Which apostle was martyred first

Not only was he one of the twelve chosen disciples of Jesus, but he was also one of three men in Christ's inner circle. The others were James' brother John and Simon Peter. One more great distinction of the apostle James was to be the first to die a martyr's death. James was among the first of the twelve disciples. They immediately left their father and their business to follow the young rabbi. James was probably the older of the two brothers because he is always mentioned first. Three times James, John, and Peter were invited by Jesus to witness events no one else saw: the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead Mark , the transfiguration Matthew , and Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Matthew But James was not above making mistakes.

When a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, he and John wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the place. This earned them the nickname "Boanerges," or "sons of thunder. James' zeal for Jesus resulted in his being the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred.

Two other men named James appear in the New Testament : James, the son of Alphaeus , another of Christ's chosen apostles; and James, the brother of the Lord , a leader in the Jerusalem church and author of the book of James. In spite of everything James experienced as a disciple of Jesus, his faith remained weak until after the resurrection.

Once, when he and his brother asked Jesus for the privilege of sitting beside him in glory, Jesus promised them only a share in his suffering Mark — They were learning that the greatest calling of a servant of Jesus is to serve others. Skip to main content Accessibility feedback article. Download Share. Herod vs. Gallows Humor? And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.

He died in either late A. Luke records: Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and remained there. Enjoying this content? Please support our mission! How did Paul die? Specifically, he was the apostle to the Gentiles Romans Numerous early church fathers wrote that he was beheaded by emperor Nero, which would mean it had to be sometime before 68 AD.

An apocryphal work from the second century known as The Acts of Paul says that Nero had Paul decapitated. Other early Christian writers support these claims and provide some additional details like where it happened Rome and where he was buried the Ostian Way at Rome. Learn more about the apostles The apostles were some of the most important leaders in the movement which became Christianity. But most people only know a handful of their names —let alone what the Bible says about them, or what they accomplished.

We explore the apostles in greater detail in Who Were the 12 Apostles? Check it out. Explore the Bible with us! We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible.

How Did the Apostles Die? Shortly after, his followers said he had been resurrected, and they began preaching the gospel. This simultaneously sparked the movement that became Christianity and made them targets for the same persecution Jesus faced. Some of them would eventually die the same way he did. Is there a particular apostle you want to learn about? Peter was crucified, but with a twist: they hung his cross upside down.

How did Andrew die? How did James die? How did John die? John is traditionally regarded as the only apostle to die of old age. Do you wish you knew the Bible better? How did Bartholomew die? Bartholomew was probably martyred—but like many of the apostles, there are several ways it may have happened. The most popular and prolific tradition is that he was flayed and then beheaded, which is why most art portraying him either shows him holding or wearing his skin, or associates him with flaying knives.

Pretty gross, right? But there are other records of his death, too. How did James son of Alphaeus die? James son of Alphaeus is only mentioned twice in the Bible and was one of the most obscure apostles, but James the Just was an important leader in the early church. Ethiopian Christians believe he was crucified in Samaria. Another account says he was crucified in 61 AD in Britain. In the sixteenth century, Justus Lipsius claimed he was sawed in half.

Eastern tradition claims he died of old age in Edessa. Learn more about the apostles. The apostles were some of the most important leaders in the movement which became Christianity. In northern Spain a legend developed that he had travelled to the coast of Galicia in order to convert the local population.

After he was martyred in Jerusalem, his servant brought his body back to Galicia by sea. As the boat approached the shore, a startled horse threw its rider to the ground, and the man drowned. The servant prayed, and miraculously the man emerged alive from the water, covered in cockleshells, hence James's shell. In the early 9th century the bishop of the area claimed that God had told him where to find the body of St James.

He built a church on the site.