The Fate of the Apostles

by Sean McDowell

The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe written in the 16th century has long been the go-to source for studying the lives and martyrdom of the apostles. Whilst other scholars have written individual treatments on the more prominent apostles such as Peter, Paul, John, and James, there is little published information on the other apostles. In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell offers a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostles Paul, and James. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle’s martyrdom as well as determining its significance to the reliability of their testimony. The question of the fate of the apostles also gets to the heart of the reliability of the did the apostles really believe Jesus appeared to them after his death, or did they fabricate the entire story? How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies and McDowell offers insightful scholarly analysis of this argument to break new ground within the spheres of New Testament studies, Church History, and apologetics.

Genres: History, Religion, Christianity, Church History, Theology, Christian, Ancient History

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2018

About the author

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Assistant Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University.

Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike.

Read more about Sean on his website.
Connect with Sean on Facebook.

Reviews

[Jason Wengel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of The Apostles by Dr. Sean McDowell is an exhilarating read as it examines the historical veracity of the martyrdom of Apostles of Christ. As McDowell highlights, it has often been assumed by defenders of the Christian faith that the martyring of the Apostles for their convictions that Christ was raised from the dead, is historical fact and therefore the resurrection must be true. But is this accurate? Is there historical evidence to verify that the Apostles were indeed martyred, and if they were, what significance does this carry in regard to their testimony that Jesus rose from the grave? With these questions in mind, McDowell takes on the challenge to examine the historical evidence available and provides an academic case for the both the martyrdom of the Apostles and the historical veracity of the resurrection.

First, it should be noted that this is an academic text that provides a scholarly analysis of the historical evidence for the martyrdom of the Apostles, therefore the content can be heavy at times. However, though most academic texts can be challenging to follow and comprehend, there is a logical flow to this book that allows the reader to follow along quite easily from start to finish. Moreover, McDowell skillfully interacts with the content in a way that makes it is easy to comprehend for the reader which is a definite strength of the book.

Beginning in Chapter 1, McDowell clearly defines what martyrdom is and what it is not, keeping in mind the first-century understanding of what martyrdom meant. Additionally, McDowell provides a coherent outline of the methodology he uses for assessing the historical evidence and offers insight into the various challenges there are when conducting a historical investigation. Chapter 2 then establishes that the resurrection is and always has been, since the earliest records, the core message of Christianity since its inception. There is no Christianity without the resurrection. McDowell goes on in Chapter 3 to describe what is known about the apostles and determine the case that they were, in fact, eyewitnesses. This establishes a crucial distinction between the martyrdom of the Apostles and other martyrs throughout history, as the Apostles uniquely died for their belief that they witnessed, firsthand, the risen Christ. From here, in-depth historical evidence is provided and analyzed in terms of its certainty.

I really enjoyed Chapter 4 as McDowell reconstructs and examines the historical background that the Christians were undeniably persecuted, which makes it more plausible that the Apostles were actually martyred. This is an area where critics have had significant push back, claiming that the Christian persecution motif has been overstated. Conversely, McDowell reasons from the New Testament, early Christian writings, as well as from the works of Roman and Jewish historians, that persecution and even martyrdom was a central theme, even core doctrine, in the early Christian church.

Chapters 5-18 then are what McDowell considers to be the main substance of the book and the “linchpin” of the argument. Throughout these chapters McDowell provides a compelling case for the reality of the many of the Apostles martyrdom, and provides insight into the significance of their willingness to suffer and die for their convictions. After a meticulous analysis of the evidence, it can be concluded that the Apostles fearlessly and unapologetically went to theirs deaths proclaiming that they had indeed seen the risen Christ, many of them being brutally martyred for this belief. Moreover, there is not a shred of evidence that suggests that any one of them recanted their belief in the resurrection, even when faced with severe persecution, even death. McDowell makes it clear though that the sincerity of the Apostles’ conviction and their martyrdom does not prove that the resurrection is true. Nonetheless, the strength of their conviction that they had seen the risen Christ and their willingness to die for their conviction provides a compelling case for veracity of the resurrection.

McDowell then closes by addressing the common objections to the martyrdom of the Apostles and offers a short, yet solid rebuttal to each. Finally, he provides an insightful analysis of the data and draws the conclusion that one can put their confidence in the historical accounts that the Apostles sincerely believed that they had personally experienced the risen Christ, and were willing to suffer and die for their beliefs that Jesus was indeed the risen Messiah.

In conclusion, this book is nothing short of brilliant and it will prove to be an insightful and captivating read. With precision, lucidity, and a comprehensive grasp of the historical evidence available, McDowell undoubtedly provides a well-reasoned case for fate of the Apostles. For this reason I highly recommend this book and consider it a must read for anyone who is interested in the origins of the Christian faith.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell is an academic work that investigates the evidence for the martyrdoms of Paul, James, and the twelve disciples (with Matthias replacing Judas). Although technical with a narrow focus, the book is surprisingly readable, with short chapters, a clear and logical structure, and minimal use of jargon.

