In the previous post, we discussed the first church called Ephesus from the seven churches of the book of Revelation. Here in this posting, we will continue on with the next church in line (the second). Not long after Pentecost, Jewish authorities began to feel threatened by the popularity of the early church. The Apostles soon found themselves under the pressure of political persecution. Rome’s intolerance also intensified. Christianity would suffer severely until the “Edict of Toleration” decreed by Constantine in A.D. 312. All of the church leaders were persecuted and most met untimely deaths. Born of crucifixion and nurtured through persecution, it is only fitting that the second letter should be addressed to the church of Smyrna as it represents that entire era of what took place regarding the church. The theme of the letter that Christ addressed to the specific church located in Smyrna is also what happened to the entirety of the whole church, or body of believers, not only in the specific church of Smyrna, but also to all churches or body of believers during the entire Smyrna age. Thus, the specific church mentioned in Smyrna represents the entire Smyrna age of time within the “dispensation of grace” we are still living in since the time of Christ and his initiation of the church dispensation approximately 2,000 years ago. It represents the theme of what happened to that entire era (era of Smyrna) …
“And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:8-9).
The word Symrna takes it’s root from myrrh, a popular perfume in Bible days. It was the product of Commiphora myrrha, a small tree or thorny shrub, bearing a plum-like fruit.
It’s gum could be extracted by cutting an incision an incision into the bark of it’s trunk and branches. The oily sap would ooze out, drop onto wooden squares or stones and solidify. The process involved disfiguring the tree – the perfect metaphor chosen for describing the persecution that would befall the early church. The physical church of Smyrna represents the age of suffering within Smyrna’s time frame within our current church age. Christ tells them that he, too, was “dead” – the ultimate product of persecution. Christ may have died, but he was not finished. He rose again on the third day and is indeed alive. In like manner, Smyrna is reminded that though the Church will suffer a similar fate – “tribulation and poverty,” she will emerge with heavenly riches and glory.
Let’s now take a look at the setting and examples of the often brutal persecution of Christians and the Christian church in general that occurred in that particular era of the dispensation of the church age we currently live in. As we do, we will continue to further see that not only do the candles of the menorah represent the seven churches and the seven stars in Jesus’ right hand represent the angels, or messengers, of those seven churches as Jesus said, but that they also represent the seven church ages, or periods of time within the church age and that each candle of the menorah and it’s star seen in Christ’s hand in John’s vision represent it’s respective age in sequential order. We will see from history that Christ’s prophecy of the events and themes of each letter written in these seven letters occurred historically in their respective order as we progress to our current age, the age of Philadelphia, that like all the other church ages, falls within the 2,000 year“dispensation of grace” itself that is still ongoing.
As we continue on with the finer details of the theme, setting and events of the age of Smyrna that occurred in history, we will see that they line up with Christ’s prophecy and outlook for the Smyrna age as described in his prophetic letter to John before the age of Symrna ever happened, remembering that Christ’s prophecy to John concerning Smyrna and all the following church ages after were given in advance, or before these church ages ever began, thus fulfilling prophecy.
Historically, Smyrna (today called Izmir) was founded by Aeolian Greeks a thousand years B.C. on an inlet where the Hermus River flows into the Aegean Sea.
The Hermus valley offered a well-protected harbor for the community and a trade route to the villages that lay inland. Mimnermus, poet of Smyrna in the 7th century B.C., mentions the tension in the Hermus valley between Smyrna and Sardis that led to it’s destruction at about the time that Jerusalem was overrun by the Babylonians (600 B.C.). Sardis lay in ruins for the next 300 years.
Lysimachus, one of Alexander’s four generals, re-founded the port in 290 B.C., and ruled the northwestern part of Asia Minor in the years following the death of Alexander. Because of it’s strategic location, Smyrna became a borderland between the warring empires of Lysimachus and the Greeks on the West, and Selucus and the Syrians on the East. A century later, Rome would defend it’s growing empire against Antiochus the Great of Syria, who tried to consolidate his western borderland.
