Moderator
Dr. Stephan Beall
Location
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Start Date
12-4-2014 11:00 AM
End Date
12-4-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
This paper examines how Jon Sobrino’s definition of what constitutes a martyr has changed over the past twenty-five years. We start with an examination of how the Catholic Church views martyrdom. Sobrino begins his critique of what is a martyr in his book Companions of Jesus. At this time he has a traditional view of martyrdom and places the UCA martyrs in it following Rahner’s Challenge. At this stage, martyrdom is defined as dying because of hatred of the faith. A few years later Sobrino alters his definition in his work Jesus the Liberator to include dying because of a hatred of justice. This transition is significant because it means martyrs no longer have to die for the Church, but like the Church. At this point neither definition includes those who die as casualties from war, thus Sobrino expands what constitutes a martyr yet again. He includes those who die as a result of sins from others in his book “Where is God?”. This was his attempt to include those who die from the injustices of others because they died like Jesus. Most recently in his essay The Latin American Martyrs he has partially returned to a traditional definition of martyrdom by restating that those who die for the Church are martyrs as well as those who die like the Church. These martyred people help to guide the Church forward and Sobrino believes it is important for the Church to have martyrs even today. These deaths help to guide the Church forward and show the Church is still relevant to people’s everyday lives. This paper looks at how the events of the past 25 years have forced Jon Sobrino to alter and expand the definition of martyr to fit the injustices he has experienced in El Salvador.
Martyrdom According to John Sobrino
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
This paper examines how Jon Sobrino’s definition of what constitutes a martyr has changed over the past twenty-five years. We start with an examination of how the Catholic Church views martyrdom. Sobrino begins his critique of what is a martyr in his book Companions of Jesus. At this time he has a traditional view of martyrdom and places the UCA martyrs in it following Rahner’s Challenge. At this stage, martyrdom is defined as dying because of hatred of the faith. A few years later Sobrino alters his definition in his work Jesus the Liberator to include dying because of a hatred of justice. This transition is significant because it means martyrs no longer have to die for the Church, but like the Church. At this point neither definition includes those who die as casualties from war, thus Sobrino expands what constitutes a martyr yet again. He includes those who die as a result of sins from others in his book “Where is God?”. This was his attempt to include those who die from the injustices of others because they died like Jesus. Most recently in his essay The Latin American Martyrs he has partially returned to a traditional definition of martyrdom by restating that those who die for the Church are martyrs as well as those who die like the Church. These martyred people help to guide the Church forward and Sobrino believes it is important for the Church to have martyrs even today. These deaths help to guide the Church forward and show the Church is still relevant to people’s everyday lives. This paper looks at how the events of the past 25 years have forced Jon Sobrino to alter and expand the definition of martyr to fit the injustices he has experienced in El Salvador.
