Abstract

The desire for martyrdom has characterised Christianity from its earliest times. The Order of Friars Minor was invested with it from its origins, but had an uneasy relationship with it due to the need to control the excesses of its members and to offer them alternative examples of holiness. Hagiographic legends and sermons dedicated to the saints of the Order, in particular to Saint Anthony of Padua, bear witness to these elaborations. The article examines both types of sources, primarily focusing on sermons dedicated to Saint Anthony in the period between his canonisation and the mid-4th century. It discusses the different reasons that led the preachers to exalt either the inspiring example of the proto-martyrs or the alternative to seeking martyrdom, and, finally, a second motivation for Anthony’s entry into the Order, that is poverty. The latter reason, however, was motivated only after the discovery of the story of the five martyrs of Morocco.