The people of Smyrna developed a loyalty to Rome, and in A.D. 26, asked for permission to build a temple to the Roman emperor Tiberius. The historian Tacitus gives us a view of the situation …
“The Smyrnaeans, having appealed to their ancient records to show whether Tantalus, the son of Jupiter, or Theseus, the son also of a god, or one of the Amazons was their founder, proceeded to the considerations in which they chiefly trusted, namely their friendly services to the Roman people. They had aided Rome with a naval force, they said, not only in their wars abroad, but also in those they had fought in Italy. It was they, they said, who had first reared a temple in honor of Rome, when the power of the Roman people, though great, had not yet reached their highest glory, for the city of Carthage still stood, and powerful kings governed Asia.”
Rome granted the city leaders permission to build an Asian temple to the deity of Rome. This Caesar cult caused much of the suffering in the early Church. John’s letter continues:
“… I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (verse 9).
Domitian, son of Vespasian and younger brother of Titus, ascended the throne in A.D. 81 at the age of 30 after the untimely death of the 42-year old Titus. Domitian was murdered in A.D. 96 after a vicious reign of 15 years as Rome’s worst Caesar since Nero. Domitian was the cause of great persecution in Smyrna, with the help of a hostile synagogue in the city. The Apostle John’s letter refers to them as the “Synagogue of Satan.” Under the oppression of Domitian, John was arrested and sent to the penal colony on the island of Patmos. The letter continues …
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2:10-11).
The reference to a “crown of life” appears to be a metaphor taken from a crown-like structure of porticoes surrounding the top of a hill overlooking Smyrna. The first-century Apollononius of Tyanna wrote …
“For though your city is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun, and makes the sea it’s own, and holds the fountains of Zephyrus, yet is it a greater charm to wear a crown of men than a crown of porticoes, for buildings are seen only in their one place, but men are seen everywhere, and spoken about everywhere, and make their city as vast as the range of countries which they visit.”
Jesus urged the church at Smyrna to remain faithful in the face of persecution. Christian theologians have contemplated what was meant by the term “ten days,” knowing that the persecution of Christianity lasted a lot longer than ten days, and that Christians suffered intense Roman persecution from the first to the fourth centuries. It is possible that a particular local persecution involving the nearby “synagogue of Satan” was predicted to last only ten days – perhaps during the first ten days of Tishri. It is possible that the term “ten days” was taken from the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. As a part of Jewish ritual, those days are known as “days of affliction.” It is a time when Jews afflict themselves as a way of showing remorse for their sins.
FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS
The Reverend John Foxe first published his classic work under the title, “History of the 
Acts and Monuments of the Church,” which was published in Latin at Basle in 1554, and in English in 1563. Foxe had been expelled from Oxford and accused of heresy because of his research into the tragic and shameful treatment of Christians. During the early life of John Foxe, England was under the religious control of Rome. Foxe had to flee to Basle, Switzerland, and live in a community of other English citizens who had also escaped persecution. Eventually, he was able to return to England, appreciated for his courage by the English throne. Today, his work is remembered as “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” This classic history includes a chapter on “The Ten Primitive Persecutions” that befell the Church during the first three centuries. They were listed:
- Under Nero (A.D. 67)
- Under Domitian (A.D. 81)
- Under Trajan (A.D. 108)
- Under Marcus Aurelius Antonimus (A.D. 162)
- Under Severus (A.D. 192)
- Under Maximus (A.D. 235)
- Under Decius (A.D. 249)
- Under Valerian (A.D. 257)
- Under Aurelian (A.D. 274)
- Under Diocletian (A.D. 303)
In the letter to Smyrna, Jesus repeats the refrain of hearing a deeper message given by the Holy Spirit. His message is for the overcomer – the one who remains faithful unto death. Perhaps the reference to “ten days” offered a prophetic announcement by the Holy Spirit, that the age of Smyrna would experience ten persecutions by Roman emperors – until Constantine. John’s suffering was typical of the persecution faced by the Christians in Smyrna. There is a cave on the island of Patmos known as the cave of the Apocalypse where, it is said, the Apostle John received his visions. A monastery was later built over the site.
Eusebius records that John was finally released from Patmos …
“But after Domitian had reigned 15 years, the Roman Senate decreed that the honors of Domitian should be revoked and that those who had been unjustly expelled should return to their homes and have their goods restored.”
