I’m delighted that Flipped Mitten Press has included my poem “Bound for Foxe’s Book?” in their new anthology Ache: The Body’s Experience of Religion.
The Actes and Monuments (popularly known as Fox(e)’s Book of Martyrs), was first published in Latin in 1554, and in English in 1563. Written by the English historian John Foxe (or Fox) at the height of 16th-century Catholic and Protestant warfare, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was one of the most widely read books in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is an extremely detailed and graphic recounting of Christian martyrdom, starting in the Bible with Stephen from the book of Acts, and continuing to contemporary martyrs at the time of John Foxe, such as the Lollards of John Wycliffe.
John Foxe himself published several versions of his book, expanding his collection of stories as well as woodcut illustrations. Expansion and revision continued beyond Foxe’s death in 1587. The edition pictured above, edited by US Reconstruction-era theologian William Byron Forbush, concludes with stories from “the Beginnings of American Foreign Missions.”
I first learned about Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in a church history class in seminary. At the time, I fancied myself a firebrand for the faith. I was still in the thick of white messiah biases. My twenty-something self was very confident in her own theological assessments, to the point that I would indeed use war-based language against my opponents. My poem published above, “Bound for Foxe’s Book?,” recounts my own journey towards a revised and expanded faith.
I don’t know what I currently think about Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. I do know I’m grateful that the original Catholic and Protestant tensions that inspired the book have largely subsided, even as other types of ideological bloodshed continue around the globe. I’m not willing to dismiss Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, even as I deeply question some of the motivations behind it.
I also find myself questioning a theology that privileges blood imagery. Improperly-used blood imagery has caused great harm, including racism, slavery, apartheid, and genocide. I recognize that blood imagery is indeed in my own faith tradition; I cannot ignore it. But I don’t know if I have to lead with it.
I’ve written another poem where I seek different imagery this season in order to visualize my faith. Once that poem publishes, I will be sure to share it here, on my website.
In the meantime, let’s chat. What are your thoughts on Foxe’s Book of Martyrs? How has your faith changed over time, including the images and metaphors that have represented your worldviews? I’d love to hear what you think!