Letter from Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne as A Diaspora Quest for Authenticity

Abstract

This article argues that the Letter from the Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne (Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 5.1–4) should not only be treated as an early Christian martyrdom narrative, but also analyzed as a Greco-Roman minority text. Even though it concentrates on violent outbursts against a group of Jesus adherents and possesses graphic depictions of their suffering, its significance is not limited to intra-Christian discussions. It also displays experiences and needs from a colonized world full of competing diaspora realities. It can be read as a message home from an author living abroad. It emphasizes the genuine way of life of the diaspora group and uses it as a device in translocal negotiations. Paradoxically, many of these valuations of authenticity were also shared by the Roman authorities in Gaul as well as by the resistance that the Roman authorities had previously faced. According to Rey Chow’s (1933) diaspora studies, this paradox colors all production of diaspora culture. This article enlightens this feature by comparing the text with two non-Christian sources: Tacitus’s depiction of Gallic resistance fighter Mariccus (Hist. 2.61) and a letter that Syrian merchants sent to their hometown from Roman Puteoli (OGI 595).