Death of the Apostles (Pt 2)

As a disclaimer again, these are all based on traditions and murky speculations. None of these have been verified. I just think it's interesting to see what may have happened to these people.

Bartholomew:
When Jesus saw Bartholomew, He exclaimed, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile". Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, was believed to be very patient and composed. He was also very blunt, as when he asked if anything good came out of Nazareth. Later traditions say he went to preach in Arabia, Ethiopia, India and Armenia. The widely-held belief was he was flayed and then crucified upside down as punishment for converting the King of Armenia to Christianity.

James the Lesser:
This James is thought to be the brother of Jesus. Not much is known except that he must be very quiet and humble. He was said to have missioned to Syria and Samaria. One popular story said he was thrown from the top of the Temple. When he survived, the crowd clubbed him to death. Apparently during all this time, he was still praying for his attackers.

Matthew:
Matthew is considered to have written the book of Matthew. He was a tax collector who quickly repented and followed Jesus. Through him, Jesus showed that he didn't care about status or how holy people were. In fact, tax-collecting was one of the most reviled positions in Israel, yet Jesus still chose to associate with him. Later he was said to have preached in Persia and Ethiopia. The most common story of his death was that he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

Matthias:
After Judas the betrayer died, the apostles cast lots to decide who would become the 12th disciple. The lot fell to Matthias, and that's all the Bible mentions of him. I think it's interesting to note that while these men had the idea to replace Judas, it didn't seem to be God's plan, as he had selected Paul. Anyway, Matthias was rumored to have went to Syria to preach. Then he was either burned or stoned to death.

Philip:
Philip was believed to have Greek origins, because of his name. In fact, Greeks often turned to him for answers about the Lord. He missioned to mainly the Greek regions of Turkey, Carthage and Asia Minor. One interesting rumor of his death was that he had converted a proconsul's wife. The proconsul was angered by this, and ordered Philip to be executed in a very brutal manner.

Simon:
Simon the Zealot was believed to have been part of the Israel rebel movement, The Zealots. He was very strong-willed and kept thinking Jesus was the Messiah-King, who would overthrow the Roman government. Unlike Judas, he learned his lesson. He later went to Persia and even as far north as Britain. Rumors of his death are very unclear. He was crucified in Samaria, sawn in half in Persia, and was killed in Iberia.

Thomas:
Thomas, of the famed "Doubting Thomas", was a pessimist. He would not believe until he himself saw Jesus face to face. He later missioned to Syria, India, and some believed went to China as well. Many Christian Indians claim him as their deliverer. He built a church in India. Many sources remarkably agree that he was speared by 4 Indians. I'm not sure why it was exactly 4, but yeah that's what they all say.

Judas Thaddeus:
Judas is not to be confused with Judas the betrayer. An intense man, not much is known about him. He was the one who asked Jesus at the Passover why he is only showing himself to the disciples. Judas was believed to have preached in Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia. Catholics believed that he carried the Shroud of Turin to the King of Turkey in order to heal him. He is believed to have been beaten by clubs and then beheaded in Persia.

So that's the last of them. As with all traditions not in the Bible, these stories are to be taken with a grain of salt. But it's still amazing to see how the Word was spread around the world so quickly after Jesus' death, with men of God like these. Have a good weekend!