The Unreliable Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

Writing for The Gospel Coalition, Jeff Robinson concludes his post on legends about martyrs with this indictment of the famous Foxes’ Book of Martyrs:

Unfortunately, that famous book is not the one you want to get if you want to understand ancient martyrdom, or even the martyrdoms of its primary period (the English Reformation). The work is widely recognized by scholars as offering a one-sided presentation of its subjects. It was written for the purpose of arguing against the Roman Catholic Church, and it spares no excesses in its attempt at driving home its point. Though enormously popular ever since its publication in the 1500s, it’s basically worthless as an accurate source for the martyrs of the ancient church. All scholars know this.

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