Incluye notas bibliográficas (páginas 265-297).

Martyrdom before christianity. -- Christian borrowing of Jewish and pagan martyrdom traditions. -- Inventing martirs in early christianity. -- How persecuted were the early christians?. -- Why did the romans dislike christians?. -- Myths about martyrs. -- The invention of the persecuted Church. -- The dangerous legacy of a martyrdom complex.

According to cherished church tradition and popular belief, early Christians were systematically persecuted by a brutal Roman Empire. In The Myth of Persecution, Candida Moss reveals that the "Age of Martyrs" is a fiction --- There was no sustained three-hundred-year-long effort by the Romans to persecute Christians. While there were some martyrs, most of these stories were pious exaggerations and even forgeries designed to marginalize heretics, inspire the faithful, and fund churches. Moss encourages modern Christians to det the history of persecution rigth and embrace the consolation, moral instruction, and spiritual guidance that these martyrdom storie provide.