HOW THE APOSTLES DIED

HOW THE APOSTLES DIED

By Russell Earl Kelly PHD

February 9, 2020

1. PETER (Simon, Cephas in Aramaic, Petros in Greek) was Andrew’s brother. He was crucified upside down in Rome (John 21:18-19). His name, “Petros,” means “little stone.” Upon his “great rock” “petra” confession that Jesus is “the Christ the Son of the living God” the Church was built (Matthew 16:16-18).

2. JAMES, SON OF ZEBEDEE, was the first Apostle martyred. He was beheaded by King Herod near Palestine (Acts 12:2).

3. JOHN, SON OF ZEBEDEE, was probably the youngest Apostle. He was the author of John (from Ephesus), I John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation (from prison in Patmos). He died a natural death; served in Turkey.

4. ANDREW (Peter’s brother), was probably the first Apostle to accept Jesus. He was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece.

5. PHILIP: was impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die in Greece.

[Peter, Andrew, James, John and Philip were fellow fishermen from the village of Bethsaida east of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.]

6. MATTHEW/LEVI had been a tax collector (publican) working for Rome in Jerusalem. He was impaled on a stake and beheaded in Ethiopia.

7. THOMAS, the doubting Apostle, was speared to death in India.

8. JUDE: who wrote Jude was crucified by Magi in Persia.

9. BARTHOMOMEW/NATHANIEL was whipped (flayed) to death in Armenia.

10. JAMES THE LESS was martyred in a fashion similar to James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then beaten to death.

11. SIMON the Zealot was crucified.

12. MATTHIAS, who replaced Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded. While Matthias may not have been a true apostle because he was not called by Christ (although he had probably seen Christ), we are reminded that there were also 13 tribes in Israel because Joseph became Ephraim and Manasseh.

13. PAUL (SAUL), from Tarsus in Galatia,  was beheaded in Rome. A true Apostle, he personally saw Christ and was called by Christ. He called himself “an apostle called out of due season” (1 Cor 15:8).

JAMES, THE HALF-BROTHER OF JESUS, was not an apostle but was the first leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15 and 21). He was thrown some 100 feet off a wall and beat to death with clubs. He was replaced by Simon, another half-brother of Jesus, who lived into the second century. The church under Simon rejected Christ, became very legalistic and was called The Elkasites, Ebionites and Nazarenes.

In my opinion this is the strongest argument for the validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for those who deny the Bible. It is inconceivable that Jesus’ apostles would have died as martyrs if they had participated in a lie.