Fox's Book of Martyrs Religious - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The main objective of writing this book is to attack the Roman Catholic Church and it' s hypocritical values. The writer has given detailed accounts of the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and also the illegal or unethical ways; the Popes resorted to, to attain the position of Pope. The motive behind writing this book was to create awareness amongst the masses to rise against the tyrannical rule of the Romans. Fox himself was the victim of the unjust rule of the king and the notorious Bishop. Bishop had made an unsuccessful attempt of nabbing Fox and persecuting him. He was lucky enough to escape from his country. Being the witness of such gruesome incidents, he was provoked to write a book, and he did this with utmost dedication and sincerity. He even neglected his health and continued writing for this noble cause. The book speaks of the atrocities of Queen Mary on the Protestants and about the cruel Bishop Bonner. It was only after the accession of Queen Mary to the throne that the reign of terror began. For the sake of restoring the supremacy of the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church, she ordered the persecution of those who protested against her power and Roman Catholicism. Hundreds of Protestants were burnt alive during her reign. It is really ironical that both the Romans and the Protestants fought in the name of God but Romans followed the unethical way and massacred those who followed the right path as directed by God. Although they shared common values, their motive was eclipsed by the vices like that of thirst for power and they adopted immoral ways to restore their supremacy. Thus this book not only deals with the tyranny of the Romans but also it speaks about the bravery of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their God and his Gospels. This book appeals not only to the heart but also to the head or mind of every Englishmen. The work of Fox was so appealing and so realistic that it was ordered that his work be displayed along with the Bible in the churches and all public places where people could read the book. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Englishmen accepted this book as an expression of national faith, second in place to the Bible. Whenever an Englishman entered any church, he discovered for himself about the ruthless behavior of Roman Catholics and about the valor of the Martyrs. The aim of this book was not merely to glorify the Protestants and undermine the Romans, but also about the human values as a whole as suggested by the Almighty.
In the first part of the book, in the early Christian days we come across the saints like St. Stephen, James The Great, St. Luke, St. Philip, St. Mathew, James The Less, St. Peter and St. Paul etc. St. Stephen was stoned to death by the murderers of Christ, just because he tried to preach the Gospels of Christ to them in a faithful manner. Immediately after the persecution of St. Stephen all those who professed their beliefs in Jesus Christ as their Lord, had to face martyrdom.
After 10 years of the persecution of St. Stephen, James the Great was beheaded. He was the son of Zebede and relative of Christ. He was beheaded by Herod Agrippa, the Governor of Judea. Agrippa used the strategy of attacking the leaders of the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More