by Ricky Doc Sauceda
I am a bit teary eyed at the moment. I posted on my wall Friday that my Thursday Night students wanted to know how each of the twelve apostles died, since I mentioned that they all died horrible deaths. From what I had been told over the years, time and time again. and I just never questioned it - like my students did. I always took the word of whomever was telling me of this history. The following is an account of how each of the apostles died. Please, brace yourself before reading. God bless them...they are with Christ in Heaven.
1. Judas Iscariot, according to the gospels, hanged himself after betraying Jesus.
2. Peter, crucified upside-down in Rome circa AD 64.
3. James, son of Zebedee was beheaded in AD 44, first of the twelve to die (since the addition of Matthias)
4. John, son of Zebedee, natural causes due to old age, last of the twelve to die, only one of the twelve (or 13 counting both Judas Iscariot and Matthias) to die naturally (as mentioned by Christ at the end of the Gospel of John).
5. Andrew, Peter's brother, was crucified upon a diagonal or X-shaped cross.
6. Philip was crucified in AD 54.
7. Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel) was flayed alive (skinned) and then beheaded; some sources locate his death at Derbend on the Caspian Sea.
8. Matthew killed by a halberd in AD 60. (a halberd is a staff axe)
9. Thomas was killed by a spear in Mylapore, Madras, India in AD 72.
10. James, son of Alphaeus, beaten to death with a club after being crucified and stoned.
11. Jude was crucified.
12. Simon the Zealot was crucified in AD 74.
13. Replacement picked by the surviving eleven: Matthias, Judas' replacement, was stoned and beheaded.