Another historian, Tertullian, said that there was a time when John was with the Apostle Peter in Rome, and in danger of his life. He reported that John was boiled in oil but that the scalding liquid had no effect on his flesh. A church was built on the site of his torture. There is another story that an attempt was made to poison John, but when he took the cup, the poison disappeared in the form of a serpent.
In the fourth century, Jerome wrote concerning the persecution of John …
“In the 14th year, then, after Nero, Domitian, having raised a second persecution, he was banished to the island of Patmos and wrote the Apocalypse. But Domitian, having been put to death and his acts, on account of his excessive cruelty, being annulled by the Roman Senate, John returned to Ephesus under Nerva Pertinax and continuing there until the time of the Emperor Trajan, founded and built churches throughout all Asia, and worn out by old age, died in the 68th year after our Lord’s passion and was buried near the same city.”
After his death, the disciples of John built a chapel over the tomb of the evangelist, which became a center of Christian worship. So many pilgrims visited the chapel that by the sixth century, Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora, decided to build a monument worthy of John in place of the original chapel. The ruins of that church, along with the tomb of John, can still be found among the excavations of ancient Ephesus today.
The theme of persecution that characterized the message to Smyrna became a broad prophetic overview of the early Church from the first century until Constantine’s edict in A.D. 312. Stephen became the first Christian martyr after the crucifixion of Christ. The Apostle John’s own brother, James, became the first martyr among the twelve Apostles. After Christ’s letter to Ephesus (given to John after being “raptured” off the island of Patmos), persecution became the next important subject to be addressed.
The Death of Stephen
The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were so angry over the boldness of Stephen that they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. His martyrdom led to a great persecution against the Church, scattering believers throughout the world. Saul of Tarsus was so excited by Stephen’s execution that he launched a personal vendetta against believers. He set out to eradicate Christianity altogether. His journey to Damascus was ostensibly for the purpose of arresting the followers of Jesus. However, his supernatural encounter with Christ changed all of that. The notable persecutor became the great Apostle Paul of the New Testament. From his hand came half of our New Testament books.
The Death of James
James was the first of the Apostles to die. According to the book of Acts, he was slain with a sword …
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:1-2).
Though he was the first to die (A.D. 144), James had at least 11 years of service to the Savior. During those years, he traveled to Spain where he preached to a community of Jewish prisoners. Flavius Josephus, a first century Romano-Jewish historian, gives an account of the Jewish exile in his book “The Antiquities of the Jews.” There were at least 4,000 young Jewish men exiled there for no greater reason than that they subscribed to what Rome decreed to be “superstitions.” Upon his return to Jerusalem, James was arrested on the orders of Herod.
Clemens Alexandrinus wrote that, as James was led to the place of execution, his accuser repented of his conduct because of the Apostle’s extraordinary courage. He fell down at James’ feet and begged forgiveness. Consequently, both were beheaded at the same time. Friends carried the body of James to Joppa, placed it on board a ship and set sail for Spain. According to the story, angels conducted the ship miraculously to the coast of Spain where they arrived in only seven days. Sailing through the strait called the Pillars of Hercules, they landed at the port of Iria Flavia, James is regarded as the patron saint of Spain and at least some of his bones are interred at a church in Compostela, Spain, to this day.
The Death of Peter
Peter was also arrested at this time, but according to Acts 12, an angel arrived in the middle of the night to open the prison gates and set him free. From that point, Peter goes into obscurity and is not seen again until Acts 15 – at the council in Jerusalem. After that, Peter fades from view. It is believed that he left Jerusalem and traveled extensively, taking the Gospel of Christ to Antioch in Syria – and from there to the east as far as Babylon. He wrote his first epistle to the churches of Asia Minor, and mentioned the church at Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13. Later, it is said that Peter traveled to the churches at Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.
According to historians, Peter’s ministry took him into the regions of Europe north of Rome. Peter visited Britain and France several times during his lifetime. His last visit to Britain took place shortly before his final arrest and crucifixion.
In 1865, author Dorman Newman wrote that Peter was led to the top of the Vatican Hill near the Tiber River and crucified with his head downwards. Newman included a description of Peter’s appearance …
“His body was slender, of a middle size, inclining to tallness; his complexion pale and almost white; his beard curled and thick, but short; his eyes black, but flecked with red, due to frequent weeping; his eyebrows thin or none at all.”
