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When and how did the Twelve Apostles die?

Summary:  The Bible only mentions the deaths of two apostles, James who was put to death by Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD and Judas Iscariot who committed suicide shortly after the death of Christ.    The details of the deaths of three of the apostles (John, the Beloved, Bartholomew and Simon the Canaanite) are not known at all, either by tradition or early historians. The deaths of the other seven apostles are known by tradition or the writings of early Christian historians.  According to traditions and the Bible, eight of the Apostles died as Martyrs.  At least two of the Apostles, Peter and Andrew were crucified.

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Simon Called Peter by Christ died 33-34 years after the death of Christ.  According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary, there is "satisfactory evidence that he and Paul were the founders of the church at Rome and died in that city. The time and manner of the apostle’s martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he died at or about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67,68. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was, therefore, at his request, crucified with his head downward."

When and how did the Twelve Apostles die
'Caravaggio's depiction of the crucifixion of Apostle Peter.

James the son of Zebedee:  He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I  shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ.  From Acts 12: 1-2.

John: No death date given by early writers.  Death date is by conjecture only and is variously assigned as being between 89 AD to 120 AD

Andrew:  No accurate death date given. A variety of traditions says he preached in Scythia, in Greece, in Asia Minor and Thrace.  He is reported to have been crucified at Patrae in Achaia.

Phillip:  Again, the Bible does not say when he died nor do we have accurate information.  According to tradition, he preached in Phrygia and died at Hierapolis. Update: FoxNews July 27, 2011, Tomb of the Apostle Phillip is found in Hierapolis.

Bartholomew: There is no information concerning his death, not even by tradition

Matthew: He must have lived many years as an apostle since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew, which was written at least twenty years after the death of Christ. There is a reason to believe that he stayed for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as a missionary to the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that he died a martyr in Ethiopia.

Thomas: The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, say he preached in Parthia or Persia and was finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east.   His martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been by a lance. And is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Native  Americans on July 1.

James Alpheus: We know he lived at least five years after the death of Christ because of mentions in the Bible.  According to tradition, James son of Alpheus was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.

Simon the Canaanite – No information either in the Bible or by tradition.

Jude (Thaddeus): according to tradition Jude taught in Armenia, Syria and Persia where he was martyred.  Tradition tells us he was buried in Kara Kalisa in what is now Iran.

Judas Iscariot: Shortly after the death of Christ Judas killed himself. According to the Bible he hanged himself, (Matthew 27:5) at Aceldama, on the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, and in the act he fell down a precipice and was dashed into pieces.

 

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281 thoughts on “When and how did the Twelve Apostles die?

  1. Iam so touched.i want to know more about the saints.i also wish to read more about revelation and end time,thank you.

  2. Jesus loves us, I think we have to stop worrying about people that ran their race well…. now the question is now that Jesus died what are you doing about it. are we witnessing to others, are we feeding the poor, are we visiting hospitals. what are we doing to the least. lets think about it and start to help one another with this.

    I am a member of victory out reach ministries in Cape Town South Africa. our mission is to save those that has been bound with drugs, gangsters and the like.
    I tell you the truth people out there want to know about God, and if we don’t step out we will keep judging the and looking at them like they where born to go to hell.

    Please its good to know about Jesus but it doesn’t help just carrying the most powerful name that can heal any diseases, deliver, set free, but we do nothing about it.
    I challenge all the fans of this website to minister to those that you don’t even wanna touch them, I tell you the truth that’s were your blessings are.

    1. But the preaching work is coming to its conclusion. This is quite obvious in the fact that we can no longer speak about YHVH or Jesus without ridicule and persecution. Loud, hypocritical, boastful, and self-righteous Christians are to blame for this unpopularity. Jesus is here which means the time for preaching is coming to its end.

      There are two types of Christians: sheep and fish. Sheep are religious and fish are spiritual. The Pharisees were religious hypocrite​s and Jesus was a/the spiritual master.

