The term martyr (Greek μάρτυς martys "witness") initially signified a witness in the forensic sense, a person called to bear witness in legal proceedings. With this meaning it was used in the secular sphere as well as in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible. The process of bearing witness wasn't intended to lead to the death of the witness, although it's known from ancient writers (for example Josephus) that witnesses, especially of… (More on Martyrs)