionary.) It will be seen that the Revised Version has followed this suggestion, by the use of the term "witness" instead of "martyr." The following are a few of the instances where the original word for "martyr" is found translated "witness": Rom. 1:9; 1 Peter 5:1; Rev. 1:5. Please examine these. By consulting the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, we find the same use of the term "martyr." "The murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die." Num. 35:30. "Even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord." Jer. 29:23. Other passages might be cited, such as Ruth 4:9, 11; Joshua 22:27, 28, where the word for "martyr" is rendered "witness." The same original term is also used in speaking of false witnesses. "A false witness that speaketh lies." "A false witness shall not be unpunished." "A false witness shall perish." Prov. 6:19; 19:5; 21:28. The same word is here used as that rendered "martyr" in some New Testament texts. It is very evident, from these scriptures, that the primitive meaning of the term "martyr" is simply witness. But so many witnesses for the gospel were put to death that the term "martyr" acquired the meaning of one who suffered death for his witnessing for Christ—sealed his testimony with his blood. "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Rev. 12:11. The word here translated "testimony" is from this original word for "martyr." We must all be true martyrs in the original sense of the word, and we may become martyrs in the commonly accepted sense of the term. F. D. STARR.