Martyrs have long played a vital role in Christian life thought theology and piety. Robert Kolb an acknowledged authority on the history of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany offers a thorough and illuminating analysis of the way German Lutherans changed the perceptions of martyrdom and sainthood. Protestant reformers professed that providential power over daily human life was reserved for God alone and that mediation with God is provided by Jesus Christ alone. Martyrs and saints could no longe