Go and Make Disciples of All Nations

Jesus’ last words to his disciples were,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 28:20)

Jesus

And this is exactly what they did. They went to different places in the world, teaching the “Good News.” We are told some things about their lives after Pentecost but we know little about how the apostles died. Of the twelve, Scripture tells us of the deaths of only two of these men: James and Judas.

Judas the Traitor

To start the list of the death of the Apostles with Judas the Traitor is more because we all know the story. Some might say that Judas was not an apostle, but we do add him here because he was one of the original 12 disciples.

Judas, overtaken by guilt and without an understanding of Jesus’ forgiveness, committed suicide. (Matthew 27:3; Matthew 27:4; Matthew 27:5).

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying,

“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

Judas

They said,

“What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed and went and hanged himself.

The Death of the Other Apostles

In answer to the question, How Did the Apostles Die? we’ll go to the other ten original apostles giving what information we have found about how they died.

Saint Peter

Because Jesus said to Peter,

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,”

Jesus

the Catholic Church believes Peter to have been the first pope.

Church tradition tells us that Peter was killed by Emperor Nero in approximately 64 AD.

A second-century apocryphal text called Acts of Peter was the first account claiming Peter was crucified upside down, which was apparently because he didn’t consider himself worthy of dying the same death as Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, although somewhat cryptically, tells Peter of this destiny when He says,

“Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (John 21:18)

Jesus

Saint Peter was martyred on a cross. He requested to be crucified head downward for he believed that he was not worthy to die in the same way as Jesus had died.

Peter was approximately 64 years old when he died.

His apostolic symbol is a cross upside down with crossed keys.

Saint James the Greater

Saint James the Greater was the first apostle to be martyred for following Jesus. His death is one of the only two apostles’ death that is recorded in Scripture. In Acts 12:1; Acts 1:2, it is written,

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.”

The Jews wanted to prevent Christianity from spreading and King Herod was eager to acquire popularity with them. He believed that persecuting Christians would help him accomplish this popularity. Scholars generally believe James was killed in Jerusalem in 44 AD.

In the fourth century, Eusebius of Caesarea quoted Clement of Alexandria about James’ death:

“It appears that the guard who brought him into court was so moved when he saw him testify that he confessed that he, too, was a Christian. So they were both taken away together and on the way, he asked James to forgive him. James thought for a moment, then he said ‘I wish you peace,’ and kissed him. So both were beheaded at the same time.” (Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History)

Saint James was approximately 40 years old when he was martyred.

His apostolic symbol is a sword.

Saint Philip

Because many Christians confused Philip the Apostle with Philip the Evangelist, an accurate account of Philip’s death is not certain. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that stories are different and it is not clear which story refers to which Philip.

While it is not certain how the apostle, Philip, died, it is believed that he died around 80 AD in the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis. Polycrates of Ephesus.

The Acts of Philip offers the most thorough account of his death.

This account tells that Philip converted the wife of an Official of Ancient Rome. The official became so angry at this that he had both Philip and Bartholomew crucified upside down. While hanging there, Philip preached. The crowd became encouraged by his preaching and asked that he be released. The Official released Bartholomew but not Philip.

One of the symbols of Saint Philip is a basket, because of his part in the feeding of the five thousand.

Saint Bartholomew

There is more than one version of how the Apostle Bartholomew’s died. It is almost certain he was martyred but there are several ways his martyrdom occurred. Saint Bartholomew was probably martyred—but like many of the apostles, there are several ways it may have happened. The most well-known account is that he was scourged and then beheaded.

Another account is in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs which claims that in India,

“He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.”

The Golden Legend (Lives of the Saints) notes several accounts:

“There be diverse opinions of the manner of his passion. For the blessed Dorotheus saith that he was crucified, and saith also: Bartholomew preached to men of India and delivered to them the gospel after Matthew in their proper tongue. He died in Alban, a city of great Armenia, crucified the head downward.

Saint Theodorus saith that he was flayed, and it is read in many books that he was beheaded only. And this contrariety may be assoiled in this manner, that some say that he was crucified and was taken down ere he died, and for to have greater torment he was flayed and at the last beheaded.”

Saint Thomas

There is little debate regarding the death of Saint Thomas. The Acts of Thomas tells us that he was martyred in Mylapore, India, where he was stabbed with spears. Syrian Christian tradition specifies Thomas was martyred in Mylapore on July 3, 72 AD, noting that he was killed with a spear.

