ABSTRACT
The grand narrative of new martyrdom centres around the historical and spiritual significance of the new martyrs as seen from the perspective of the Russian Orthodox Church's (ROC's) leadership and various conflicting vantage points. Some Russian Orthodox 'specialists' of new martyrdom have compared the new martyrs with the ancient ones, and this comparison in itself constitutes an integral part of the grand narrative of new martyrdom. The themes in the grand narrative of new martyrdom include all these normative concepts of martyrdom, connecting them in different combinations. The persecution discourse of the ROC, she argues, is fundamentally a positive one. The Church explains repression as meaningful, and the sacrifice of martyrs as valuable and necessary for the rebirth of the faith. This 'triumphant' interpretation of the sacrificial aspects of new martyrdom is indeed strongly represented in articles, sermons and lectures of Church leaders and new martyrdom specialists, who interpret the new martyrs as the preservers and re-founders of the ROC.
