Overview

With 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 insights from Jesus the Liberator and Christ the Liberator are used to analyze the reality of martyrdom, particularly in reference to the terms martyr, crucified people, and martyred people. Second, his more recent articles challenge a strict interpretation of the traditional definition of martyrdom, especially focusing on his terms Jesuanic martyr, a martyr for justice, and even a more polemic suggestion of an anonymous Christian martyr. Finally, the book concludes by combining Sobrino's insights and the reality of martyrdom today, updated with the recent scholarship in Romero's beatification process which attempts to show Romero as a martyr. In the end, the book hopes to offer some suggestions for an expanded definition of martyrdom in the 21st century. By responding to the call of Pope Francis for an expanded definition, the reality of martyrdom in Latin America might be better understood and applied to the universal church.

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9781498538008

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Christian 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 America 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

Christian 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

Author Information

John Thiede, S.J., is assistant professor of theology at Marquette University.

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