It is a book about the essence of faith to testify that faith is the martyrdom to deny my existence. This book is based on the basic knowledge of the Bible and some philosophical thoughts, including new religious and philosophical concepts. This book describes in the view of faith about Christianity, and demonstrates that man, who was born as a fleshly existence, is called to be the spiritual essence, which is the existentiality of Jesus.

Acts of martyrdom have been found in nearly all the worlds major religious traditions. Though considered by devotees to be perhaps the most potent expression of religious faith, dying for ones god is also one of the most difficult concepts for modern observers of religion to understand. This is especially true in the West, where martyrdom has all but disappeared and martyrs in other cultures are often viewed skeptically and dismissed as fanatics. This book seeks to foster a greater understanding of these acts of religious devotion by explaining how martyrdom has historically been viewed in the worlds major religions. It provides the first sustained, cross-cultural examination of this fascinating aspect of religious life. Margaret Cormack begins with an introduction that sets out a definition of martyrdom that serves as the point of departure for the rest of the volume. Then, scholars of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam examine martyrdom in specific religious cultures. Spanning 4000 years of history and ranging from Saul in the Hebrew Bible to Sati immolations in present-day India, this book provides a wealth of insight into an often noted but rarely understood cultural phenomenon.

There are many fine published works on the lives and deaths of martyrs and there is no shortage of information on the martyrs of history. However, it is difficult to find one source that describes the lives of martyrs in a comprehensive way. Precious in the Eyes of the Lord: Martyrdom in Christian Tradition presents an account of one hundred martyrs across history. Beginning with the first martyr, Abel in the Old Testament, and concluding with the Acteal martyrs of Mexico in the late twentieth century, the stories of these men and women not only highlight the virtues of charity, fortitude, and patriotism but also reveal the love of God in their hearts.