Description
Book SynopsisWith the Beatification of Monseñor Oscar Romero, our current Pope Francis has asked theologians to consider how we might allow for an expanded definition for martyrdom in the 21st century. Remembering Oscar Romero and the Martyrs of El Salvador responds to that challenge. How do we name Oscar Romero, Rutilio Grande, the U.S. churchwomen, and the Jesuits and two laywomen killed at the UCA as martyrs? Is it a new category with a new definition? Or is it simply an amplification of what we have long considered Christian witness? While there is a long history of martyrdom in Latin America, this book elaborates on four case studies for martyrdom focusing on the reality in El Salvador: Rutilio Grande, S.J. killed in 1977, Archbishop Oscar Romero killed in 1980, the U.S. churchwomen killed in 1980, and the six members of the UCA Jesuit community and their two female collaborators killed in 1989. Insights from the work of Jon Sobrino illuminate these case studies. First, his Christological insi
Trade ReviewChristian martyrdom, as this book shows, is not a distant story enshrined in stained glass but a vivid contemporary reality. John Thiede demonstrates that it is also a rich resource for serious theological reflection. -- Lawrence Cunningham, The University of Notre Dame
Powerfully suggests that in world of injustice, in which the cry of the crucified poor is the cry of Jesus crucified again in our history, we have once more entered an “age of martyrs.” -- Philip J. Rossi S.J., Marquette University, Marquette University
Thiede makes a strong case for expanding the notion of martyr, and provides guidance for how this expansion can be made. The book is a significant contribution to political theology. -- Robert Doran, Marquette University
Pope Francis has broken through doctrinal barriers toward a renewed and broadened understanding of martyrdom for our time, making possible the canonization of Blessed Romero of América and the cause of Rutilio Grande, SJ, and others. Thiede provides the historical and theological background to this breakthrough, taking as exemplars the martyrs of El Salvador, and demonstrating how Jesuit theologian Jon Sobrino paved the way for this signal doctrinal development. This beautifully accessible book will prove indispensable to a full understanding of the Church’s acknowledgment of the martyrs among us, both in the recent past and surely yet to come. -- Paul Crowley S.J., Santa Clara University
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: The Definition of Martyrdom: Early Martyrdom to Middle Ages Chapter Two: Martyrdom in Contemporary Times Chapter Three: The Reality of Martyrdom in Latin America/El Salvador Chapter Four: Four Examplars: Rutilio Grande, Archbishop Romero, U.S. Churchwomen, UCA Martyrs Chapter Five: Martyrdom in Christology at the Crossroads (pre-1989) Chapter Six: Martyrdom in Jesus the Liberator/Christ the Liberator (post-1989) Conclusion: The Reality of Martyrdom Today
