(May 20, 2024 at 6:32 am)Fake Messiah Wrote:(May 20, 2024 at 6:02 am)h311inac311 Wrote: The fact that most of the early apostles proved that they were willing to die for their faith does add something to the veracity of their claims.
There is no evidence that apostles died for Jesus or their faith. Not even the Bible makes that claim (Bible mentions deaths of two apostles: James and Judas). There were later legends of how each apostles died invented by Christians because they love inventing stories and then believe in them as if they are true. Like, Christians invented thousands of saints and their biographies and then believe in them as if they really existed and died for their faith. Take saint Christopher - he never existed.
An excerpt from Church History Book II from author Eusebius, a 4th century church historian.
The Roman Tertullian is likewise a witness of this. He writes as follows: Examine your records. There you will find that Nero was the first that persecuted this doctrine, particularly then when after subduing all the east, he exercised his cruelty against all at Rome. We glory in having such a man the leader in our punishment. For whoever knows him can understand that nothing was condemned by Nero unless it was something of great excellence.
5. Thus publicly announcing himself as the first among God's chief enemies, he was led on to the slaughter of the apostles. It is, therefore, recorded that Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified under Nero. This account of Peter and Paul is substantiated by the fact that their names are preserved in the cemeteries of that place even to the present day.
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250102.htm
These words come from someone on my side of the debate so of course they will be dis-regarded as bias.
Beyond that, the well has already been poisoned against all believers, so what can any of us say in our defense?
