«My Share of God's Reward»: Exploring the Roles and Formulations of the Afterlife in Early Christian Martyrdom

«My Share of God’s Reward» refers to a quote from Ignatius of Antioch, speaking of the desired compensation for his impending martyrdom. The author investigates the roles and widely varying conceptions of the afterlife presented in early Christian martyrdom accounts and concludes that personal immortality is integral to the functioning of these texts, as the anticipated reward for a martyr’s death. Accordingly, the very diverse conceptions of the afterlife presented in them are indicative o...