We learn about "Good King Wenceslaus," the man behind the Christmas carol, who was actually a duke, and his grandmother who raised him to know Christ Jesus.

Sources

·        https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/king-wenceslas/

·        https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wenceslas-I-prince-of-Bohemia

·https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia

We look at the prophet Jeremiah and begin the final chapter of Peter's letters.

We learn about the apostle Barnabas from the New Testament and also talk about the danger of false teachers from 2 Peter 2.

Apologetics are a part of martyrdom, as we give a defense of what we believe to our neighbor as we share Christ with them.

Sources:

-my notes for this episode: https://sandhandrews.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/apologetics-science-and-christianity.pdf

- Bill Nye video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbYJfwFgOU

We look at the role of hymns and joy in our suffering by taking a look at the lives of the 9th century bishop Theodulf and the 17th century Paul Gerhardt.

Sources

·  “They Went to Their Deaths Singing” article by JD Raymond in Gaudium Magazine, March 8, 2022, https://www.gaudiummag.com/p/they-went-to-their-deaths-singing·    https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/galen.html·    https://catholicexchange.com/conversion-saint-paul/·    Eusebius, The History of the Church, Penguin Books, London, 1989.  Page 148.

Sources

• https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=366

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lawrence

• https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/b/125508/files/2024/11/Prudentius-Crown-of-Martyrs_24_11_18_16_24_43.pdf

• https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/08/saint-lawrence-of-rome-as-model-deacon.html

Sources:

• https://ilcouncil.org/tag/jan-van-essen/
• https://redbrickparsonage.wordpress.com/2023/06/29/first-lutheran-martyrdom-first-account/
• https://www.lutheranchoralebook.com/texts/a-new-song-be-by-us-begun/
• https://redbrickparsonage.wordpress.com/2023/07/03/martin-luthers-letter-to-christians-in-the-low-countries/

We look to recent martyrs and what God's Word teaches us about persecution of His Church.

Learn about two 2nd century brothers, Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr.

We learn about the other gospel writers and continue our study of 1 Peter.