Even a dedicated missionary felt terror at real martyrdom prospects

Evidence

Suddenly confronted by the real possibility of death at the hands of Muslims, he became frightened and did not board a ship leaving for “Saracen lands” and subsequently suffered deep doubt and depression at his failure. He eventually boarded a Genoese ship bound for Tunis where he tried his argumentation on prominent Muslims. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1289 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

That is why Ricoldo disputed with learned Muslims only aliquantulum, and why his pages are filled by literary sources, and not by the fruit of personal contact. That is why missionaries gave their attention chiefly to Christians, Latin or Oriental, living under Islamic rule, rather than to the Muslims themselves; and those that turned to the Muslims sought, not the conversion of the infidel, but their own martyrdom. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1465 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The apostles had been first and foremost missionaries, spreaders of the Word to infidels, and most of them had suffered martyrdom as a result of their mission. This was not lost on Francis and his followers. Francis’s disciple and biographer, Thomas of Celano, says that Francis “longed to attain the height of perfection,” in other words, that he was “burning intensely with the desire for holy martyrdom.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1099 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Critics saw Franciscan missions as suicidal martyrdom-seeking rather than preaching; Even a confident missionary feared death when facing real Muslims — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1289; Mission’s goal was producing martyrs as much as producing converts — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1102 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Even a confident missionary feared death when facing real Muslims #corroborates (0.95) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1289
• Mission’s goal was producing martyrs as much as producing converts #complicates (0.85) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1102
• Medieval missionaries aimed at martyrdom rather than Muslim conversion #complicates (0.85) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1465
• Missionary zeal in the thirteenth century was inseparable from the hope of martyrdom #complicates (0.85) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1099
• Missionary dogma valued martyrdom at Saracen hands as much as conversion itself #complicates (0.82) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1099
• Some friars actively sought martyrdom through intransigence #complicates (0.80) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 2141