Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain (Cambridge Iberian and Latin American Studies) [Hardcover]

Kenneth Baxter Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Iberian and Latin American Studies | Publication Date: December 25, 1987

Offers new insights into the so-called martyrdom movement that occurred in Cordoba around 850AD. It suggests that Eulogius, who witnessed and recorded the martyrdoms, recast both the events and the ideal of sanctity to make the Cordoban martyrs appear more like their ancient Roman counterparts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 25, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521344166
• ISBN-13: 978-0521344166
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,290,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended, April 21, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain (Cambridge Iberian and Latin American Studies) (Hardcover)

Between the years 850 and 859, the Muslim rulers of the city of Cordoba, Spain, experienced a new and disturbing phenomenon. During these years forty-eight Christians came forward to publicly denounce Islam, earning them the automatic punishment of execution. The priest Eulogius witnessed many of these events, and recorded some of them in what is nearly the only account of what transpired. Eulogius himself was executed on March 11, 859 for proselytizing, and the phenomenon of Christians willingly sacrificing themselves continued on until the end of Muslim Spain.

In this book, Professor Wolf looks first at the daily life of Christians in Muslim Spain, at the events recorded by Eulogius, and then at the various interpretations of the actions of the Cordoban martyrs. In the fourth chapter, the author begins an examination of Eulogius himself, looking at his life, his relationship to the martyrs, and his defense of the martyrs. In the final chapter, the author puts forward his own explanation for why these people willingly offered themselves up for martyrdom: a flawed penitential system.

First off, I must say that this is a masterfully done book. The author has done a great deal of research into those events so long ago, and presents his findings in a clear and easy to understand manner. But, I must say that I found myself uncomfortable with the book right from the beginning.

This book first fell into my hands immediately after my daughter and I went through a study on the daily life of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. Professor Wolf paints a picture of a people who were living in a state of subjugation, where they lived a life as second-class citizens subject to abuse, repression, attack, and even judicial murder. The fact that not all of the laws were always enforced to the utmost convinces the author that the Spanish Christians had no real reason to become insubordinate and defiant. However, even though the Jim Crow laws were not always enforced to their utmost, many in the African-American community began a wave of civil disobedience, even while others within the community requested that they stop drawing unwanted reprisals down on the community as a whole.

Therefore, with this comparison in my head, I could not help but disagree with Professor Wolf's conclusions, and with his characterization of the Spanish Christian community. I did not like this book, and I do not recommend it.