Foxe's Book of Martyrs

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    In 1563, John Foxe published an account of the life of Christian martyrs, beginning with Stephen, the first to die for the cause of Christ, and ending with the most recent martyrs of his day—Protestants killed during Bloody Mary's reign. He knew that dangers lay in forgetting the martyrs—in being insensitive to their struggles. They faced torture and death in their fight of faith, willing to stand for their beliefs and the Word of God regardless of the price. The faithfulness of such historical figures as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and so many others has given us our rich Christian heritage. Their courage and dedication inspire us to live for Christ today.

    Would you suffer persecution, poverty, and prison for Christ? 

    Would you endure cruel tortures that take your mind and body to the brink of death and beyond? 

    Would you watch your children suffering for their faith and urge them to remain faithful to Christ? 

    Would you endure inhuman tortures and "hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering" (Hebrews 10:23)? 

    Would you stand boldly and without shame and confess Christ as your Lord, to your own and to your family's peril?

    Two thousand years of martyrs

    For nearly two-thousand years, courageous men and women have been tortured and killed because of their confessions of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

    The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs tells their stories. Stories of heroic courage and overcoming faith. Stories of love of God and Christ. Stories of the amazing grace of God that enabled men, women, and children to endure persecutions and often horrible deaths.

    Foxe's last revision in 1570

    Foxe's last revision of his Book of Martyrs was in 1570. In the 18th century others added to his book. But Christians have continued to be persecuted and martyred every year since then. More Christians were martyred in this century alone than in all the past centuries combined. 

    The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs tells their stories from A.D. 37 to 1997 in modern English, and includes new historical data that clarifies and harmonizes people, places, and times.

    The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs is the most up-to-date version of Foxe's book ever published. It is essential reading for the study of Christian persecution in Foxe's day and in ours

    This is a book that will never die--one of the great Christian classics.

    Written with passion and tenderness, it tells the dramatic, true stories of men, women, and children who, in the face of indescribable persecution, gave their lives for the sake of Christ. Covering the broad sweep of church history from the early church to the beginning of American foreign missions in the early 1800s, Fox's Book of Martyrs continues to inspire and strengthen countless Christians with a vision of faith that, both in life and in death, commits itself utterly to the Lord of life.

    Presented here in its most complete form, this book brings to life days when "a noble army, men and boys, the matron and the maid . . . climbed the steep ascent of heaven amid peril, toil, and pain."

      This Christian classic tells the stories of brave men and women who were martyred for their faith in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries.

      Foxe's Book of Martyrs has been an invaluable addition to the libraries of faithful Christians for almost five centuries. Chronicling the suffering and brutal deaths of those who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, John Foxe captured the God-given, Spirit-inspired courage of these noble souls. Though sometimes difficult to read because of the inhumane cruelty depicted in its pages, the images which truly endure are the ones which portray the victorious faith, through the grace of God, of these Christian martyrs.

      Why should you read this book? The stories within these pages are supremely inspiring accounts of those who gave their lives defending the truth of the Gospel. Much can be learned not only of their fortitude but also of an apostate false church that persecuted them. The powerful witness of these martyred saints will stir your hearts, as it has the true church through the centuries, to be that loyal bride of Christ, strong and pure.

      Published early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and only five years after the death of the Roman Catholic Queen Mary I of England, Foxe's Book of Martyrs was an affirmation of the Protestant Reformation in England during a period of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Because the English monarch was the temporal head of the Church of England, a change in ruler could change the legal status of religious practice. Adherents of the rejected faith risked persecution by the State, and during the reign of Mary I, non-Catholics were publicly burned at the stake. Foxe's account of these martyrdoms contributed significantly to a nationalistic repudiation of the Roman Catholic Church and asserted a historical justification intended to establish the Church of England as a continuation of the true Christian church rather than a modern innovation. The First Part covered early Christian martyrs, a brief history of the medieval church, including the Inquisitions, and a history of the Wycliffite or Lollard movement. The Second Part of the work dealt with the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, during which the dispute with Rome led to separation of the English Church from papal authority, a new foundation for the Church of England, and the issuance of the Book of Common Prayer. The Third Part treated the reign of Queen Mary and the Marian Persecutions, in part instigated by Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London.

        They were people who triumphantly donned the armor of God--the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of God's Word. They faced torture and death in their fight of faith, willing to stand for their beliefs regardless of the price. The obedience and courage of such historical figures as William Tyndale and Martin Luther will create courage in anyone facing the trials of life and is sure to inspire you to live for Christ today. This best-selling classic is a must for every Christian's library!

