That's merely a tradition. The only written reference to "paul's" death - and "peter's" too, for that matter is in first Clement which merely says:
Nothing about execution. There's also a tradition that "paul" went to Spain. There could be a tradition that he went to Mars. So what? It's just a tradition, there is no evidence behind it.
I suspect the reason that Acts does not deal with the issue is because that part of the yarn had not been written yet. Remember, it was Marcion who popularized "paul's" epistles. A lot of editing would have been needed to make that stuff conform to the tales being put out by the so-called proto-orthodox to borrow Bart Ehrman's term. For one thing, Marcion was exceedingly anti-semitic. A jew who rejected his own people would have been quite useful for Marcion but causes some obvious problems for the proto-orthodox. Perhaps Acts was merely a trial balloon?
Quote:1Clem 5:6
having taught righteousness unto the whole world and having reached
the farthest bounds of the West; and when he had borne his testimony
before the rulers, so he departed from the world and went unto the
holy place, having been found a notable pattern of patient endurance.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/te...tfoot.html
Nothing about execution. There's also a tradition that "paul" went to Spain. There could be a tradition that he went to Mars. So what? It's just a tradition, there is no evidence behind it.
I suspect the reason that Acts does not deal with the issue is because that part of the yarn had not been written yet. Remember, it was Marcion who popularized "paul's" epistles. A lot of editing would have been needed to make that stuff conform to the tales being put out by the so-called proto-orthodox to borrow Bart Ehrman's term. For one thing, Marcion was exceedingly anti-semitic. A jew who rejected his own people would have been quite useful for Marcion but causes some obvious problems for the proto-orthodox. Perhaps Acts was merely a trial balloon?
