• Foxe's Book of Martyrs

  • By: John Foxe
  • Narrated by: Nadia May
  • Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (219 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs  By  cover art

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

By: John Foxe
Narrated by: Nadia May
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.18

Buy for $17.18

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Beginning with the story of Stephen from the book of Acts, considered the first Christian martyr, the drama builds to the passion of the early Church's persecution under the Roman Empire. The hardy and radical faith of those first believers spawned medieval missionary movements that spread the gospel across Europe and into England, Scotland, and Ireland. As the story continues, it places a significant emphasis on the sufferings of the early Protestants during the Reformation. As a vicar in the Church of England, author John Foxe strongly identified with the Protestant sects throughout Europe, and his loyalty to their cause comes through in his descriptions of many early clashes between Catholic and Protestant believers. Listeners are given an opportunity to experience the storytelling that incited several wars between Catholic and Protestant forces. The political and personal passion of the Reformation continues with the stories of the French Protestants during and after the French Revolution.
©2009 John Foxe (P)2004 christianaudio.com

What listeners say about Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    163
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    141
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    150
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a primer on humility

This is a quality recording of the Book of Martyrs. It is a hard story to listen to when considering the price that these folks paid to keep faith with Christ. I need to listen again and again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

How much pain can you take?

Great book, about people who were willing to be tortured to stay in God's will. Very inspiring, I hope to meet everyone of these people after I die. Excellent naration. Recommended :)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good for devotional purposes; not Foxe's text tho'

Nadia May does a wonderful job leading this tour of horrors -- from ancient Rome to the 18th century -- visited upon Protestants. The many positive reviews here reflect this.

I purchased Foxe's Book of Martyrs for historical reasons -- because I'm interested in the English Reformation and this is the second-most widely read book in sixteenth-century English (after the Bible). As it turns out, this is a much later edition of Foxe's book -- based on the Book of Martyrs (or as it was first known, the Acts and Monuments) but slimmed down in some places, beefed up in others by some later editor. When you think you're listening to a sixteenth century book and suddenly the narrator is going on about Voltaire -- you know something's fishy.

So -- good for devotional purposes, it would seem from other reviews, but this isn't really Foxe's original text. Be forewarned.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fire and Brimstone Propaganda

The lasting effect of this book on history cannot be understated. It is the singlemost influential book on Protestant thinking throughout the Reformation, often read from the pulpit as scripture alongside the Bible, thus shaping that world irrevocably. The original clocked in at over a million words, and the woodcut illustrations cemented the horrors in the imaginations of the Tudor and Stuart world.

I am, unfortunately, not yet able to find a physical copy with reproductions of the illustrations for my home library, but in my quest to further deepen my appreciation for Medieval and Renaissance history, this audiobook found its way to me, filling my ears with the propaganda of the age in a most personal way. Regardless of your particular spiritual stance (I'm not a Christian myself), it's very difficult to not be moved to anger, sadness, and sometimes pride for the various sacrifices within, both noble and indignant. Listening to these accounts of martyrdom in detail opens the window of understanding to a bygone age and makes me readily appreciate the amount of religious freedom and tolerance I am accustomed to today by comparison. My studies into history and comparative religion are going to be forever changed by my experience of this book, such is the brutality and courage found here. At the end of the day, regardless of the bias and agenda of the author, these are still tales of human suffering, and it's inhuman to listen to such things impassively. As such, this book is a mental and spiritual beating. For a Christian, especially one of that time and place, I can only imagine the effect it would have on the devout. I'm sure it still holds some power with the faithful today who encounter it. As an outsider in a Christian culture and amateur historian, I appreciate it from my own perspectives and understandings, but it further reinforced my own beliefs about organized religion vs. personal spiritualism. I would liken this book to Yoda's cave on Dagobah: what's inside is shaped and perceived by what you take with you, and you will emerge from the experience with some inherent change on your psyche that you will need to come to terms with. It will not be an easy journey, and only you can decide if it's necessary for you to confront this tome. Make no mistake, it will be a confrontation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not Fun, but Important

People who claim that they are persecuted in the United States should read this. Those who die for truth should not be mixed up with those inconvenienced for opinion.

The book was a little convoluted and the stories could have been told in a more compelling way. But while it is not a fun book, it is important to remember that truth is worth suffering for.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Convicting the Christian

This book has truly opened my eyes to real suffering. I'm so glad I too the time to listen to it and will most likely listen and read it again. It has truly been a life changing book for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The truth is not always pleasant but necessary.

This classic work of historical accounts of Christian martyrdom and sacrifices down Through the Ages is a must-read for those who wish to respect the history of their faith and acknowledge the possible atrocities capable from those influenced by evil in this world.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Positively inspiring

This is a most well known book for Christians. But listening to it, and through the narration of Nadia May, it comes alive. And we’re reminded of what it means to be a Christian. But most importantly, martyrdom is nothing to fear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Historical facts and spiritual truths.

this audiobook was the best one I've ever listened to mainly for the content the reader did a fantastic job with such a gem of History and spiritual events. I hope this blesses you as you listen and understand what God's will is for your life...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A powerful account

“…and when they called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

- Acts 5:40-41 (ESV)

“…the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

- Tertullian (Apologeticus)

Reading the accounts of saints whom experienced martyrdom at the hands of superstitious zealots was tough yet joyous to read. These were men, women, brothers, sisters, children, and infants that never wavered to the pressure of alternate kingdoms (Rome, the Inquisitors) but stood with the same demeanor as Polycarp upon receiving his crown of martyrdom, “86 years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

In reading the unabridged version, there were sketch’s of Protestant figures and minor stories of persecution that seemed to disrupt the flow of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!