Martyrs old and new
by Mike Oettle
POLYCARP[1] is a saint who may be familiar to you, although he lived over 1 700 years ago. (On the other hand, you might think the name appropriate for a parrot – a relative of ours once named his bird after him!) A name you might not find so familiar is Maqhamusela Khanyile, for all that he lived in South Africa and died as recently as 1877. But these two martyrs have, strangely, a fair amount in common, and I think it’s worth discovering this.
Ironically, although we live in an age when almost everything gets written down, far less is known of Maqhamusela (who appears on the calendar on March 9) than of Polycarp (23 February), although much of what is known about Maqhamusela was written down much later and is uncertain.
It’s believed that the Apostle John himself appointed Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna (today Izmir, on the Ægean coast of Turkey) some time before AD 96, and that he
held this office for some 70 years, eventually becoming Patriarch of Asia (the
small Roman province, that is – not the continent). Thanks to his great age, he
eventually became probably the last living link with the apostles and was a
man sought after for his loving wisdom and his recollections of the apostles’
teachings.
In the middle of the second century (some say AD 166, others 156) Smyrna became the
centre of a bitter persecution and the mob of the city cried out for his blood.
Polycarp took refuge on a farm, where he spent his days and nights in prayer.
One night he saw in a trance the pillow beneath his head burning with fire, and
he awoke and said to his friends: “I must be burnt alive.”[2] He went to stay on another farm, but was betrayed. One evening horsemen came to
take him away. Polycarp ordered food and drink for the men and, with their
permission, spent a couple of hours praying aloud for everyone he had known and
for the Church. Then they took him away, first on a donkey and later in the
carriage of the chief of police, who did his best to persuade the bishop to
sacrifice to Cæsar.
He was taken to the city arena, where the pro-consul tried to persuade him to deny
his faith and revile Christ. Polycarp responded: “For 86 years I have been His
servant, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved
me?”[2] Further arguments and pleadings were of no avail. The old man stood, his face shining with grace, saying: “I am a Christian.” The mob bayed as he was condemned to death and the bonfire lit. Polycarp refused to be nailed to the stake, insisting he would stand up until consumed by the flames.
But the fire did not consume him, and the executioner was ordered to stab him instead; Polycarp’s dying blood flow extinguished the fire. It was only after a
dispute arose over the disposal of the body that it was eventually burnt to
ashes.
Maqhamusela,[3] on the other hand, was no bishop; indeed, he was not even baptised when he fell victim to King Cetewayo[4] of the amaZulu. But he was also advanced in years and was likewise killed for refusing to give up his Lord in favour of his sovereign.
Maqhamusela was a convert of the Norwegian Missionary Society, which had opened its first mission station in Zululand in the late 1850s and had sent more missionaries under the protection of King Mpande, who had declined to be converted but permitted his people to attend services.
His son, Cetewayo, who had ruled in his father’s name since 1856 and succeeded the old ruler in ’72, aimed to re-establish Zulu military prestige and resented the
presence of missionaries who preached peace. He was unsuccessful in removing
the missionaries, but his soldiers persecuted Zulu Christians in various
ways.
At Eshowe in 1877 a party of warriors approached Maqhamusela and told him he was to be killed. Why, the old man asked. “Because you are a learner, and would be
baptised,” they replied.[5]
“It is well,” said Maqhamusela, “but let me first pray.” He knelt down and prayed. Then, rising to his feet, he said: “Now I am ready. Slay me.”
As the spears pierced him, a thunderstorm cracked. Many Zulu folk took this as a sign of God’s anger with Cetewayo, and the result of Maqhamusela’s martyrdom was
that their faith grew despite further persecution.
After the Zulu War of the following year, the Norwegian missionaries could show 541 baptised converts (against only a handful before) and over 500 pupils in its mission schools. Other churches, too, gained ground among the Zulu, and today a majority of the Zulu nation is Christian.
Prominent among its Christians are the Buthelezi clan, including Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi[6] (an Anglican layman), and two bishops, Bishop Manas Buthelezi of the Lutheran Church and Archbishop Peter Buthelezi of the Roman Catholic Church.
