The word “martyr” comes from the Greek word martyria, meaning “witness.” The person who offers up her life eloquently expresses her faith, sometimes creating a chain reaction — witnesses may come to faith, and those who already believe may be inspired to live more boldly toward death. This chapter offers a glimpse into the lives — and deaths — of some the earliest Christian martyrs. These early martyrs suffered in ways that may seem unimaginable today, and they suffered courageously for a faith that was obscure and relatively unknown in their own time.