If it can be shown that the apostles were willing to face martyrdom for their belief, it will demonstrate the sincerity of their conviction that Jesus appeared to them after he died. This argument is often used by popular apologists. Yet, the hidden premises and nuances are usually omitted. Moreover, there is a lack of scholarly appraisal of the available evidence. These concerns are addressed in McDowell’s book, which is based on his doctoral dissertation.

The initial chapter makes it clear that McDowell follows a strict historical method. He chooses to focus on sources within the living memory (up to 200 AD). Moreover, he uses a scale to evaluate the historical evidence, from not possibly true to the highest possible probability. The rankings are based on the number of sources, how early they are, and whether they are from varying perspectives. He then honestly explains the challenges that accompany the argument, from a lack of available information to apparently contradictory traditions.

In the following chapter, he shows that belief in the resurrection was at the heart of the Christian faith right from the start and a central belief of the apostles. Then, the identities of the 12 disciples are established, as well as their eyewitness status. In chapter 4, he sketches the milieu in which the apostles found themselves and shows that there is historical evidence for the persecution of Christians in the first century.

The next fourteen chapters look at the twelve disciples, Paul, and James one by one. Each starts with an introduction to the individual and some background information. Then the focus of the particular investigation is explained. After McDowell looks at the individual’s missionary activity, he considers the evidence of their martyrdom. The sources are carefully examined, and the implications of their contents are explicated. Finally, he gives a rating of the historical certainty that the apostle died a martyr’s death.

In the final chapter, he addresses the two most common objections and summarizes, in a table, the likelihood that each of the 14 apostles died as a martyr.

The book set out to investigate the evidence for the martyrdom of the apostles and accomplished it well. McDowell’s evaluation of the historical information is impartial and thorough. He covers many sources from varying perspectives. He is transparent about the difficulties of the investigation and the lack of evidence for some of the apostles. He neither overstates his case nor forces a conclusion. For example, he willingly concedes that the martyrdom of several of the apostles is as plausible as not. This fair evaluation makes his conclusion that it is the highest possible probability that some of the apostles died as martyrs, convincing.

One critique is that it is difficult to keep track of all the sources. A table summarizing the sources that will be used in the investigation and indicating to which apostles each is applicable could be helpful.

The Fate of the Apostles has given me a good understanding of the extent of the evidence that is available and what level of certainty we can have about the martyrdoms of the various apostles. It was particularly helpful that each of the apostles was discussed separately, in their own chapter. I would recommend this book to any apologist or individual who is interested in understanding the case for the resurrection.

[Jonathan Washburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not necessarily an easy read, but it's delightfully informative. Sean McDowell provides a critical, scholarly review of source material concerning the deaths of the early church fathers. For the historian, it's fun to discover that there is real data to support the legend that Thomas took the Gospel to India, and to analyze whether Peter really was crucified head-down by the Romans.
As an apologist, I think one of the most compelling arguments for the truthfulness of the resurrection is the radical change that was effected in the lives of Jesus' Jewish disciples. This book adds meat to the bones of this important argument.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen many a debate about the resurrection of Jesus.  Virtually guaranteed at some point the Christian will cite that all the apostles died for their faith.  It was common knowledge... until it wasn’t.  I remember the first time the atheist challenged it.  I was quite taken aback, as was the Christian (I wanna say it was William Lane Craig).  Pretty soon every second atheist was employing the same tactic. 

Enter McDowell.  Fate of the Apostles is thoroughly researched.  You can skip to the end for the bottom line, but I'll give you a hint.  We have good reason to believe at least most of the apostles died for their faith. 


Notes:

While the lack of early information on the 12 makes it difficult to determine the historicity of their martyrdom accounts, this same absence is an indication that the group was not a mere invention of the early church (28)

This value for eyewitness testimony is consistent with ancient Greco Roman culture. The best evidence was believed to come from eyewitnesses, and reports further removed from the events were considered weaker (29)

Historical reasoning and knowledge is based upon probability that comes from weighing the totality of the evidence and asking, “what best accounts for the available evidence?“ (108)

“But this objection misses a key difference between the deaths of the apostles and modern martyrs. Modern martyrs die for what they sincerely believe to be true, but their knowledge comes secondhand from others. For instance, Muslim terrorists who attack the twin towers of 9/11 we’re not eyewitnesses of any miracles by Mohammed” (269)

While people are willing to die for what they believe is true, it is a stretch to think all the apostles were willing to suffer and die for a claim they knew to be false (260)

Yes, others have died for a second-hand faith, but only the apostles died for what they saw firsthand (261)

First, the Christian movement was a resurrection movement since it’s inception: that is, “to believe in Jesus“ always meant “to believe that he had risen from the grave, conquering death and sin.“ (262)

[David Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Dr. Sean McDowell’s, The Fate of the Apostles, he draws on an important criterion for evaluating historical knowledge. How can we have “epistemological confidence” in history? In other words, how can we believe the history that is recorded, as it is recorded. He uses a scale of:

Not possibly true – certainly not historical
Very probably not true – doubtfully historical
Improbably – unlikely
Less plausible than not – slightly less possible than not
As plausible as not – plausible
More plausible than not – slightly more possible than not
More probably than not – likely
Very probably true – somewhat certain
The highest possible probability – nearly historically certain

He goes on to use this scale on an evaluation of 0-10 for the historical evidence of each Apostles testimony, chapter by chapter. This is likened to the approach Michael Licona uses in his book, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This approach certainly gives the most unbiased evaluation of the available data.