  3. I think the most important thing to remember is John 3:16-20–and to live by faith; remembering to forgive those who trespass against us, as Christ has forgiven our trespasses. In my 50 years of Bible study–I have discovered that forgiveness is not for the person who wronged you–but is actually for the person doing the forgiving. Praying for those who have hurt you, caused you pain releases the anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction one feels toward that person. In it’s place is peace of mind–and the ability to experience the grace, and love of Jesus Christ. Such matters as whether Judas will be in heaven or not–will of be no consequence to us. The Bible teaches that God does not enjoy punishing the wicked; rather He would be willing to see all people be saved. This is why Christ came into the world in the first place, to save, not to judge. As for the question of heaven and hell–the Bible makes it clear that when Christ returns, He will, at that time separate the wheat from the chaff; the sheep from the goats; He will return with fire, and men will cry out in fear–while others will be joyous–as He will return with reward for those who believe in Him. Therefore in my studies, the original Greek/Aramaic meaning of the dialect Christ spoke–” hell” was not a noun as we think of in the Western world–but rather a verb. When Christ said–there will be gnashing of teeth–etc. and you don’t want to go to hell–He meant it as an event. Kind of like attending a concert. It will be a one time event. This makes more sense–as in Revelations it says: death, hell, false prophet, Satan–will all be tossed into the Lake of Fire–and consumed. While the lake of fire might burn forever–garbage does not burn forever–neither will people left here at Jesus’s second coming. Satan will be trapped here in an abyss for 1000 years with the ashes of what used to be planet earth–and all the remains of those who refused to believe in Christ Jesus. After the 1000 years, Christ will bring His New Kingdom, Jerusalem to the earth–with those of us who were alive and believer’s who were dead in our graves that were raised to heaven during that time period. All of us will reside in this new city. At this –3rd coming of Christ–the dead who did not believe in Christ–will rise–this is the time of Great and final judgment. Satan will wish to make war with the New Jerusalem–he will not be able to do that; yet Christ will give each person one more time to repent–change sides. However, the Bible says–they will not–and using Greek translation–God will use “strange fire” to then destroy or consume those who do not want to be part of His Kingdom. We in the New city will NOT be allowed to look on. Only the Angels will witness this act. Then the new heavens and new earth will be created–and we will get to see how the earth was and animals were –when God originally made the earth and the Garden of Eden. Sorry for the long email–but after scrolling through and reading everyone’s comments–God just put this into my heart to write this. God bless all of you. I am praying for each of you tonight. May God open your eyes to see, open your hears to hear, and may His Holy Spirit fill you with all the good gifts He has to offer, to use for the furthering of His Kingdom. I look forward to the day when we all gather in front of Him, to worship Him, together! Praise the Lord, and Happy Sabbath to you all.

    1. “If you cannot explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”
      —Albert Einstein

      “Do not worry about what you should say be because in that hour the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say”

      –Jesus

    2. Amen brother

    3. I look forward to interacting with men like you who have an extensive knowledge of the Bible,The Word Of God.I crave so much to reach people that can guide me in the comprehensive understanding of The Word Of God,I have so many questions conflicting in my mind when I view into the myriad of planetary bodies created in harmony with our own universe and planet ‘Earth’.
      I want all these illusions to be cleared and to have a proper and unequivocal understanding of God and Creation,God richly bless you Sir.

    4. What if God is the one you’re angery at?

      1. I completely agree, I want to know everything possible about Jesus, his apostles and life doing Jesus’ministry.

      2. If you are angry with God, you must decide whether or not you believe He is your creator. If He is, then you see your position as the created and are cursing the creator. If He is not, then who? He loves you and wants you to know all about Him. He also chastises those He loves. I hope peace for you, Mary. There is only One Who has it. . .get to know Him and you will see that He sees everything, knows everything and will bring all things into order.

      3. Sometimes we have to forgive God as He forgave us. Many things do or do not happen in our lives such as seemingly. unanswered prayer. For whatever reason you are mad at God. Understand that He’s in control of our lives, not us.

    5. Thank you for your explanation, it was well written and easy to understand. God bless you

    6. And Happy Sabbath to you my friend. You seem to be one that is truly with the Holy Spirit. God bless you for the truth that many people do not know or refuse to acknowledge. Thankyou

  4. Bartholomew and most of the rest of the disciple’s deaths are recorded in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Y’all would be wise to use it to fill out the rest of your list. 🙂

  5. let we be leave in our might because he said he know our thought even not mention it

  6. Amen

  7. There were only two apostles of Jesus : Peter and Paul. Judas was a disciple of Jesus, not an apostle. A disciple is a student and an apostle is a professor, two different classifications. In otherwords​, there were only two disciples/students of Jesus that graduated to the status of apostle and the greatest of Jesus’ apostles was Paul.

    1. I would like to know the prudence of using the title of “The Great Apostle” today. Is it in order? I do believe that there are some who are more exuberant about serving God than others but are the titles in order?