Peter’s body was laid to rest in a cemetery along the Appian Way two miles from Rome. During the reign of Constantine, the bones of Peter were taken back to Vatican Hill, the site of his crucifixion. Constantine constructed the cathedral known as St. Peter’s Basilica and buried Peter’s bones beneath it’s altar.
The story of Peter’s grave appeared in National Geographic Magazine, December 1971, page 872. The article tells of excavations made since 1939, revealing the bones of Peter directly beneath the altar of the Basilica.
The Death of Andrew
Not much is known about Andrew, Peter’s brother. He is among those who is on the Mount of Olives when Jesus taught about “the end of the world” (Mark 13:13). His name is also listed as one of the Apostles in the book of Acts (1:13). That is the last record we have of him in the New Testament.
However, there are some impressive traditions about the ministry of Andrew. Eusebius wrote that he went to Scythia, in southern Russia – to an area near the Black Sea. Andrew was venerated as the patron saint of Russia. He also ministered in Ephesus and later in Greece where he was imprisoned and crucified by order of the governor, whose wife had been estranged from her husband by Andrew’s preaching. Andrew was crucified on a cross that, instead of being made like the one Jesus was crucified upon, was fashioned in the form of an X. To this day, that type of cross is known as St. Andrew’s cross.
Some 200 years later, the bones of Andrew were taken to Constantinople – to a church built by Constantine in honor of the Twelve Apostles. It’s construction began in A.D. 336 and was consecrated by the son of Constantine in A.D. 356.
A Christian named Regulus transported a few bones, reputed to be those of Andrew, to Scotland in the fourth or fifth century. They were buried at a church that was later called St. Andrews. He is also regarded as the patron saint of Scotland. The St. Andrew’s cross is the official symbol of that country.
Dorman Newman (1865) wrote:
“St. Andrew went to Scythia and Byzantium where he founded churches, thence to Greece, and finally to Patras, a city of Achaia, where he was martyred. Aegeates, proconsul of Achaia, after debate, ordered Andrew to forsake his religion or be tortured fiercely. Each begged the other to recant. Aegeates urged Andrew not to lose his life. Andrew, in return, urged Aegeates not to lose his soul. After patiently bearing scourging, Andrew was tied, not nailed, to a cross that his sufferings might be prolonged. He hung there for two days exhorting all who witnessed. He died upon the last of November, though in what year no certain account may be recovered.”
The date A.D. 69 is generally accepted as the year of Andrew’s martyrdom. Some of his bones are at St. Andrew’s in Rome, and the majority are in Amalfi. They were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and taken to the Cathedral of Amalfi near Naples. In 1462, Pope Pius 2 transferred Andrew’s skull to St. Peter’s in Rome. In 1964 the Vatican gave the skull to the Greek Orthodox Church in Patras, Greece where Andrew was martyred.
The Death of Philip
The Apostle Philip was a friend of Andrew and a member of the original twelve. Philip is a Greek term meaning “lover of horses.” In the first century, there was a local king at the Sea of Galilee called Philip the Tetrarch. It is said that he was of the tribe of Zebulon. The Greek influences in Philip’s life is most significant. In the twelfth chapter of John’s Gospel, Philip is seen introducing certain Greeks to Christ.
Philip also traveled to Scythia where he remained for 20 years. In A.D. 54, he preached at Hierapolis in Phrygia, near the cities of Laodicea and Colosse. Upon arriving, he found the people addicted to the worship of a monstrous serpent or dragon. As the story goes, he took compassion on their blindness and commanded the serpent to disappear in the name of the cross he held in his hand. Immediately, the reptile glided out from beneath the altar – emitting such a hideous stench that many of the people died. Among them was the king’s son who fell dead in the arms of his attendant. But the Apostle, by divine power, restored him to life. When reflecting on this account of the exploits of Philip, let us be reminded that Jesus said of those who believe on and trust in Christ as savior will have the ability to perform miracles in his name …
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18).
The priests of the dragon were enraged. They took Philip and crucified him. Being bound upon a cross, they stoned him. It is said that he died praying for his tormentors. According to the account in an ancient book called “The Acts of Philip,” he was martyred by being pierced through the thighs and hung upside down. The tomb of Philip is located in the Turkish city of Hierapolis.
