Saul the Pharisee stands by while Stephen is stoned to death

Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

The Early Church was forged in the midst of much persecution and suffering. Jesus told his disciples that “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:10) And indeed, that is exactly what happened. Wave after wave of persecution flooded the church. But, these early Christians persevered and grew ever stronger in their faith. In the first decade following the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples Stephen, James, Timon, and Parmenas all suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. The followers of Jesus fled from Jerusalem when the Apostles were arrested, tried, and jailed. In God’s providence, however, the church spread as a result of this persecution. Cyprian prophetically stated, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” And so it was; as the martyrs died, the Church of Jesus Christ spread and multiplied all over the known world. Consider the record of the Twelve Apostles and other key figures in the Early Church. These brave men and women received a “Martyr’s crown” for their steadfast witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and for preaching the Gospel.

Following the Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth – AD 33…

  • Stephen (a church deacon, Acts 6:5) — was stoned to death in Jerusalem with Saul, the persecutor and Pharisee, standing by and approving of his martyrdom (Acts 7:54-60) 
  • Nicanor (a church deacon, Acts 6:5) — he suffered martyrdom in AD 34.  
  • Mary (the mother of Jesus) — after she “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” regarding Jesus (Luke 2:19, 34-35, 51), she appears to have come to faith following His resurrection (Acts 1:14). She died AD c.40.
  • James (a disciple & brother of John) — James was put to death with a sword by the edict of Herod Agrippa I in AD 44 (Acts 12:1-3).
  • Timon (a church deacon, Acts 6:5) — suffered martyrdom at Philippi in AD 44. 
  • Parmenas (a church deacon) — was martyred in the region of Macedonia in AD 44.
  • Philip (a disciple) — labored in Upper Asia and was scourged, imprisoned, and crucified at Hierapolis in Asia Minor in AD 54. 
  • Matthew (a disciple) — various traditions have him laboring throughout Macedonia, Parthia, & Persia. He wrote the Gospel of Matthew and was slain with a spear or an axe in Nadabah, Ethiopia, in AD 60.  
  • Matthias (a follower of Christ) — took Judas Iscariot’s place following his betrayal and death as one of the twelve disciples (Acts 1:15-26). After preaching and evangelizing throughout Ethiopia he was stoned in Jerusalem and then, beheaded.
  • James the Less (Son of Alphaeus, a disciple) — he ministered and was martyred in Syria. 
The Apostle Andrew as he faced his death sentence in Edessa
  • Andrew (a disciple & brother of Peter) — preached in Asia Minor and Greece; crucified in Edessa on a transverse cross (commonly known as St. Andrew’s Cross).
  • John Mark (an evangelist) — possibly the “young man” who fled from the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:51-52); served with Paul and Barnabas on their 1st missionary journey, yet he disappointed Paul and went off with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41); 2 Tim. 4:11 speaks of Paul and Mark eventually reconciling; tradition tells us that Mark was Peter’s amanuensis for the second gospel; he established churches in Alexandria; he was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, Egypt, because they believed that he offended their idol, Serapis.
  • Apollos (traveling evangelist & preacher) — befriended by Paul and instructed by Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:24-28), he traveled throughout the Mediterranean region seeking to strengthen the churches. Some scholars believe he is the author of Hebrews. 
Peter finding the coin in the fish’s mouth as Jesus said he would
  • Simon Peter (a disciple & brother of Andrew) — he labored throughout the Roman world, perhaps visiting Britain and Gaul; wrote two NT Epistles and superintended the Gospel of Mark (1 Peter 5:13); crucified in Rome upside-down, because he felt unworthy of being crucified in the same manner as the Lord, during Nero’s persecution of Christians (AD 67)
  • Paul (formerly Saul, the persecutor of “The Way”) — the Apostle to the Gentiles; he wrote thirteen Epistles; labored throughout the Roman world; may have visited Spain; beheaded in Rome during Nero’s persecution of Christians (AD 67)
The Apostle Paul hard at work writing his many letters
  • Jude, or sometimes known as Thaddaeus (the Brother of James the Less, a disciple) — was crucified at Edessa in AD 72.
  • Barnabas (the evangelist) — traveled throughout the Roman world and was martyred on Cyprus in AD 73.
  • Bartholomew (a disciple) — accompanied Philip to Hierapolis; martyred after ministry in Armenia or India.  
  • Thomas, or Didymus (a disciple) — labored in Babylon and India; was trust through with a spear by enraged pagan priests in India.
The Apostle Thomas dies while preaching the Gospel in India
  • Luke (the traveling companion of Paul and a physician) — wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts; hanged to death on an olive tree by idolatrous priests in Greece.
  • Simon The Zealot (a disciple) — tradition has him serving in Persia, Egypt, Carthage, and Britain; crucified in Britain in AD 74.
  • Mary Magdalene (a follower of Jesus) — Jesus delivered her of seven demons (Luke 8:1-3), out of loyalty she later stood by Him at the cross (Mark 15:40) and witnessed His resurrection (Mark 16:1-ff). She served with the Apostle John in Ephesus and died there. Her body was later moved to Constantinople. Other traditions suggest that she traveled with Martha and Lazarus to France and is buried there.
  • Timothy (a traveling-companion of Paul, & pastor in Ephesus) — he was badly beaten by a procession of pagans in Ephesus after he preached to them about Christ. Two days later he died from his injuries (AD 97).  
  • John (a disciple & brother of James) — the “one whom Jesus loved”; wrote the Gospel of John, three Epistles, and the Revelation; in Ephesus John was pitched into a cauldron of boiling oil, yet escaped without serious injury; later he was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman Emperor, Domitian. John was the only disciple who died a natural death. He died in Ephesus approximately AD 100. 
  • James (the brother of Jesus, Mt. 13:55) — according to Paul, the risen Christ appeared to James (1 Cor. 15:7). Also, James, and Jesus’ other brothers and mother, were gathered with the disciples in Jerusalem following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:13-14).  Following these events James came to faith in Christ and became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Moreover, he convened the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and authored the Epistle of James. He was severely beaten and then stoned by the Jews in his 94th year having his brains dashed out with a club.
The Colosseum in Rome where so many Christians were martyred

Sources of Information:  

Boer, Harry R. A Short History of the Early Church. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976. 

Cross, F.  L., gen. ed., and E. A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Second Edition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1974. 

Douglas, J. D., gen. ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978. 

Douglas, J. D., gen. ed. Who’s Who in Christian History. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992.  

Eusebius of Caesarea. Ecclesiastical History. Originally written in A.D. 325; Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992.

Foxe, John. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Formally known as Actes and Monumentes. William Byron Forbrush, ed. Originally published in English 1563; Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967.

Harrison, Everett F. The Apostolic Church. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985. 

Houghton, S. M. Sketches in Church History. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1980.

Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Vol. 1. “Apostolic Christianity (A.D. 1-100).” Originally published in 1858; Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendricksen Publishers, 1996.  

Tenney, Merrill C., gen. ed. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. 5 Volumes. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975-1976.  

Walton, Robert C. Chronological & Background Charts of Church History. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986.  

Woodbridge, John D., gen. ed. Great Leaders of the Christian Church. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1988. 

Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin

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