Saturday, March 03, 2012

The Apostles and their fate


The fate of Christ apostles..
Peter worked among the Jews before he
eventually reached Rome, where he was traditionally the first bishop. Along with
the Apostle Paul, he may have been executed around AD64 during the persecutions
of Emperor Nero, or later in AD67. Apparently he was crucified, head-down, at
his own request. Later traditions claim that St. Peter's in Rome was built over
his grave.
Mathew was slain in Ethiopia by the sword.
Mark was dragged through the streets of alezdanra in Egypt until dead.
Luke was hanger on a Olive tree in Greece.
John was boiled in hot oil in Rome but lived and died of old age on the isle Ephues in Asia.
James the greater was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James the lesser was thrown from a pinnacle or wing of the temple then beaten to death with a club.
Phillip was hanged against a pillar in Heliopolis a city of phrygia.
Bartholomeo was was flayed alive by a barbarous king.
Thomas was run through with a lance in caromendel in the east indies.
Andrew was bound to a cross where he preached the gospel until he died.
St. Jude was shot to death with arrows.
Simon the zealot was crucified in Persia, modern day Iran.
Mathias was stoned and then beheaded.
Barnabas was stoned to death by Jews at Selina.
Paul was beheaded in Rome by Nero.Paul travelled
widely, made at least three major missionary journeys, wrote many letters of which thirteen still exist (some scholars dispute three of
them), and his life and work is touched upon in a variety of ways in his
letters. On returning to Jerusalem after his third journey, he was arrested and
during his subsequent trials, as a Roman citizen "appealed to Caesar" for
judgement - all covered by Acts 21-26. Chapters 27 and 28 then describe Paul's
voyage and journey to Rome in fascinating nautical detail. Thereafter his life,
and death is a matter of conjecture and tradition.
For some two
years after his arrival in Rome, he was under house-arrest, before possibly
being executed in the persecutions of Emperor Nero that followed the burning of
Rome in AD64. If so, Paul's authorship of the three "Pastoral Letters" - 1 and 2
Timothy, and Titus - can be open to doubt.
However, there
are strong traditions that on appeal to the Emperor on what was a Jewish
religious charge, he was acquitted. He remained free for perhaps three years,
revisiting Ephesus and other churches, and even going as far as Spain, before
being re-arrested and sentenced to death. In his cell, he wrote his last letter
- the Second Letter to Timothy - before execution around the year
AD67.
Tradition is he
was beheaded at a place now called Tre Fontane in Rome, and that the church of
St. Paul stands over his grave.
The apocryphal "Acts of
Paul" comes from the second
century. They describe Paul as "a man small of stature, with a bald head and
crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat
hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the
face of an angel!"
This was the fate of Christ's apostles'

1 comment:

Galla Creek said...

What do you think was Paul's affliction? His eyesight?