Having a rudimentary understanding of the fate of Jesus Christ is foundational to being a Christian.
The fates of most of the Apostles are not recorded in the Bible and consequently are much less well known.
Judas of Iscariot hung himself after accepting 20 30 pieces of silver for turning Jesus over to the authorities
John "the one who Jesus loved the most" was banished to the island of Patmos where he wrote Revelations and where he died a natural death.
James, son of Zebedee was beheaded by a sword at the command of Herod.
The fates of the remaining Apostles are not recorded in the Bible but they are referenced in contemporary sources.
Andrew is believed to have been crucified on an olive tree in Achaia, Greece
Bartholomew is believed to have been crucified in Armenia or Southern Georgia in the head-down position.
James the son of Alphaeus is believed to have been stoned to death in Jerusalem.
Matthew/Levi is recorded as having died near Tehran, Iran. Cause of death is not recorded.
Paul/Saul is recorded as having been executed under Nero.
Simon/Peter is recorded as having been crucified at the command of Nero
Philip is recorded as having been crucified, head-down, in eastern Turkey
Simon the Zealot is recorded as living to 120 and dying in Jerusalem, presumably of natural causes.
Thaddaeus/Judas son of James is recorded as dying near Beirut, Lebonon. Cause and age are not recorded.
Thomas the Doubter is recorded as dying in India, impaled with four spears.
The fate of these men comes to mind when some gilded prince or princess claims to be "...speaking truth to power...".
Is the "truth" the gilded princes and princesses proclaim so true that they will die for it, personally? Or is their "truth" a convenient narrative that they want others die for?
I thought Judas Iscariot got 30 pieces of silver, not 20.
ReplyDeleteSo did I.
DeleteMy mistake. Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it.
DeleteWe know the answers to your last questions, Joe; and we are the "others".
ReplyDeleteBoat Guy
I was running my mouth at Z’s when I said that the bible is not a suicide pact. By way of reply a passing atheist referenced this and said, “Ya sure about that…?”
ReplyDeleteWe were talk8ng about different things… but it caught me unaware none the less…
Thomas is always one of the most interesting to me as he seemed to end up in India. I can imagine (a bit) missionaries showing up far later and their surprises at being told "We have known this for the past 1500 years, but thanks for stopping by".
ReplyDeletehttp://gorges-smythe.blogspot.com/2023/09/how-apostles-died.html
ReplyDeleteI had no idea so many came to an unfortunate end.
ReplyDelete