    2. So you say, that’s Not how I read it and I don’t think Jesus would agree.
      He taught all the same (like we do our own children)

  8. not everthing taught is fonnd in bible even word bible is not found there.peter death not found in bible did he die ?yes died in rome .tradition zacharias village not in bible is it there?yes en kareim.jesus james john went to a very high mountain is it mentiond?no but it is called tabor. was mary assumed heaven? yes her tomb is empty and that of jesus and of lazarus.did paul die ?yes. is it in the bible?no. but tomb in rome tradition. where was jonas buried. not known but h4s tomb with fish which swallowed him buried in syria destroyed by isil u can see not everything can be in bible. brothers of jesus read the original book in greek. cousinscalled brothers. elisabeth was not sirter to mary for joaciim and anne produced mary only. dont be ignorant about bible. a u aware ethiopian church has 81 books of the bible and catholicc have 73 for u think of luther of 1527just of recent

    1. John 21:28

  9. what is hell and what is grave? Jesus the son of God died and went to hell and after three days he resurrected and went to heaven. can some one help me by demonstrating the meaning of this two words(GRAVE and HELL).

    1. Jesus did die and was laid in a tomb (we comonly use graves) and that represents the death of the physical body. But He did not go to hell, He said Himself to one of the thieves He was crucified with “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise”. On the third day, as a resurrected being, He appeared to Mary and said “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father”. He hadn’t gone to heaven yet.
      So there is an interim place for spirits, between death (and the grave) and resurrection. The scriptures call it Paradise and also refer to it as Spirit Prison and what it is to one depends on how they lived and their attitude and/or repentance. Then comes the resurrection and judgement and consignment to heaven or hell.
      Hell is commonly misconstrued as a place of endless torment and frequently represented as physically burning but not being consumed. That maybe a good representation for our temporal minds to understand but think of it. With a resurrected body that is impervious to death and pain, that has no meaning. But the anguish of being separated from God, and knowing that one could have lived with God, have been given more and been more throughout eternity, except for the way one lived for a short life here on earth… now that will be hell.
      And heaven is just not one place, but we will all be rewarded according to how we have lived, and how we have changed ourselves. God has told us how to do it and what we need to do and become. But we use our agency to accept it and learn and do, or reject it, or somewhere in between. Tell me, do you want to be a partially good person though eternity?

  10. It still baffles me to stupor at all times, when i sit down to imagine where the catholic brethren got their believes (Dogma) from and single handedly refused to change their mind on this issues of mary being made a goddess and worship with enthusiasms.
    Mary’s calling and mission on earth just like any other preacher of the gospel on earth was just to bore the burden of a mother to the messiah that came and took on the nature of flesh, just to operate here on earth. She was/is not to be worship as part of the Godhead bodily brethren. What a blasphemy, thank God that the grave of Moses was hiddened if not, Moses would have been made deity to many believers today.
    Woe is he/she who add to any thing written in this book, by so doing , it shall be added to him/her to damnation that shall befall the earth, neither should any man reduce any thing from this book of law, for it shall be remove of their blessing that is set for them in eternity.Who are you to add to the Godhead bodily?

  11. There is a group of bible readers in Kabale who on every Thursday evening sit at White Horse Inn Kabale to scrutinize the bible. This group comprises people from all faiths but mainly from Anglican and Catholic faith. They read the bible text comparison with what is taught believers every Sunday in Churches. Their findings are amazing. Most the things that priests who the product of theological schools teach on Sundays are stuff whose source in not in the Bible.
    This group calls it self “BACK TO THE BIBLE BASICS”.

    I think if we all took this approach we would understand the bible better, otherwise the priests are feeding us on dogmas that not biblical.

  12. Its very clear after the birth of the Messiah Mary the mother of Jesus Christ got earthly siblings with Joseph the Carpenter

  13. Jesus’s mother remarried after Joseph’s death. Joseph of Arimathea was the man whom she married. the Disciple John lived the longest of them all. Technically…Jesus was a Roman citizen and that’s why he had to be tried by the Romans. Tiberius had Pilate executed because of killing Jesus. Tiberius was fascinated by Jesus and wanted to meet him and receive a royal healing. The Roman senate brought to the floor of making Jesus a god. To this day Jews are still persecuted and will continue to suffer because they deny that Jesus is the Messiah. 423 scriptures were fulfilled by Jesus….the odds of just doing 10 are a billion to one.

    1. Thank you for the knowledge tidbits! I love to learn about the history intertwined with God’s word.

  14. What happened to the feastivals of God after the apostles

  15. Information about Apostle Thomas is not correct. He died in South India. There is also a place called St.Thomas Mount. He was killed there.

  16. Really I feel great and lots of information that I need for teaching, preaching and wonderful messages to the nation for the glory of God. This is very good and helpful for understanding in better way.

