Blackwell Reference Online

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A martyr in its etymological sense is a witness to an event ( L 42.12). Hobbes exploits this etymology in order to undermine the idea that a martyr is essentially someone who dies for her religious beliefs; and he wants to undermine this idea because it tends to encourage people to oppose their sovereign in the name of religion. Within Christianity, a martyr, according to Hobbes, is strictly a person who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus, whether that person died under persecution or not ( L 42.13). This restricts the class of genuine martyrs to those who lived during the first century ad ( L 42.12). Hobbes discusses martyrs in part three of Leviathan as part of his long chapter on the proper role of the church. That role is to teach obedience to the secular sovereign and to instill in people the faith that J esus is the Messiah ( L 42.8–9). Christian ministers have no political authority of their own; whatever authority they have depends upon the sovereign. This position is designed to prevent the possibility that a conflict could arise between religious and political authority. Hobbes considers several attempts to find such a conflict. One concerns the proper response of a Christian who is commanded to worship in some way that violates her faith. Hobbes holds that when a person is acting in obedience to a command, it is not the subordinate who acts but the superior. ... log in or subscribe to read full text