An early ecclesiastical calendar entry reads:

“3 July, Saint Thomas who was pierced with a lance in ‘India’.”

There is no further information or tradition regarding his death.

Thomas was approximately 61 years old when he died.

His apostolic symbol is a spear.

Saint Matthew

Like most of the other apostles, there are a few inconsistent accounts of Saint Matthew’s death. There are several differing accounts of how this apostle died. Clement of Alexandria quotes Heracleon, one of the earliest commentators on the New Testament, as saying that Matthew died naturally:

“But neither will this utterance be found to be spoken universally; for all the saved have confessed with the confession made by the voice, and departed. Of whom are Matthew, Philip, Thomas, Levi, and many others.” (Stromata)

However, most scholars don’t accept Heracleon’s account. Because they are closer to the time when the events actually happened, earlier records are considered to be more dependable. Earlier accounts agree that Saint Matthew was martyred. Disagreement is in that they do not agree on how or where this occurred. The choices are, burned, beheaded, stoned, or stabbed.

John Foxe’s famous Book of Martyr’s record of Matthew states:

“The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.”

Saint James the Lesser

Saint James the Lesser was a significant leader in the Church, but James son of Alphaeus (James the Lesser), was mentioned only twice in Scripture and is one of the most ambiguous apostles. As with some of the other apostles, there is disagreement about how James son of Alphaeus died.

Tradition tells us that while he was preaching, he was pushed from the peak of a temple, beaten with a club, and then stoned to death. Another tradition, however, claims that he preached in Egypt and was crucified there, in the city of Ostrakine.

Hippolytus, a theologian who lived in the second and third centuries, allegedly recorded James’ death in On the Twelve Apostles of Christ:  “And James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there. He died in 62 AD.

James the Lesser’s apostolic symbol is a Carpenter’s saw and a fuller’s club.

Saint Simon the Zealot

Saint Simon the Zealot is one of the vaguest apostles. Although he was one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus, other than being named in the lists of the apostles, nothing more is told of him in the Gospels. There are many accounts of Simon’s death but since the earliest account did not come until centuries after his death, it is difficult to know which is reliable.

In the fifth century, Moses of Chorene wrote that Simon the Zealot was martyred in the Kingdom of Iberia.

The Golden Legend says he was martyred in Persia in 65 AD.

Ethiopian Christians believe he was crucified in Samaria.

In the sixteenth century, Justus Lipsius claimed he was sawed in half.

Eastern tradition claims he died of old age in Edessa.

So, in actuality, it is not known for certain how he died.

Saint John

Saint John is considered to be the only apostle to die of old age. As Jesus was dying, he commended His mother, Mary to His beloved disciple, John. After Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, John went to Ephesus. There he wrote his three epistles. From Ephesus, he was banished to the island of Patmos.

It was there, where he wrote he wrote the Book of Revelations. He eventually returned to Ephesus where he died a natural death.

Tertullian, a Christian writer from the late second and early third century, wrote that before the Romans banished John, they brought him into a coliseum and dunked him in a vat of boiling oil. When he emerged unharmed, the entire coliseum converted to Christianity. This is why some iconography shows John in a vat of boiling oil.

Saint Jude

It is customarily believed that Saint Jude was martyred in Syria when on his missionary journey with Simon the Zealot. Since this tradition comes from the account given in Acts of Simon and Jude, it is not considered absolute. In the story of Saint Jude, we read more about his background and life.

In Conclusion, How Did the Apostles Die?

The question “How Did the Apostles Die?” is as you can read not easy to answer. Accounts of the death of some of the apostles are considered Church history and not debated. Accounts of the deaths of other apostles are contradictory so how these apostles died may be questionable. What is not questionable is the love these men had for Jesus and their dedication to preaching His word.

Resources How Did the Apostles Die?

Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History; https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eusebius-of-Caesarea
The Acts of Philip; https://www.gnosis.org/library/actphil.htm
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs; https://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/home.html
The Golden Legend; https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/bartholomew.htm
The Acts of Thomas; https://www.gnosis.org/library/actthom.htm
Heracleon; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleon
Hippolytus, On the Twelve Apostles of Christ; https://biblehub.com/library/hippolytus/the_extant_works_and_fragments_of_hippolytus/hippolytus_on_the_twelve_apostles_.htm
The Acts of Simon and Jude ~ The Golden legend; https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/simonAndJude.htm
Moses of Chorene; https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10598a.htm
Justice Lipsius; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justus_Lipsius