Abstract
An interest in the development of nursing from early Christian times and the persecution of women in the Early Church has led to this study of nurses and martyrdom. Historical research using secondary sources was undertaken to identify and describe the experiences of nurse martyrs with special reference to the present century. Martyrdom does not belong to the past as generally believed. The twentieth century is recognised as a century of Christian martyrdom unparalleled since the earliest Christian times. Women have been major contributors to the missionary calling and during the course of the nineteenth century many woman missionary societies were founded. Education and health care go hand in hand with the Christian message. While a few examples of nurses who suffered martyrdom in the mission field have been recorded, it is necessary to examine the events which led to their death. This article pays tribute to known and unknown nurse martyrs. Subsequent articles describe the suffering of nurse martyrs identified in selected world regions.
Highlights
The term "martyr" stirs the imagination because it conjures up scenes of early Christians being persecuted for their faith
One of the characteristic features of this century is an almost unbroken sequence of persecutions all over the world, yet it is only the occasional name, such as that of Edith Cavell, or the occasional atrocity such as the Elim massacre in Zimbabwe, which claims the attention of nurses
The primary aim of this study is to identify and describe the experiences of nurse martyrs with particular reference to the present century
Summary
The term "martyr" stirs the imagination because it conjures up scenes of early Christians being persecuted for their faith. The word was derived originally from the Greek word meaning "witness" Over the centuries this term has come to be applied, in the context of the Christian faith, to those who could have saved their lives if they had been prepared to deny Christ. In contemporary times it is a rare occurrence for a Christian to be condemned on the grounds of faith alone; the death penalty is generally justified by the assumption of proven crime, political or otherwise. The primary aim of this study is to identify and describe the experiences of nurse martyrs with particular reference to the present century. Martyrdom is an important topic with multiple ramifications ram ifications which are moral, historical, political, religious, p h ilo so p h ic^^ psychological and, p ro fo u n S ^ human and deeply emotive
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