The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus

by Sean McDowell

Overview

The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe written in the sixteenth century has long been the go-to source for studying the lives and martyrdom of the apostles. While other scholars have written individual treatments on the more prominent apostles such as Peter, Paul, John, and James, there is little published information on the other apostles. In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell offers a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the Twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostles Paul and James, the brother of Jesus. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle’s martyrdom as well as determining its significance to the reliability of their testimony. The question of the fate of the apostles also gets to the heart of the reliability of the kerygma: Did the apostles really believe Jesus appeared to them after his death, or did they fabricate the entire story? How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies. In this thoroughly updated new edition, McDowell offers insightful scholarly analysis of this argument to break new ground within the spheres of New Testament studies, Church History, and apologetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032580548
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/17/2024
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	346
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sean McDowell is an Associate Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books. He is an internationally recognized speaker, best-selling author, popular YouTuber, and was “Educator of the Year” for his hometown, San Juan Capistrano, in 2008.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction  2. The Centrality of the Resurrection  3. The Twelve Apostles  4. Persecution in the Early Church  5. The Martyrdom of Peter  6. The Martyrdom of Paul  7. The Martyrdom of James, the Brother of Jesus  8. The Martyrdom of James, Son of Zebedee  9. The Martyrdom of John, Son of Zebedee  10. The Martyrdom of Andrew  11. The Martyrdom of Philip  12. The Martyrdom of Bartholomew  13. The Martyrdom of Matthew  14. The Martyrdom of Thomas  15. The Martyrdom of James, Son of Alphaeus  16. The Martyrdom of Thaddeus  17. The Martyrdom of Simon the Zealot  18. The Martyrdom of Matthias  19. Conclusion  Index

Editorial Reviews

'Even if one disagrees, as I do, with many of Sean's conclusions about the fate of the apostles and the implications for debate regarding Jesus’s resurrection, his book remains a very useful, convenient collection and discussion of the traditions about the fate of Jesus's followers. Since the first edition, Sean has reassessed a few of the traditions about the apostles and responded to objections. The Fate of the Apostles will reward anyone interested in the history of the early church and in issues surrounding Jesus's resurrection.'

- Dale C. Allison, Jr., Princeton Seminary, author of The Resurrection of Jesus 

Praise for the first edition:

’Jesus forewarned his disciples of the persecution they would face. So, it’s not surprising to find stories of their martyrdom peppered throughout Church history. Many of these stories are late and unbelievable, at least in their entirety. So, what can we know about the fates of the apostles? As far as I’m aware, there has never been a thorough and careful historical investigation that provides an answer to this important question - until now... [A] welcome volume for scholars and laypeople alike. This book is an enjoyable read and provides a wealth of knowledge.’

- Michael Licona, Houston Baptist University, USA

’A much needed correction to excesses on both sides of the debate: those who uncritically pass on pious legends about early Christian suffering and martyrdom and those who adopt radical revisionist approaches to history and sources and deny or relativize the evidence, in order to claim that martyrdom and persecution were not widespread in the Roman Empire or were not significantly different from the martyrdoms experienced by other people. Readers of Professor McDowell’s book will appreciate his careful method and exacting use of historical sources, as well as his balanced and fair assessment of both ancient evidence and modern scholarly discussion. His conclusion that several of Jesus’ original followers suffered martyrdom because of their belief in Jesus, based on their first-hand experience of his resurrection, is wholly persuasive.’ 

- Craig A. Evans, Acadia Divinity College, USA

'Even if one disagrees, as I do, with many of Sean's conclusions about the fate of the apostles and the implications for debate regarding Jesus’s resurrection, his book remains a very useful, convenient collection and discussion of the traditions about the fate of Jesus's followers. Since the first edition, Sean has reassessed a few of the traditions about the apostles and responded to objections. The Fate of the Apostles will reward anyone interested in the history of the early church and in issues surrounding Jesus's resurrection.'

- Dale C. Allison, Jr., Princeton Seminary, author of The Resurrection of Jesus

Praise for the first edition:

'Jesus forewarned his disciples of the persecution they would face. So, it’s not surprising to find stories of their martyrdom peppered throughout Church history. Many of these stories are late and unbelievable, at least in their entirety. So, what can we know about the fates of the apostles? As far as I’m aware, there has never been a thorough and careful historical investigation that provides an answer to this important question - until now... [A] welcome volume for scholars and laypeople alike. This book is an enjoyable read and provides a wealth of knowledge.’

- Michael Licona, Houston Baptist University, USA

'A much needed correction to excesses on both sides of the debate: those who uncritically pass on pious legends about early Christian suffering and martyrdom and those who adopt radical revisionist approaches to history and sources and deny or relativize the evidence, in order to claim that martyrdom and persecution were not widespread in the Roman Empire or were not significantly different from the martyrdoms experienced by other people. Readers of Professor McDowell’s book will appreciate his careful method and exacting use of historical sources, as well as his balanced and fair assessment of both ancient evidence and modern scholarly discussion. His conclusion that several of Jesus’ original followers suffered martyrdom because of their belief in Jesus, based on their first-hand experience of his resurrection, is wholly persuasive.’

- Craig A. Evans, Acadia Divinity College, USA

From the Publisher