Martyr's Mirror

Shortly after my family moved to the Amish community in Tennessee, I was introduced to "The Martyr's Mirror." Up until that point, I "knew" about Christians who had given their lives for the sake of the Gospel, but didn't have a clue as to their passion for Christ and the unspeakable tortures they endured, rather than deny Him.

At the age of 12, I had read every one of the stories multiple times, and began to expand my research on the history behind them.

As an adult, it still amazes me how so many are oblivious to the persecutions of the church in the past two thousand years; and many that have some knowledge of history actually believe that the Church was dead for a thousand years until Martin Luther came along with his 95 thesis.

The Martyr's Mirror is a full-sized book with 1200 pages of history; starting with the apostles and ending in the year 1660. It is an incredible account of the steadfastness of the saints. The lives and deaths of 4,011 are chronicled in this massive volume, but many references are made to groups of unnamed believers who were martyred for Christ.

This book made a tremendous impact on my life as a child, and for the past 20 years I have desired a copy for my own library. My wonderful husband ordered it for my birthday and it came in the mail last night.

As I scanned the pages, it felt like re-uniting with an old friend.

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you

And shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven:

For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

(Matthew 5:11-12)

If you have never read this book, click here to check out other reviews at Amazon.com: Martyrs Mirror: The Story of Seventeen Centuries of Christian Martyrdom From the Time of Christ to A.D. 1660

If you have read it, please leave a comment below, so that others may be blessed by it too!