In A.D. 560, Pope John 3 interred his remains in the “Church of the Holy Apostles, Philips and James” in Rome. Today, one can see the bones of Philip in a large marble sarcophagus under the altar. There are also fragments from the bones of other Apostles displayed in the same room.
The Death of Bartholomew
Though Bartholomew was listed among the twelve Apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts, there is no further reference to him in the New Testament. In the ninth century, church historian Elias of Damascus suggested that Bartholomew and Nathaniel were one and the same person. We learn from the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 45 that Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus. It seems that in the lists of the twelve Apostles given in the three Gospels and the book of Acts, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are always occurring together. This has led many to believe that Bartholomew and Nathaniel are one and the same person.
There is an Apocryphal book called “The Gospel of Bartholomew,” which tells of his travels to India, and that he took with him a Hebrew copy of Matthew’s Gospel.
In an ancient book called “The Acts of Philip,” it is said that Philip and Bartholomew preached in Hierapolis and that Philip was martyred while Bartholomew escaped and went to Armenia where he lived and preached for some 16 years. He was arrested, condemned, flayed alive and crucified with his head downward in A.D. 68. In A.D. 508 his body was moved to the city of Laparis near Sicily. Later, his bones were taken to Rome.
According to the archives of the Armenian church, Jude Thaddeus worked with Bartholomew from the year A.D. 60-66 when Jude Thaddeus was crucified and a thousand other Christians with him. Two years later, in A.D. 68, Bartholomew was executed along with hundreds of other Christians, both men and women, some of them of noble descent.
An ancient writing called “The Apostolic History of Abdias” gives a description of Bartholomew: “He has black curly hair, white skin, large eyes, straight nose; his beard long and grizzled, middle height. He wears a white robe with a purple stripe and a white cloak with four purple gems at the corners. For 26 years, he has worn these, and they never grow old. His shoes have lasted 26 years. He prays a hundred times a day and a hundred times a night. His voice is like a trumpet; angels wait upon him; he is always cheerful, and knows all languages.” Note that he wore a white “robe” or “cloak” decorated with four purple gems at the corners and a purple stripe. This is an excellent description of a tallit, or prayer shawl. At the four corners of the garment containing the tzitzits and the ineffable name of God were four purple gems. The “black curly hair” may have been side curls or payot – a characteristic ritual still in use by Orthodox Jews to this day. From this early writing we can see the Jewish characteristics of Bartholomew.
The Death of Thomas
Another Apostle of whom little is known is Thomas – famous for his doubting. In the Bible his is also called Didymus. Both words simply mean “twin,” but we know nothing of his brother or sister. Some have suggested that he was given the name because of his dual personality; it seems that he was prone somewhat to be melancholy. When the news came of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Thomas refused to believe it. However, some days later, Jesus appeared to the disciples and, speaking directly to Thomas, said …
“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27).
From that day forward, Thomas was transformed. No longer was the twin possessed of a dual nature. The pessimist became an optimist. The doubter believed. It is said that in the years following Pentecost, Thomas traveled to Babylon. He won thousands of people to the Lord and established churches wherever he went.
According to the archives of the Nestorian Church, Thomas arrived in India somewhere around A.D. 49. There is an apocryphal writing called “The Acts of St. Thomas” which gives colorful accounts of his activities. For instance, there is the story of an Indian king named Gondophares, who commissioned Thomas to build a palace. But Thomas squandered the royal funds by giving them to the poor. We are told that he wanted to build the king a celestial palace rather than a material one. The king put him in prison. About that time, the king’s brother, Gad, died and at his burial witnessed the untold splendor of the celestial palace promised by Thomas, then miraculously came back to life to give an account of his wondrous vision to his brother. The king released Thomas and became a Christian. Archaeological excavations in modern India have uncovered coins dating from the first century that were minted by a king named Gondophares and his brother, Gad, proving that these two men were indeed historical figures and not simply legendary characters.
According to ancient accounts, Thomas organized many churches in India. There is a denomination of Christian churches in southern India called “Mar Thomar,” which derived it’s name from the apostle Thomas. According to Dorman Newman, Thomas preached the Gospel to the Medes, the Persians, the Carmans and to neighboring nations. In Persia, he met the Wise Men whom he baptized and took along with him into India. While he instructed thousands and organized many churches, he encountered the hatred and persecution of an ancient idolatrous priesthood called the Brahmans. One day while kneeling in prayer, they ran upon him and pierced him with a lance.
