From Rome to Nagasaki

This session examines how the first Christians responded to persecution in the decades following the resurrection of Jesus. Through passages from Acts and the Epistles, we will study the courage, prayer, and perseverance of the apostolic Church. Special attention will be given to the witness of Stephen and the theological significance of suUering for the Gospel. The session will explore how persecution strengthened rather than destroyed the unity and mission of the early Christian community. We will also consider how the Holy Spirit empowered believers to endure hostility without abandoning love, forgiveness, or hope. Our time concludes by reflecting on what modern Christians can learn from the endurance of the early Church.

This session focuses on the martyrs of the first centuries and their profound influence on the identity of Christianity. We will explore how Christians facing imprisonment, torture, and death understood martyrdom as a witness to the truth of Christ. The session will examine the historical context of Roman persecution and the reasons Christians were viewed as a threat within the empire. Attention will also be given to the writings and testimonies of early martyrs who shaped Christian spirituality and theology. Students will reflect on the famous conviction that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The session concludes by considering how martyrdom reveals the depth of Christian hope and faithfulness.

This session surveys Christian suUering and witness throughout the medieval period across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Participants will study examples of saints, missionaries, reformers, and ordinary believers who endured persecution amid political and religious conflict. We will explore how faithfulness to Christ was preserved through eras marked by instability, violence, and institutional struggle. Attention will be given to the ways suUering shaped Christian spirituality, holiness, and communal identity. We will examine how perseverance and sacrificial witness strengthened the life of the Church across generations. The session concludes by reflecting on how endurance in suUering continues to shape Christian discipleship today.

This session introduces the arrival and rapid growth of Christianity in Japan during the sixteenth century. We will study the persecution that culminated in the crucifixion of the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Nagasaki and the broader suppression of the Christian faith. The session will explore how Japanese believers embraced Christianity with remarkable depth and devotion despite intense opposition. Attention will be given to the theological meaning of martyrdom, forgiveness, and steadfast witness within the Japanese context. We will also examine the cultural encounter between Christianity and Japanese society during this period. The session concludes by reflecting on why the witness of the Japanese martyrs continues to resonate across the global Church.

This final session explores the extraordinary story of the Kakure Kirishitan, the Hidden Christians who preserved their faith in secrecy for more than two centuries. Participants will examine how Christian belief survived without clergy, churches, public liturgy, or formal theological instruction. The class will consider the role of memory, prayer, family tradition, and communal identity in sustaining faith under persecution. Attention will also be given to the ways Christian practices adapted within Japanese cultural and social realities. We will reflect on the theological themes of silence, endurance, hiddenness, and hope that emerge from this history. The course concludes by asking what the witness of the Hidden Christians teaches modern believers about perseverance and faithfulness in diUicult times.