Deliberately provoked martyrdom persisted as a Christian aspiration well into the fourteenth century

Evidence

This behaviour recalls very closely the Martyrs’ Movement of the ninth century in Spain, but it served as exemplar to some friars for some time; perhaps St Teresa’s childhood exploit was the last flicker of this ancient tradition. … A particularly interesting case was that of Fr. Livin, martyred, or executed, in Cairo in 1345. Intellectually able, he had neglected theological study for prayer; his only ambition was martyrdom; there may be a psychological connection between his renunciation of intellectual exercise and his craving for death. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 687

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the theme of ritual self-immolation in ‘On Sacrifice’ — Dido, suttee, Ibn Fadlan — as a sacralized death sought deliberately. — connects to: Medieval friars debated whether provoking one’s own martyrdom was suicide
• QUESTION: What was St Teresa’s ‘childhood exploit’ referred to here as the last flicker of the martyrdom tradition?