He was buried in the church of Mylapore in southern India. However, in the fourth century, his remains were taken to Edessa, the capital of the Nestorian Church. Eventually, his bones were taken to Rome, and at least the index finger of the Apostle Thomas is kept in the Basilica of the Church of the Holy Cross to this very day.
The Death of Matthew
Matthew was the brother of James the Less. Both were the sons of Alphaeus. Matthew’s other name was Levi. He was a customs officer in Capernaum, the territory ruled by Herod Antipas. Tax collectors or publicans were hated by their countrymen. James was thought to be a zealot who helped the Jews fight a guerilla war against the Romans. Two brothers – one who worked for the Romans, and the other who fought a guerilla war against them – grew up in the same family. Their ideologies were opposite and it took nothing less than Jesus to bring them together again.
Matthew was well accepted in high political circles and was able to win many important people to Jesus Christ. The fourth-century historian Jerome wrote that Matthew had written his Gospel in the Hebrew language and that the original manuscript was preserved in the library at Caesarea. It was translated into Greek by James the Less.
An early writing titled “The Acts of Andrew and Matthew” reported that he was captured by cannibals, and rescued by Andrew before they had a chance to eat him. Matthew stayed in Egypt for a few years and then traveled to Ethiopia, where he was entertained in the home of the eunuch who had been baptized by Philip. While there, he raised the king’s son from the dead and healed the king’s daughter of leprosy. He lived for 23 years in Egypt and Ethiopia and was burned at the stake in the 90th year of the Christian era.
In A.D. 954, the bones of Matthew were taken to Salerno, Italy, where they are kept today in a magnificent cathedral. Matthew was a gifted writer, an ardent disciple, and perhaps had the best education of the twelve. He was well equipped to witness to people in places of authority and was a vessel well chosen to write the great Gospel that bears his name.
The Death of James
James, the brother of Matthew and son of Alphaeus, is also called James the less, or James the younger. James and Matthew Levi were sons of Mary. Which Mary is not altogether certain, though she appears to be the wife of one Cleopas, perhaps another name or a second name for Alphaeus.
James and Matthew were a world apart in their outlook on life. Matthew worked for the Romans as a tax collector, while James was thought to be a zealot, one who helped the Jewish patriots fight guerilla warfare against the Romans. The brothers were of the tribe and lineage of Levi. But Matthew had evidently betrayed his priestly heritage and had become a collaborator of Herod and Rome.
The historian Heggesippus (A.D. 169) was quoted by Eusebius as saying that James lived the life of a Nazarite before and after becoming an apostle of Jesus Christ. As a member of this order, he drank no wine and, like his brother Matthew, ate no meat except for the paschal lamb. He never shaved or cut his hair and never took a bath (eeeww!!). James wore a linen garment that he also carefully avoided cleaning with water. He spent so much time in prayer that his knees became hardened like the hooves of a camel.
According to the historical account, James was stoned by the Jews for preaching Christ and had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club. He was buried in Jerusalem. In the fourth century, Constantine had his bones moved to Constantinople for internment in the Church of the Holy Apostles. In A.D. 572, his bones were taken from Constantinople to Rome and interred by Pope John 3 in a church which was first known as the “Church of the Apostles Philip and James the Less.” In the 10th century, the title was shortened in common speech to the “Church of the Holy Apostles.”
The original church was dedicated on the first day in the year A.D. 560. The bones of Philip were probably interred on that date. The bones of James were added later. Still later, skeletal remains of other Apostles were added, and they may be visited there in Rome to this very day.
The Death of Jude Thaddeus
There were many men named Jude in Bible days. The name is a Latin form of Judah. Jerome called Jude Thaddeus “Trionius,” which means “the man with three names.” In Matthew, he is called Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus. In the book of Mark he is called Thaddeus, while in the book of Luke is referred to as Jude the son of James. The name Thaddeus is the root word for our modern name Theodore meaning “dear” or “beloved.” The other name, Lebbaeus, was derived from the Hebrew noun “leb,” meaning “heart,” and in that case, would bear the same meaning as Thaddeus.
