Bogus Martyrdom Stories
Believing Biased Tradition
Occasionally updated and edited.
Copyright © 2010
The resurrection story must be true, we are told. Why would the disciples and early church fathers allow themselves to be tortured and killed if they knew the resurrection never occurred?
This logic can be challenged by the following observations:
Evidence argues against martyrdom
In July, 2011, an announcement was made that the tomb of Philip the Apostle had been discovered in Turkey. The tomb was found in the remains of a previously unearthed church. At the time of this writing the claim has not been verified.
Had Philip been martyred, it is doubtful that the executioners would have allowed Christians access to his body, let alone preserve it in a tomb.
Historically, the remains of martyred individuals were disposed of with complete disregard for their adherents. Among many examples is the French heroine Joan of Arc who was burned by the English in 1431. Her remains were not returned to the French, but were cast into the Seine River.
As multiple rumors abound that challenge the ultimate fate of Joan's ashes, it may be that Philip's executioners were more benevolent than most; but it's doubtful.
Evidence for martyrdom is inconclusive
"All of the apostles, except John, were martyred," we are told. "Had they known the resurrection story was false, they would have recanted." Therefore we should conclude that the resurrection of Jesus is a literal, historical event.
That would be a credible argument if we knew that the disciples and early church fathers were truly martyred. In fact, we don't know how the early church leaders died. We only have accounts based on biased church tradition. And those traditions are highly suspect.
History ranges from vague to mute regarding the deaths of the original apostles. Church tradition, of course, fills the gap with sordid tales of painful executions. Even John, the lone disciple who tradition claims died of natural causes, was boiled alive in an attempt to destroy him. He was rescued by angels, it appears.
Consider, for example, the excerpt from an account of the martyrdom of Polycarp:
"When he had...finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire lit the fire. And as a mighty flame blazed up, we saw a miracle....The fire...completely surrounded the body of the martyr; and it was there in the middle, not like flesh burning, but like bread baking or like gold and silver being refined in a furnace. For we also perceived a very fragrant odor, as if it were the scent of incense or some other precious spice." [source]
An account of the martyrdom of Ignatius is blunt: ". . . he was thus cast to the wild beasts close, beside the temple." It would seem believable until one considers the writer augments the story with tales of Ignatius appearing to his mourners after his death: ". . . .some of us saw the blessed Ignatius suddenly standing by us and embracing us, while others beheld him again praying for us, and others still saw him dropping with sweat, as if he had just come from his great labour, and standing by the Lord."1
Or consider the ministry of the apostle, Bartholomew. I know of no early extra-biblical acta recording his life and certainly not his death. The earliest is the Historia Certaminis Apostolici, a work once ascribed to the fourth-century Bishop of Babylon but later determined to be a tenth-century composition.
Accounts of the apostles' martyrdom are suspect for several reasons: First, in some instances reports of the apostles' deaths conflict. Second, it seems unlikely that no two of the apostles suffered identical deaths. Third, supernatural events surrounding martyrdom stories diminish their credibility. Fourth, the sensational elements of the apostles' deaths suggest they were exaggerated if not wholly concocted. Fifth, reliable historical documentation is virtually nonexistent.
• Matthew was killed by a sword (or axed with a halberd).
• Mark was dragged to death by horses.
• Peter was crucified upside down.
• James was tossed to his death from a Temple pinnacle.
• James the Greater had his head lopped off.
• Bartholomew (aka Nathanael) was flayed to death with a whip.
• Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross.
• Thomas was stabbed by a spear then burned in an oven.
• Jude was shot with arrows.
• Philip was crucified.
• Matthias was stoned and beheaded.
Martyred apostles may have recanted
Apologists suppose that the apostles would not have allowed themselves to be martyred had they known the resurrection story to be bogus.
Recanting, however, does not preclude execution. We can speculate that executioners may have viewed the apostles as former apostates from paganism but did not offer clemency due to the severity of the "crime."
Such was the case regarding Thomas Aikenhead. The young atheist was said to have recanted prior to his hanging in 1697. The court offered no mercy. Rather, the council determined that Aikenhead's hanging would discourage other atheists from expressing their views.
Furthermore, recanting may not have been an option.
The conclusion is that martyrdom of early Christians is historical fact and it is possible that some, perhaps all, of the apostles were executed for their faith. There is, however, no conclusive evidence that any of the apostles died as martyrs allowing the possibility that some, perhaps all, of the apostles were not executed for their faith.
1. A. Cleveland Coxe, Ante-Nicene Fathers: Volume 1: The Apostolic Fathers, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus [1885] [source]
Update, July 29, 2011: Tomb of St. Philip the Apostle Discovered in Turkey
