Martyrs of Córdoba
Christian martyrs in medieval Islamic Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Martyrs of Córdoba were forty-eight Christian martyrs who were executed under the rule of Muslim administration in Al-Andalus (name of the Iberian Peninsula under the Islamic rule).[1][2][3] The hagiographical treatise written by the Iberian Christian and Latinist scholar Eulogius of Córdoba describes in detail the executions of the martyrs for capital violations of Islamic law (sharīʿa), including apostasy and blasphemy.[1][2][3] The martyrdoms recorded by Eulogius (the only contemporary source) took place between 850 and 859 AD,[4] which according to the Mālikī judges of al-Andalus broke the treaty signed between Muslims and their Christian subjects.
Martyrs of Córdoba | |
---|---|
Died | Between 850 and 859, Córdoba, Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain) |
Martyred by | Abd ar-Rahman II, Muhammad I of Córdoba |
Means of martyrdom | Decapitation |
Venerated in | Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church |
Notable martyrs | Aurelius and Natalia, Eulogius, Perfectus, Sisenandus, Roderick |
Some of the Christian martyrs were executed for apostasy and blasphemy after they appeared before the Muslim authorities and insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, although there was a minority case in which some of them were accused of such violations by witnesses. The witnesses at points have exaggerated the scale of the statements made by the martyrs. This was however rare, as the Mālikī judges would ask for a testimony. One example we have is the case of Perfectus who was accused of insulting Muhammad and was asked to testify. When he testified he stated that Muhammad had committed fornication and he thought of Islam as "a corrupt form of Christianity"; he was then executed for this. It has been stated he was aware of the punishment for making such a statement.[5]
The Mālikī jurist al-Qayrawānī (d. 996 AD) distinguished between two kinds of insult: an outright attack against Islam, made by ill intent and therefore punishable by death according to the Islamic death penalty, and a simple declaration of one's own religion. In this last case, the Christian could not be held accountable for this offense. If one insulted Islam beyond the needs of his religion, he or she would have to be executed.[5] The lack of another source after Eulogius's own martyrdom has given way to the misimpression that there were fewer episodes later in the 9th century. There has also been skepticism on the account he himself was a "martyr".[6] While Perfectus could have been liable for breaking the first law, he could not be held guilty on account of his religion. The attempt to persuade him and to dismiss his offense constitutes part of the legal proceeding and reveals a keen knowledge of local trial custom.[5]