He is listed in the official roster of the Apostles in Acts 1:10. He was present on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. From that day, it is thought that Jude Thaddeus was among the first of the Apostles to leave Jerusalem for a foreign country.
One story says that Jude became the first of the Apostles to witness directly to a foreign king, a Gentile in the city of Edessa. The king’s name was Abgar. According to legend, King Abgar suffered some kind of illness. Abgar heard of Jesus Christ, his divinity, his miracles and his cures. He sent an envoy to Jerusalem to invite Jesus to come and heal him. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, however, the envoy from Edessa found that Jesus had already been crucified. It is said that Jude Thaddeus returned with the envoy along with the burial shroud that contained the imprints of the crucified Christ. Of course, we’ve all heard about the Shroud of Turin which is reputed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ (pictured below).
According to the story, Abgar was healed.
Over the next several years, Jude Thaddeus traveled and evangelized that area of Armenia. He was accompanied by Bartholomew and, for a brief period, Thomas. He spent his years of evangelistic efforts in Syria and northern Persia. According to ancient history, Jude Thaddeus and Bartholomew organized and founded the Armenian Church.
The ministry of Jude Thaddeus in Armenia lasted from A.D. 43 to 66. He was joined in the year 60 by Bartholomew. In A.D. 66, a thousand victims were martyred by the government in an effort to stamp out the influence of Christianity. Jude Thaddeus was executed among them. He was tied to a cross and pierced with a javelin and arrows.
Bartholomew escaped martyrdom at that time, but was beheaded two years later. Jude Thaddeus died in a small village called Kara Kelesia, near the Caspian Sea, about 40 miles from from Tabriz, which is in Iran. His original Tomb is located there. However, the bones were moved to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where he is buried directly south of the main altar in the side area, and at least some of the genuine relics of Jude can be found there to this day.
The Death of Simon the Zealot
Another Apostle with whom Jude Thaddeus was frequently associated was Simon the Zealot. It is said that his bones are mixed with those of Simon in the tomb at the Vatican.
The Persian tradition is that these two men were slain about the same time – possibly together. According to a book called “The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles” dating from the second century, Simon the Zealot was also called Simon the Canaanite. Simon received his call to the apostleship along with Andrew, Peter, Jude Thaddeus and Judas Iscariot at the Sea of Tiberius. Not much is revealed about Simon the Zealot in the New Testament. However, we can gather from his name that he was a member of a band of Zealots – patriotic Jews who fought fierce guerrilla warfare against the Romans. All that was changed when he met Jesus. He who ranked high among the patriots of Israel became an even more fervent patriot of Heaven.
After he had preached the Gospel in Egypt, he went to Mesopotamia where he worked with the Apostle Jude. The two traveled to Persia where they were crucified. There is another ancient account that speaks of Simon being sawn asunder while Jude was killed with a a halberd. According to the book “Sacred and Legendary Art,” Simon and Jude preached the Gospel together in Syria and Mesopotamia and suffered martyrdom in Persia.
The Death of Matthias
Matthias, the disciple who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, remains a mystery because of the silence of the scriptures about his later ministry. We have so little written about him. Clement of Alexandria identified Matthias with Zaccheus. He wrote that Matthias was remarkable for teaching the necessity of mortifying the flesh with it’s irregular passions and desires.
Eusebius, who lived and wrote at the end of the third century, suggested that Matthias had been one of the 70 sent out by Jesus. This is entirely possible. In this role, Matthias would have had the opportunity to show qualities of leadership. Clement of Alexandria wrote his assessments of Matthias in the year A.D. 190, approximately 100 years before the writings of Eusebius.
Matthias is said to be one of five Apostles who are credited by Armenian tradition with evangelizing eastern Turkey, southern Russia, northern Iran and northern Syria – the areas that covered ancient Armenia. Those five apostles who traveled through Armenia were Jude Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Simon the Canaanite, Andrew and Matthias. According to early church tradition, Matthias suffered Martyrdom at the hands of the Jews by stoning and beheading by lance or axe.
Matthias died in A.D. 64. His body was interred in Jerusalem until the fourth century when it was removed by St. Helena and taken to Rome. In 1127, some of the bones of Matthias were transported to a church in the city of Trier, Germany. Most of the bones of Matthias are preserved in that church. As such, two graves can be visited today for Matthias – some of his bones in Rome and the rest, north of the Alps in Trier, Germany.
