Mandela a Modern Christian Father Simbarashe Shepherd Marundu,

Abstract

Martyrdom is one of the oldest ways that the church used as a measuring stick for one to be considered a saint. This was done in
response to the ongoing persecutions that happened in the Early Church. However, with the development of the Church, Martyrdom was redefined to go beyond the shedding of blood as the single criterion of identifying martyrs in the Church. The purpose of this essay is to discuss in detail the figure of Nelson Mandela and how his deeds can qualify him to be called a modern Christian Father while defying the criteria that the Church used. Nelson Mandela shall therefore be the character because of the various reasons that will be discussed in this essay but generally choosing him was because of how he suffered politically for the freedom of South
Africa. The details in this essay will therefore provide justification as to why Nelson Mandela can be considered a modern Christian martyr.