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Profiles of Historic Conscientious Objectors
St. Martin of ToursSt. Martin of Tours was the first man to be called a saint without dying as a martyr. He lived from approximately 315-397 A.D., living to be over 80 years of age.
St. Martin of Tours was born in what is now Hungary. He became involved with the church at age ten even though his parents were not Christian. As a teenager, Martin was forced to join the Roman Army Perhaps the most famous of the stories about Martin tells of his kindness to all people. When encountering a poor man who had no cloak, Martin cut his own cape in half, giving one half to the poor man. That night while sleeping, Martin had a vision of Jesus wearing the half of his cape that he had given to the poor man. Martin then became baptized, fully joining the church. When asked to fight again Martin replied, "I am a soldier of Christ; I am not allowed to fight." Thus he became one of the first known conscientious objectors after Constantine came to power, following Jesus' teachings. Martin stood on the front lines of battle without fighting and after the enemy surrendered he was permitted to leave the army. In 371 Martin became the bishop of the city of Tours. He established a large monastery and is credited with numerous miracles of healing, conversion and control of nature. He died a peaceful death in fitting with his life as a man of peace, God and love. For more information, visit the following Web sites: |
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