The Death of John Mark
John Mark, the author of the second book of our New Testament, traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, and from there into Africa. In A.D. 68, having returned to Alexandria, Mark and a group of Christians were celebrating Easter when a furious mob of Alexandrians, at the great solemnity Serapis their idol, attacked the group and set about to kill the Christians.
Mark was seized, dragged with a rope around his neck in the streets, and then thrown in jail for the night. The next morning, the same ordeal was repeated until he died. When the terrible torture was over, a group of Christian brethren carried off his body and secretly buried it in a grave beneath the altar of their church in Alexandria.
The Death of Barnabas
Barnabas, the uncle of John Mark who accompanied the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey, died at the hands of the Jews. After traveling to many countries preaching the Gospel, he returned to his native land of Cypress where he was killed.
It is said that John Mark buried the body of Barnabas in a sepulcher near the city of Salamis. In A.D. 477, when the bones of Barnabas were found, a manuscript of Mark’s Gospel lay across his chest. A church was built along with a new tomb on the island of Cyprus at Salamis for the veneration of his remains. However, both tombs are now empty. No one knows what became of the bones of Barnabas.
The Death of Luke
Luke, the writer of our third Gospel, was crucified along with Andrew at Patras, in Greece. His remains were taken to Constantinople and placed in the Church of the Apostles. Later, his head was taken to Rome, where it was interred in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Death of Paul
Paul was the great Apostle who wrote half of the New Testament books. Perhaps we can say that more is known about the Apostle Paul in the New Testament than any of the others during those early years, primarily because Luke carefully recorded the ministry of the Apostle Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. We are told of his conversion on the road to Damascus, sojourn in the wilderness and eventual ministry at Antioch. We are told that he made four missionary journeys, the last of which was as a prisoner on his way to Rome.
Beyond that, of course, we have the writings of 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter, in which he told the young minister that the time of his departure was at hand, and that he had fought a good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith. Beyond the biblical account, however, there is a good bit of history that helps to give us further insight into the life and ministry of Paul.
According to an ancient writing titled “The Epistle of Clement,” Paul carried out his desire to visit Spain after his appeal to Caesar. Euseebius also mentioned the possibility of his further travels in later life. Chrysostom mentioned that “Paul, after his residence in Rome, departed to Spain.” Jerome said that Paul was dismissed by Nero that he might preach the Gospel in the West. The west of Rome would include the country of Spain. From there, he traveled as far north as Britain. Upon his return to Rome, he was arrested a second time on the orders of Nero and incarcerated at the Mamertine prison to await the day of his execution.
According to the writings of Jerome in the 4th century, the Apostle Paul was beheaded on the same day as Peter’s crucifixion, and both were buried in a little graveyard along the Appian Way. Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, knew where the body of Paul lay. He had it excavated and placed in a stone coffin, then had a church built outside the city walls of Rome in which to house his remains. The original church later perished and a larger one was built on the site. In 1823, a fire destroyed that second structure and eventually, a third church was built. That church still stands today. It is called “The Church of St. Paul without the walls” (pictured below).
Even today, one can still travel to Rome and still view the stone coffin that contains the bones of Paul (pictured below).
It was probably a good thing that Jesus and John couched the prophetic message in metaphoric language. Had they been more explicit about the tragic suffering headed for the early church, many people might have turned away from the Gospel. Suffice to say, this is only a taste of the suffering that the early church suffered. In the next article, it will be necessary to continue to delve further into the theme of suffering that occurred in the church of Smyrna and it’s time age as predicted by Christ when given to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos.
Only when we get to Heaven and look back at our circumstances will we be pleased with the history of Christian suffering.
For further research into the history of Christian persecution, I would recommend “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” one of the many classic works.
Part 3 of this series in the link below:
THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN TIME AGES OF PROPHECY FULFILLMENT: CHURCH CANDLE 2 – THE AGE OF SMYRNA (part 2)
Questions and comments can be posted in the comment section below (sometimes comments end up in my spam box – will approve them as soon as I check it every day).
END TIMES: DARKNESS DESCENDING 
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