Apostles of Jesus - How Did The 12 Apostles Died ?

How Did the 12 Apostles Die? "Praise the Lord" After the ascension of Jesus Christ, his disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, continued working on the Lord's teaching and spread the message of Jesus Christ far and wide. They fearlessly preached about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The disciples initiated a new way of living and, as instructed, took the gospel to the ends of the earth.

How Did The Twelve Apostles Die
How Did The Twelve Apostles Die?

But do you know? How did this world treat disciples who carried the message of Jesus to every corner of the world?  How did they face death? In this article today, we will discuss how the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ met their demise.

How Did The Twelve Apostles Die?

In the Bible, the names of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ are listed in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, and Luke 6:13-16. The New Testament only mentions the deaths of two of the 12 disciples. One was Judas (Matthew 27:3-10), who betrayed Jesus, and the other was James, the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2). However, the Bible does not record how the other disciples died.

  • Death of John in the Bible

John, the brother of James the Greater, was the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. Being a fisherman by tradition, John was the youngest among all of Jesus's disciples. Tertullian (A Christian writer), in the second and third centuries, claimed that John was boiled in a cauldron of sizzling oil by the antagonist of Christ, yet he remained unharmed, leading to the conversion of many witnessing the miraculous event. Later, during the persecution under Domitian in the 90s, John was sentenced to exile on the island of Patmos. Written in the Book of Revelation. After being released from the punishment of the boiling oil, John returned to service and continued to advance the Lord's work. He lived out his days in old age and passed away naturally, being the only disciple to die in peace.

  • Death of Andrew in the Bible

Andrew was the brother of Peter and was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. According to the apocryphal Acts of Andrew, he was crucified in the Greek city of Patras around 60 AD, where he was bound to the cross and stoned, dying two days later. Like his brother Peter, Andrew also did not consider himself worthy of dying in the same manner as Jesus. Thus, he was fastened to a cross in the shape of an 'X' rather than the traditional 'T'. It is said that Andrew preached from the cross until his death.

  • Death of Simon in the Bible

Simon, also known as Peter, was one of the chief disciples of Jesus Christ and was among the foremost leaders of the early Christian Church (the Catholic tradition claims he was the first Pope). Peter was martyred in 64 AD during the reign of Emperor Nero. In the time of Nero's rule, a dreadful fire broke out in Rome, for which the blame was placed on the Christians. Nero initiated the persecution of the Christians, during which Peter was crucified upside down. According to the Acts of Peter, an apocryphal work from the second century, it is claimed that Peter requested to be crucified in the opposite way to Jesus, as he deemed himself unworthy of the same fate.

  • Death of James in the Bible

Regarding the death of James, the son of Zebedee, we read in the Acts of the Apostles 12:1-2: "About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword." King Herod aimed to please the Jews by having him killed (Acts 12:3). Scholars believe that he was martyred in Jerusalem in 44 AD.

  • Death of Phillip in the Bible

After the ascension of Jesus, Philip went to preach in Russia, where he spread the gospel for 20 years. Later, he went to Phrygia, where the opponents of the gospel bound him to a cross and stoned him to death in 80 AD. It is worth mentioning that Andrew was the first disciple of the Lord, while Philip had the fortune of being the second disciple of Jesus Christ.

  • Death of Bartholomew in the Bible

It is believed that Bartholomew also preached in India. He translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Hebrew language and brought it to India. According to tradition, during the rule of King Polymius in Armenia in 71 AD, Bartholomew was flayed alive and crucified, resulting in his death.

  • Death of Thomas in the Bible

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Thomas, who said, "Unless I see his hands "the mark of the nails, and place my finger, I will never believe," also engaged in advancing the work of Jesus after his ascension.

It is said that Thomas initially preached in the Middle East and then came to India. There, he arrived in 50 AD and established seven churches through extensive preaching. Thomas preached vigorously in India, but some people, troubled by his teachings, eventually martyred him. The Acts of the Apostles and the Syriac Christian tradition also recount that this apostle was martyred in Mylapore, India, where he was attacked with a lance. A significant church stands where his body was laid to rest.

  • Death of Matthew the Tax Collector in the Bible

Matthew, also known as Levi, traveled to many countries and testified about Jesus and His resurrection. According to Clement of Alexandria, Matthew preached for 15 years. It is believed that during his preaching in 60 AD, he was killed with a sword in Ethiopia.

  • Death of Simon the Zealot in the Bible

Simon the Zealot traveled far and wide, testifying to Jesus Christ. He went to Britain and Mesopotamia, performing miracles and enduring many hardships. There are various accounts of Simon the Zealot's death. The Golden Legend and the Coptic Church of Egypt believe that during his preaching in Persia, he was martyred by being hung on a cross. In the 5th century, Moses of Chorene recorded that Simon was martyred in the kingdom of Iberia. Ethiopian Christians claim that he was crucified on a pole in Samaria. In the 16th century, Justus Lipsius recorded that he was cut in half.

  • Death of Thaddaeus in the Bible

Thaddaeus is also known as Judas. Luke referred to him as "Judas, the son of James" (Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13), and John mentioned him as "Judas (not Iscariot)" (John 14:22). Thaddaeus is mentioned in the Gospels alongside Simon. It is believed that they were good friends. Thaddaeus was martyred by being shot with arrows in the city of Armenia in 50 AD and then killed with spears in the city of Ararat.

  • Death of James in the Bible

James, the son of Alphaeus and the brother of the apostle Matthew, is described minimally in the Bible. It is said that Alpheus' enemies plotted against him. Alpheus was invited to preach on the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, where people threw him down, but he survived. They then stoned him to death.

Hippolytus, a theologian of the second and third centuries, recorded the death of James, saying, "James, the son of Alphaeus, was thrown from the pinnacle when he was giving instruction to the Jews in Jerusalem, and was then stoned to death near the temple."

  • Death of Matthias in the Bible

He is the disciple who replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:12-26). According to one tradition, he was stoned to death by cannibals in Ethiopia (Georgia). Another tradition states that he was stoned by the Jews in Jerusalem and then beheaded.

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