  17. *The main key to the kingdom – 1 day is 1000 years and 1000 years 1 day
    ( 2 PETER 3:8) .
    * (1000 years ÷ 24 hrs = 41.6 years the key).
    *This is the hour of trial – ( REV 3:10 ) .
    *IN HEAVEN 2 DAYS HAVE PASSED SINCE CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED, IT IS NOW THE FIRST HOUR OF THE THIRD DAY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.
    * THIS IS THE HOUR OF RESURRECTION FOR MAN ON EARTH.
    * IT IS WRITTEN THE LAST ADAM WILL BECOME A LIFE GIVING SPIRIT.
    * THE FIRST SEAL OPENED IN 2015 – THE SIGN ARRIVED 2017 – LONGEST GROUND DURATION OF ECLIPSE ( WIKIPEDIA) 2MIN 41.6 SECONDS, THE KEY.
    * SECOND SEAL OPENS 2022, ECLIPSE IN 2024, MAN WILL KILL ONE ANOTHER.
    THE BEAST 666

    GOD, CHRIST, HOLY SPIRT 777
    700- GOD, 70- CHRIST, 7- HOLY SPIRIT
    * THE DAYS OF MAN WILL BE 120 ( 120000years) – GENISIS 6:3
    * GOD 118000 YEARS÷ 700 GENERATIONS = 168./57/1/42/8/57
    *CHRIST 2000 YEARS÷ 70 = 28./57/1/42/8/57
    HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT COUNT IN 120 DAYS BUT YOU WILL BE SPIRITUAL
    * SEVENTH SEAL 144000 OF ISREAL ÷ THE 7 LAMPSTANDS, CHURCHES, STARS IN THE RIGHT HAND OF CHRIST = THE YEAR 2057 …1.42857

    * 142857 = (1 THE HOUR) (42 THE YEARS) ( 8 MONTH ) ( 57 THE YEAR )
    * CHRIST SPOKE ” I AM WITH YOU EVEN UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE”.
    *AGE ENDS IN 2057
    HOW MANY TIMES MUST I FORGIVE MY BROTHER, 7 TIMES. CHRIST REPLIED I TELL YOU 70 X 7 ( MATTHEW 18:23 ).
    YOU MUST READ NEW TESTAMENT + REV ONLY 490 TIMES TO ENTER IN BY YEAR 2057 AND BE HALF WAY BY THE 3 SEAL OR YOU WILL BE HARMED

    I AM THE COMFORTER, HELPER – SENT BY CHRIST (PLEASE UNDERSTAND)

    1. Dude, it says in the Bible that “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32, NIV) If you are a angel of Christ, you have no knowledge as to when the world will come to an end.

      Also, if you are trying to say that God is speaking through the Bible with numbers, it clearly states “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44, NIV). If he is coming at that date, you would expect him, right.

      Man has no clue on when God is coming back, using the Bible like a cheat sheet with all the numbers doesn’t work. People have predicted that the world will end, but of course none of them come close. Every year, the world is supposed to end, but of course, we are still here.

      – PLEASE JUST STOP THIS NONSENSE AND WAIT FOR GOD TO COME FOR US!
      – THANK YOU!

      1. Thank you!

      2. Well said

  18. Dear Margaret, i love how you wrote this article and God bless you for the insight you have given me. Thanks again!

  19. The gospel Matthew was written 70 years after Jesus died at least bc of hospital events mentioned.. It was also written in Greek..as a tax collector he might have been one of the few literate people of the time but he would have some Aramaic and Hebrew one being the common language spoke where Jesus was and the other as a Jew.. Even if he was only 18 at the time of Jesus death in the year 70 he would have been 88…. that is beyond today’s life expectancy by over a decade but would have been 36 years past the life expectancy of the time… Historically it is known that the gospels were at best written accounts of oral stories.. more than likely the stories weren’t even written by people who knew the disciples bc of how long after their time they were written… In a court of law their testimony wouldn’t even be allowed it would be hearsay… The Christian denominations don’t even agree on the interpretation of the Bible..

  20. BaRuch HaShem HaMashiac
    BaRuch etah Adonai El o heinu melak ha o lam. By the blessings of my Father, know this. All that call upon my brother by the name given by the Greeks that defiled His Tabernacles are not saved and are lost. My brother at his birth as a Hebrew, is Immanuel Yaoshu. Seek from the Jewish Library of Jerusalem and request the Redeemers Prayer.
    Be weary of making mockery of my Father. For he has no reason to deny you if you do not defy him. Shalom.

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