I recently ran into an argument about the early Christian churches opinion on martyrdom through the 3rd century. The main issue was someone was indicating that, while martyrdom was encouraged early on, somewhere around the 3rd century it started being discouraged. I've found some scattered references to Christian committing suicide or trying to get themselves killed, believing it would automatically get them into heaven.
I know there are a lot of martyrs in the early Church, but how common was it for someone to try to get themselves killed or even commit suicide? Was this a large enough issue that it had to be address by the leaders of the Church? Was it discouraged at some point? I'm sorry if this question is too vague, but I'm real curious about what opposition and issues there were with the martyr ideal in the early Church.
I did some interesting research on martyrdom around the period of the Donatist Schism that I ended up not using for anything but could be of some relevance to you.
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Firstly, you have to be aware that in the Christian faith at this time, a martyr was not simply anyone who died for their faith. The were set conditions such as being killed by a sword and not a club etc. (Though exceptions could be made at the discretion of local religious leaders).
It is also worth remembering that the church was made up of individuals with their own opinions and beliefs and as such, you won't find a set view on martyrdom.
Nevertheless, there is an interesting sermon believed to have been delivered by Donatus (Bishop of Carthage and Primate of North Africa) between 317 and 320. As a high ranking episcopal figure, a sermon such as this would have a large sway over the beliefs of a congregation. He makes an interesting point about some recent martyrs.
He says, "[God] did not permit everyone to be butchered here. [...] God honors with the reward of the martyrs those whom he saw suffering with the full measure of devotion, for he seeks not the blood but the faith of believers."
The reward of the martyr is seen to be held in the highest regard. Martyrs were respected and that level of devotion was to be encouraged. It was useful to have adherents willing to die for a cause. However, it is also poor management to tell your followers that the best way to be rewarded is to die as you'll soon run out of followers. This caveat is made clear by Donatus to promote the dedication level of a martyr without the unfortunate side effects dying can bring. As this is a sermon following on from a large massacre, one aim of the sermon would certainly be to influence the congregation about how they should engage with martyrdom.
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Hope this is of some use to you, like I said, this area didn't really fit with the rest of my research so I didn't delve to deeply. The full Sermon can be found in Tilley's Donatist Martyr Stories (pp. 51-60) in addition to lots of other primary sources about 3rd and 4th Century martyrs.
If you really want to dig into this topic, I'd recommend Sacred Violence: African Christians and sectarian hatred in the age of Augustine by B. D. Shaw and/or There is no crime for those who have Christ by M. Gaddis
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I also recall a sermon wherein someone criticised martyrs for being attention seekers. Obviously, the argument was more nuanced than that but I can't find it written in my notes on this subject. Because I can't back it up, I'm just leaving it at the bottom here but it's an interesting argument from critics of martyrdom.