        A Christian classic that’s inspired and challenged believers for more than four centuries! From the stoning of Stephen to his own perilous time—Reformation-era England—Foxe chronicles the lives, suffering, and triumphant deaths of Christian martyrs and traces the roots of religious persecution. Includes a preface that places Foxe’s masterpiece in spiritual and historical context.

        John Foxe (1516–1587), was an English Puritan preacher and author of The Book of Martyrs, a graphic and polemic account of those who suffered for the cause of Protestantism.

        An updated and modernized edition of the unparalleled classic with resurgent relevance for the twenty-first century

        Foxe's Book of Martyrs is one of the most influential and well-known books in history, as well as one of the top-sellers of the past, right up there with the Bible itself. Immensely popular in Foxe's own sixteenth century, its influence has been felt throughout literature. Copies of the original text (Acts and Monuments) were chained beside the Bible in churches of England, and even sailed with English pirates.

        This was not a book designed to comfort, but instead to present the truth of the persecution faced by Protestant Christians in hostile environments. The inscription from the 1563 edition--now commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs--indicates the gravity of the task: "[In] latter and perilous days . . . the great persecutions and horrible troubles . . . [are here] gathered and collected according to true copies and writings . . . of the parties themselves that suffered." Foxe was committed to commemorating the ultimate sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the sake of their faith.

        Paul L. Maier brings his exceptional mind for history to bear on Foxe's work in this new edition. While abridgement of the original 2,100 pages was necessary, Maier does include every martyr, and text was changed only where modern readers may not readily understand the original archaic wording.

        John Foxe (1516-1587) was an academic and zealous student of the Scriptures, leading to his persecution as a Protestant by the Catholic rulers of his day. Beyond his work in pastoral ministry, Foxe continued to work on his martyrology until his death.

        "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man: we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England, as, I trust, shall never be put out." Hugh Latimer's famous words of consolation to Nicholas Ridley as they are both about to be burnt alive for heresy come from John Foxe's magisterial Acts and Monuments, popularly known as the Book of Martyrs. This vast collection of unforgettable accounts of religious persecution exerted as great an influence on early modern England and New England as the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It contains many stirring stories of the apprehension, interrogation, imprisonment, and execution of alleged heretics. Based on a new transcription of the last edition overseen by John Foxe, this new edition includes a full introduction to Foxe and his times, the religious conflicts, and the nature of martyrological narratives. The text is further enhanced by 21 of the original woodcut illustrations, glossaries of people, places, and words, a general index, and notes explaining allusions and identifying scriptural quotations.

        About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

          Beginning with the story of Stephen from the book of Acts, considered the first Christian martyr, the drama builds to the passion of the early Church's persecution under the Roman Empire. The hardy and radical faith of those first believers spawned medieval missionary movements that spread the gospel across Europe and into England, Scotland, and Ireland. As the story continues, it places a significant emphasis on the sufferings of the early Protestants during the Reformation. As a vicar in the Church of England, author John Foxe strongly identified with the Protestant sects throughout Europe, and his loyalty to their cause comes through in his descriptions of many early clashes between Catholic and Protestant believers. Listeners are given an opportunity to experience the storytelling that incited several wars between Catholic and Protestant forces. The political and personal passion of the Reformation continues with the stories of the French Protestants during and after the French Revolution.

            Beginning with the story of Stephen from the book of Acts, considered the first Christian martyr, the drama builds to the passion of the early Church's persecution under the Roman Empire. The hardy and radical faith of those first believers spawned medieval missionary movements that spread the gospel across Europe and into England, Scotland, and Ireland. As the story continues, it places a significant emphasis on the sufferings of the early Protestants during the Reformation. As a vicar in the Church of England, author John Foxe strongly identified with the Protestant sects throughout Europe, and his loyalty to their cause comes through in his descriptions of many early clashes between Catholic and Protestant believers. Listeners are given an opportunity to experience the storytelling that incited several wars between Catholic and Protestant forces. The political and personal passion of the Reformation continues with the stories of the French Protestants during and after the French Revolution.

              Beginning with the story of Stephen from the book of Acts, considered the first Christian martyr, the drama builds to the passion of the early Church's persecution under the Roman Empire. The hardy and radical faith of those first believers spawned medieval missionary movements that spread the gospel across Europe and into England, Scotland, and Ireland. As the story continues, it places a significant emphasis on the sufferings of the early Protestants during the Reformation. As a vicar in the Church of England, author John Foxe strongly identified with the Protestant sects throughout Europe, and his loyalty to their cause comes through in his descriptions of many early clashes between Catholic and Protestant believers. Listeners are given an opportunity to experience the storytelling that incited several wars between Catholic and Protestant forces. The political and personal passion of the Reformation continues with the stories of the French Protestants during and after the French Revolution.