Martyrdom—a topic that has been viewed as both inspiring and troubling since the dawn of Christianity—will be explored in a lecture series sponsored by DePaul University’s Catholic Studies program, beginning Oct. 24 from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m. in the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Room 120.

“Witness of the Body: The Past, Present and Future of Christian Martyrdom” will open with two lectures and a question-and-answer session following the talks.

The lectures and discussion are free and open to the public.

At 7 p.m., Lawrence Cunningham, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, will lecture on “Christian Martyrdom and Its Critics.”

At 7:45 p.m., Joyce Salisbury, professor emerita in medieval history at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, will address the topic of “Witness, Women’s Bodies and the Body of Christ.”

For more information about upcoming lectures in the series, visit the DePaul University Catholic Studies Web site at http://condor.depaul.edu/~cathstd/events.htm.