Claiming Martyrdom in the Episode of The Martyrs of Córdoba

Abstract

Between 850 and 859 A. D., the Muslim government of Córdoba ordered the execution of forty-four Christians for disparaging Islam. This article identifies the use of Augustinian discussion on martyrdom and orthodoxy in the episode of the martyrs of Córdoba. The efficacy of the Augustinian model allowed the author of the Memoriale to reinterpret Byzantine hagiographic material and present the martyrdom of Córdoba as a rallying declaration of religious orthodoxy.