The High Cost of Following Christ: The Historical Deaths of the Apostles
In our recent reflections on John 21, we stood with Peter on the Galilean shore as the risen Lord asked, “Do you love me?”—then commissioned him with the sobering words, “When you are old, you will stretch out your hands… Follow me” (John 21:18–19). That prophecy was fulfilled under Nero’s brutal persecution. But Peter was not alone. The other apostles heard the same call. For conservative, Bible-believing Christians who hold the Scriptures as inerrant and authoritative, the historical deaths of the apostles are no mere footnote. They are living proof that these men did not invent a resurrection myth for personal gain. They saw the risen Christ with their own eyes—and they paid for that testimony with their blood. Only one apostle’s martyrdom is recorded in Scripture: James, the son of Zebedee. King Herod Agrippa “had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword” (Acts 12:2). He was the first of the Twelve to lay down his life. The rest of their stories come from early church trad...
