According to the 2021 World Watch List, 1 in 8 Christians around the world suffer persecution because of their faith. It’s a staggering number, approximately 340 Million Christians being victims of extreme persecution.
Jesus himself said “In the world you face persecution. But take courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33, NRSV). For the early church, persecution was the expectation, not the exception. They suffered greatly at the hands of the Roman empire, and many were killed for their faith.
On Pentecost Sunday, when we mark the release of the Holy Spirit, it’s worth remembering that persecution of our faith is not new. Christians were ready and willing to die for their belief, and perhaps the best examples are the disciples themselves. They were responsible for establishing the first Christian communities, and suffered as a result.
Of the twelve, the Bible only records the death of the apostle James, brother of John. The book of Acts says that “King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.” (Acts 12:1-2, NRSV). James was one of the first believers to be killed as a result.
As for the other ten and later we had apostle Paul, their deaths have been mostly left to history, legend, and church tradition; but this tradition indicates that most of them ended up giving their lives for the Gospel. The available information is sometimes unclear and often disputed; but it is still a clear indication of how the early church was ready to be persecuted and killed because they chose to follow Jesus.
JOHN
The only one of the twelve who seems to have survived to old age, being exiled to the Isle of Patmos where he was given the Revelation. Some accounts exist of this exile occurring after John survived torture.
PETER
Possibly the most well-known of the traditional deaths, Peter’s was foretold by Jesus in John 21:18: “When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” Peter was apparently sentenced to death by crucifixion. He did not even consider himself worthy of the same death as his beloved Jesus, and so his last request was to be crucified upside down.
ANDREW
Andrew’s execution was similar to his brother Peter, in that he was crucified in a different way. According to the earliest historical sources, he was arrested while preaching in Greece. He was tied to an X-shaped cross, where he died.
THOMAS
Apparently, Thomas preached in Syria and as far east as India. Early historical sources say that he was killed there by being stabbed with a spear.
MATTHEW
The death of the writer of the first gospel is the subject of multiple historical accounts. Most sources agree he preached in Ethiopia. Some sources say he was stabbed to death there, others attest that he escaped martyrdom.
PHILIP
The fact that there were two Philips in the early church (the apostle and the deacon) make the historical accounts a little muddled. Some traditions say that the disciple converted the wife of an official in Greece, who then had Philip killed.
BARTHOLOMEW
All of the sources agree that Bartholomew’s death came as a result of his ministry, though the exact place and method isn’t always agreed upon. It seems that he was brutally whipped before being executed by either crucifixion or beheading.
JAMES THE LESS
Some traditions say that James was thrown from the top of the temple and then beaten with clubs, others say he was stoned. It’s not fully clear which of the James’ endured which death.
SIMON THE ZEALOT
Multiple accounts of Simon’s death exist, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand years after he lived, so their credibility is questionable. Some accounts claim he was killed as far east as Spain, others that he died in Syria.
JUDE
Like many other disciples, Jude is generally said to have been killed while preaching in a different land, usually said to be Persia. In art, Jude is often shown with an axe, considered to have been the method of his execution.
Some of these traditions are more credible than others, but the fact that most of these apostles were supposedly killed while spreading the message of Christ shows how the early church felt about persecution. When faced with their death, these disciples must have remembered what Jesus said about persecution, and taken courage from the fact that “I have conquered the world.” And as a result of their faithful spreading of Christ’s message, the Gospel was taken to the ends of the earth.
PAUL
Paul’s list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 “. . . in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness –besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
Tradition holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome and thus died as a martyr for his faith. His death was perhaps part of the executions of Christians ordered by the Roman emperor Nero following the great fire in the city in 64 CE.
Today, that persecution continues. In addition to some believers being killed for their faith, many others suffer imprisonment, loss of community, family rejection, and more.