Deaths Of The Apostles

[Damien the Leper]

There seems to be a variety of ideas on the deaths of the apostles. I thought that I would share one source's perspective:

Simon surnamed Peter died 33-34 years after the death of Christ. According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary there is "satisfactory evidence that he and Paul were the founders of the church at Rome, and died in that city. The time and manner of the apostle’s martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he died at or about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67,68. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was therefore, at his own request, crucified with his head downward."

James the son of Zebedee: He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ. From Acts 12: 1-2.

John: No death date given by early writers. Death date is by conjecture only and is variously assigned as being between 89 AD to 120 AD

Andrew: No accurate death date given. A variety of traditions say he preached in Scythia, in Greece, in Asia Minor and Thrace. He is reported to have been crucified at Patrae in Achaia.

Philip: Again, the Bible does not say when he died nor do we have accurate information. According to tradition he preached in Phrygia, and died at Hierapolis. Update: FoxNews July 27, 2011 Tomb of the Apostle Phillip is found in Hierapolis.

Bartholomew: There is no information concerning his death, not even by tradition

Matthew: He must have lived many years as an apostle, since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew which was written at least twenty years after the death of Christ. There is reason to believe that he stayed for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as missionary to the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that he died a martyr in Ethiopia

Thomas: The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, say he preached in Parthia or Persia, and was finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east. His martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been by a lance, and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.

James Alpheus : We know he lived at least five years after the death of Christ because of mentions in the Bible. According to tradition, James son of Alpheus was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.

Simon the Canaanite – No information either in the Bible or by tradition.

Jude (Thaddeus) according to tradition Jude taught in Armenia, Syria and Persia where he was martyred. Tradition tells us he was buried in Kara Kalisa in what is now Iran.

Judas Iscariot: Shortly after the death of Christ Judas killed himself. According to the Bible he hanged himself, (Matthew 27:5) at Aceldama, on the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, and in the act he fell down a precipice and was dashed into pieces.

Source

From my readings I believe this:

James- 44-45 CE

Peter- 64 CE

Andrew- 70 CE

Thomas- 70 CE

Philip- 54 CE

Matthew- 60-70 CE

Nathanael (Bartholomew)- 70 CE

James the Lesser- 63 CE

Simon the Zealot- 74 CE

Judas Thaddeus- 72 CE

Matthias- 70 CE

John- 95-100 CE (I don't accept the JS and LDS myth of John never dying though I do believe he was not martyred)

Paul- 67 CE

Judas Iscariot- 30 CE (I say 30 CE due to the fact that Jesus' birth was probably around 4 BCE during September or October when considering the death of Herod and a census taken at the time.)

Any thoughts or contributions? I don't wish to debate the LDS mythology of what happened to John. But I am curious on others thoughts about the timings.

Edited September 8, 2011 by Valentinus

[thesometimesaint]

IF they were born about the same time a Jesus, then their age at death was old but not exceptionally old. Other than to take a swipe at us. I fail to see what relevence your disbelief has LDS belief has to the subject.

[Questing Beast]

I've always been interested in this topic, because it illustrates how traditional accounts become accepted by the main mass of succeeding generations as fact. Most of your information is of course nowhere near two thousand years old, which means that by the time "the church" was putting the traditional accounts around, the facts, if they were ever known, were long gone. How much of history is just like that? In my opinion, 99+% of it. As soon as we read a detailed account of anything, if it is not proven to be by a contemporary, we can discount the details as factual....

[Damien the Leper]

IF they were born about the same time a Jesus, then their age at death was old but not exceptionally old. Other than to take a swipe at us. I fail to see what relevence your disbelief has LDS belief has to the subject.

I didn't take a swipe. I simply stated that I disagreed with the LDS perspective on John. I did not state anything antagonizing...unless of course you deem 'mythology' to be antagonizing. I simply asked what others had learned concerning the subject of the deaths and dates of those deaths of the apostles.

[Damien the Leper]

I've always been interested in this topic, because it illustrates how traditional accounts become accepted by the main mass of succeeding generations as fact. Most of your information is of course nowhere near two thousand years old, which means that by the time "the church" was putting the traditional accounts around, the facts, if they were ever known, were long gone. How much of history is just like that? In my opinion, 99+% of it. As soon as we read a detailed account of anything, if it is not proven to be by a contemporary, we can discount the details as factual....

From what I understand, a great majority of the information was provided by Eusebius the Father of Christ's Church History. But I understand why you take the position you hold.

[thesometimesaint]

Valentinus:

I have no problem with disagreeing. Seeing that nealy all of the dates that you posted are at best approximations. What is a reasonable explanation?

[Damien the Leper]

Valentinus:

I have no problem with disagreeing. Seeing that nealy all of the dates that you posted are at best approximations. What is a reasonable explanation?

I apologize. What exactly are you looking for an explanation for?

[mfbukowski]

I had heard a Christian televangelist once say that the greatest proof of Christianity was that the Apostles, perhaps all of whom were martyred, (except John) all of whom died alone, if martyred, presumably under hostile conditions, never repudiated their testimonies of the resurrection. Not one. If there was anyone ever in a position to know if Christ actually rose from the dead, it was those twelve men.

All they would have had to do is deny the resurrection and probably they would not have been martyred.

At least that was his point- I agree with Questing that there is no way we can know that any of that is true, but I found it to be an interesting argument which I had never heard before.