Witnesses for Christ

the long version

"This study is the culmination of two decades of research on Orthodox Christian Neomartyrs under the Ottoman Turks. Father Vaporis has compiled the life stories of almost two hundred faithful men and women who were by and large of humble station, possessing little or no formal education, yet gave their lives, or witnessed, for Christ. It is a pan-Orthodox study which cuts across ethnic boundaries to include many non-Greek Neomartyrs, from countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Cyprus, Egypt, Ukraine, and Georgia. It also includes a number of accounts of Muslims who converted to Orthodox Christianity and suffered a martyr's death because they refused to return to Islam.". "This, however, is not simply a collection of hagiographic stories. Here, the Lives are retold in a fluid, easy-to-read manner, and set in an historical context to make them more accessible to the reader. Also of great interest are the many translations of the dialogue between the Neomartyrs and the Ottoman judges (kadi), during the three interrogations that were mandated by Islamic law."--BOOK JACKET.