John Chrysostom

After he said, "They were put to death by the sword, and others were tortured," after he recounted many and different modes of martyrdom, he went on to say, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and run with perseverance." Do you see that he called Abel a martyr, as well as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? For some of these died for God's sake in the same way that Paul spoke of when he said, "I die daily"; they died not by dying but only by their willingness to die.