Altruistic Suicide or Altruistic Martyrdom? Christian Greek Orthodox Neomartyrs: A Case Study

Abstract

Altruistic Suicide: From Sainthood to Terrorism as titled poses the question: altruistic suicide or altruistic martyrdom? This article speaks more about martyrdom than suicide. The ancient Greek world and the more modern Christian Greek Orthodox one show that many people preferred death rather than apostasy. The Greek Orthodox neo-martyrs were motivated by categories of martyrdom, being accused of being political offenders or traitors or being charged with being agitators because they advocated a better treatment for Christians. Martyrdom cannot be explained in personality structures and psychological terms, but in terms of Christian Orthodox faith, culture, history, and so on. Altruistic martyrdom by “the neo-martyrs of the Christian Greek Orthodox Church” is martyrdom, not suicide.

Keywords:

• altruistic suicide
• martyrdom
• Christian Greek Orthodox
• neo-martyrs
• Greece
• early Christian martyrs
• Ottoman Empire
• Islam

Notes

For current concepts of suicide see David Lester, Editor, Current Concepts of Suicide (The Charless Press: Philadephia, 1990) see especially pp. 1–25.

²For practical reasons I will not cite editors and editions of the writings of classical authors. One may consult The Oxford Classical Dictionary, third edition, edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth (Oxford University Press: Oxford, New York 1996). Very useful is also Barry B. Powell, Classical Myth, third edition (Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2001). For Alkestis [Alcestis] in particular see G. Megas, “Alkestis,” in Archiv für Religionswissenschaft (1933) pp. 1–33.

³What follows is a revised version of my article “The neomartyrs as evidence for methods and motives leading to conversion and martyrdom in the Ottoman Empire” published in The Greek Orthodox Theological Review, vol. XXII, NO. 3–4 (1978), pp. 216–234. The most recent study on the neomartyrs in English is Nomikos Michael Vaporis, Witness for Christ (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, NY, 2000). Vaporis covers the period between 1437–1860 and his identified a few of Albanian, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Lebanese, and Turkish origins.

⁴See pp. 340–43 and especially chapter five, pp. 351–402. See also F. W. Hasluck, Christianity and Islam under the Sultans, vol. 2 (Oxford, 1929), pp. 452–59.

⁵See Stanford J. Shaw, History of the Ottoman empire and modern Turkey, vols. 1–2 (Cambridge, 1976), 1:19, 24. This is a history from a Turkish point of view. It is based on Turkish accounts.

⁶See pp. 257, 270, 280, 284, 380, 384, 414–16. See also Vryonis, pp. 176–178.

Place of birth is not always mentioned.

Professions is not always mentioned. Only four were from wealthy and socially prominent families. Professions are listed as they occur in the alphabetical arrangement of the neo-martyrs. Total number of professions represented is 35.

⁷This statement is attributed to A. Alvarez. See Seymour Byman (1978).

⁸Ibid, p. 626. Byman cites Erik Erikson whose work has given much ground for psycho-history.

⁹See W. H. C. Frend (1967), 14–14, 150–52, 260–64, 265, 270, 473.

¹⁰See Cyprian, Treatise 3: On the lapsed, and Treatise 11: Exhortation to martyrdom. Ante-Nicene Fathers, 5 (Grand Rapids, 1957), 437–47, 496–97.

¹¹See Eusebios, Ecclesiastical History, 5, 1–2.