RE: Who Dies For A Lie?
January 13, 2015 at 9:16 pm
(This post was last modified: January 13, 2015 at 9:19 pm by Simon Moon.)
How did the apostles die?
Judas - either committed suicide by hanging himself, or fell and exploded. Depends on which Gospel you read.
John - died of old age.
James son of Zebedee - killed by sword by Herod. No further information given. How does one claim he was a martyr from this?
Simon Peter - The "Acts of Peter" claim that he accepted Crucifixion willingly. But many, including Eusebius, dismiss this book as spurious and heretical.
Andrew - supposedly martyred on an X shaped cross. But this info comes from the apocryphal 2nd century "Acts of Andrew". Eusebius dismiss this book as spurious and heretical.
Philip - According to the 4th century apocryphal "Acts of Philip", he died after being hung upside down. According to this source, Philip cursed his enemies and Jesus returned and rebuked him. No legitimate theologian takes this text seriously.
Bartholomer - The 3rd century bishop Hippolytus claims he was crucified in Armenia. A different tradition claims he was beheaded in India. Legitimate theologians the manner of his death is uncertain.
Thomas - Tradition holds that he was stabbed by a spear while preaching in India. This claim comes from local Christians and an apocryphal book "The Acts of Thomas. Legitimate theologians state that little is known about Thomas' life.
Matthew - Little is known about his later life. How he died is uncertain. The Christian History Institute says, “We have nothing but legend about Matthew’s death.”
James, son of Alphaeus - It isn't even known which James in the Gospels is identified with this apostle. Josephus says that James was stoned by the Pharisees. This is seconded by Hippolytus. However, other sources say that James son of Alphaeus was martyred by crucifixion in Egypt.
Jude/Lebbaeus Thaddaeus - Very conflicting traditions. The one that comes up most, is that he went to preach in Armenia with Simon. But this is a late development. Another says he was clubbed to death , yet the apocryphal "Acts of Thaddeus" says he died of natural causes. There is no reliable written sources for any of this.
Simon the Zealot - Western traditions hold that he was martyred in Persia with Jude, while Eastern tradition says he died naturally in Edessa. Other sources variously give his place of death as Samaria (Israel), or Iberia (Spain), or Colchis (Georgia), or even Britain. In these traditions, even the method of death are disputed.
Matthias - 14th-century historian Nicephorus, he died by crucifixion in Colchis. The 17th-century historian Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont says that he was stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem. According to the New Advent Catholic encyclopedia, “all… information concerning the life and death of Matthias is vague and contradictory”
So, where are all these apostles that willingly went to death for their beliefs again?
The truth of this claim is not born out by the facts.
Judas - either committed suicide by hanging himself, or fell and exploded. Depends on which Gospel you read.
John - died of old age.
James son of Zebedee - killed by sword by Herod. No further information given. How does one claim he was a martyr from this?
Simon Peter - The "Acts of Peter" claim that he accepted Crucifixion willingly. But many, including Eusebius, dismiss this book as spurious and heretical.
Andrew - supposedly martyred on an X shaped cross. But this info comes from the apocryphal 2nd century "Acts of Andrew". Eusebius dismiss this book as spurious and heretical.
Philip - According to the 4th century apocryphal "Acts of Philip", he died after being hung upside down. According to this source, Philip cursed his enemies and Jesus returned and rebuked him. No legitimate theologian takes this text seriously.
Bartholomer - The 3rd century bishop Hippolytus claims he was crucified in Armenia. A different tradition claims he was beheaded in India. Legitimate theologians the manner of his death is uncertain.
Thomas - Tradition holds that he was stabbed by a spear while preaching in India. This claim comes from local Christians and an apocryphal book "The Acts of Thomas. Legitimate theologians state that little is known about Thomas' life.
Matthew - Little is known about his later life. How he died is uncertain. The Christian History Institute says, “We have nothing but legend about Matthew’s death.”
James, son of Alphaeus - It isn't even known which James in the Gospels is identified with this apostle. Josephus says that James was stoned by the Pharisees. This is seconded by Hippolytus. However, other sources say that James son of Alphaeus was martyred by crucifixion in Egypt.
Jude/Lebbaeus Thaddaeus - Very conflicting traditions. The one that comes up most, is that he went to preach in Armenia with Simon. But this is a late development. Another says he was clubbed to death , yet the apocryphal "Acts of Thaddeus" says he died of natural causes. There is no reliable written sources for any of this.
Simon the Zealot - Western traditions hold that he was martyred in Persia with Jude, while Eastern tradition says he died naturally in Edessa. Other sources variously give his place of death as Samaria (Israel), or Iberia (Spain), or Colchis (Georgia), or even Britain. In these traditions, even the method of death are disputed.
Matthias - 14th-century historian Nicephorus, he died by crucifixion in Colchis. The 17th-century historian Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont says that he was stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem. According to the New Advent Catholic encyclopedia, “all… information concerning the life and death of Matthias is vague and contradictory”
So, where are all these apostles that willingly went to death for their beliefs again?
The truth of this claim is not born out by the facts.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
