Day of the Christian Martyr: 7 notable Christian martyrdoms

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a notable 20th century German theologian who authored the influential book The Cost of Discipleship, from which the phrase “cheap grace” was first coined.

Bonhoeffer had been a longtime critic of the Third Reich, criticizing the Nazi regime in a radio broadcast two days after Adolf Hitler became chancellor.

Following a failed plot to assassinate Hitler during World War II, Bonhoeffer was one of many arrested and imprisoned for his connection to the attempt on the German dictator’s life.

Less than a month before Germany surrendered to Allied forces, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging. His last recorded words were: “This is the end–for me, the beginning of life.”