Dying in Style: Spectacle, Dress, and Appearance in Ancient Christian Martyr Texts

In the second and third centuries, Christian martyr narratives were written to evoke spectacle. In Dying in Style, James Petitfils demonstrates how these accounts transform scenes of suffering into displays that assert the dignity and ethical distinction of Christians during a time of widespread belittlement and persecution.

Attending to physicality, clothing, gestures, and facial expressions, Petitfils reads early Christian martyrdom accounts as performative literature crafted for largely i...