Books by Dr Paul (University of Chester Middleton

Re-examines the presentation, theology, and origins of Christian martyrdom up to the beginning of the Decian persecutions. However, this project argues that, far from being a deviant strand of early Christianity, radical martyrdom was a significant, and widely held idealized form of Christ-devotion in the late first to early third centuries.

Martyrdom has a long history; as long as individuals have been dying for their faith or cause, others have been telling and more importantly, interpreting their stories. This book aims to illuminate the way these conflict stories have been told and function (principally, though not exclusively) within Christian, Jewish, and Islamic communities.