One of the greatest aspects to Dr. McDowell’s book is the repetitious reference to holy Scripture. This repetition, reiterates an important apologetic point; the presumption that the authority of Scripture is tantamount to believing its main focal point, Jesus Christ. Historical evidences and sound methodology for fact finding is crucial to establishing a credible testimony, but so is addressing the underlying presumptions of that belief system. From the 1st century forward, the belief that the written Word of God is an accurate recorder of history is a commonly agreed upon essential doctrine of the Christian faith. In other words, it’s going to be hard to conclude in agreement of the testimony of the Apostles without accepting them for their original intent.

In chapter 5, Dr. McDowell analyzes Jesus’ most Biblically named and one of the first disciples, Peter. Peter’s faith recognized a drastic, almost immediate change from pre to post resurrection testimony. Dr. McDowell highlights how dramatic of a testimony Peter gave just weeks after denying Christ to being ready and willing to die for Christ. Quite an incredible change of conviction. Dr. McDowell continues to show the emphasis, that clearly, the witnessing of a risen Jesus emboldened Peter’s personal conviction of the power of God. If Bible recording were not enough, Dr. McDowell draws in Clement and Ignatius, some of the earliest Patristic church leaders, to glean deductions on Peter’s persecution and martyrdom. The take away being that the martyrdom of Peter and Paul were part of the “living memory” of Rome. Not only that, isn’t even to this day part of the “living memory” that many Christians were persecuted under the Roman Empire? Or do skeptics reject that as well?

Dr. McDowell’s work is that of a scholar, but in my opinion, it is not at all too complex for a lay Christian or even a doubter of the Christian faith to pick up this book and clearly apprehend the message. Through a thorough explanation of each available resource at that time period, Dr. McDowell shows that it’s reasonable to conclude both that the Apostles were killed for their faith and that they were willing to be killed because of their witness of the resurrection of Christ.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EXCELLENT HISTORICAL STUDY ABOUT THE APOSTLES’ “MARTYRDOMS” AND DEATHS

Sean McDowell is a professor of apologetics at Biola University, and a popular speaker and author (as well as the son of the famed apologist, Josh McDowell).

He wrote in the Introduction to this 2015 book, “In face, we do have reliable historical evidence to trust the ancient and uniform testimony that (1) all the apostles were willing to die for their faith, and (2) a number of them actually did experience martyrdom… their willingness to face persecution and martyrdom indicates more than any other conceivable course their sincere conviction that, after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to them… I don’t claim that ONLY Christians have martyrs, but that the apostles died uniquely for the belief that they had actually seen the risen Christ, which demonstrates the sincerity of their convictions… the apostles’ willingness to die for their beliefs does not demonstrate ‘the inherent truth of the Christian message,’ but that the apostles REALLY BELIEVED that Jesus had risen from the grave. The apostles could have been mistaken, but their willingness to die as martyrs establishes their unmistakable sincerity.” (Pg 2-3)

He proposes the following scale “for evaluating the historical evidence for the martyrdom of individual apostles:
*not possibly true---certainly not historical;
*very probably not true---doubtfully historical;
*improbable---unlikely;
*less plausible than not---slightly less possible than not;
*as plausible as not---plausible;
*more plausible than not---slightly more possible than not;
*more probable than not---likely;
*very probably true---somewhat certain;
*the highest possible probability---nearly historically certain. (Pg. 4-5)

He suggests that “Every time the apostles proclaimed the name of Christ, then, they knowingly risked suffering and death. Even so, they continued to teach and preach the risen Jesus. Given their active proclamation of Christ, and their full awareness of the cost of such proclamation, if some of the apostles died for their faith, they qualify under the traditional definition of ‘martyr.’” (Pg. 8)

He acknowledges some difficulties in identifying the Twelve Apostles: “the slight variation in the lists may also suggest that the Twelve was more widely known than a standardized list of names. One difference that requires explanation is the variation between Thaddaeus and Judas, son of James. There are two possible explanations. First, Thaddaeus might have been an original member of the Twelve who dropped out for an unknown reason, whom Judas, son of James, replaced some time later… It seems unlikely, however, that Matthew and mark would include in the list a dropout instead of his replacement… Second, Judas, son of James, and Thaddaeus might have been the same person. It was not uncommon for Palestinian Jews to have both Semitic and Greek names… The difference also appears in the names between Bartholomew… and Nathanael… It seems reasonable to conclude that Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. Finally, there is the question of the identification of Matthew and Levi… the traditional view is that Matthew and Levi are the same person… Another possibility is that Levi was Matthew’s name prior to conversion…. However, this issue does not need to be resolved to proceed with the investigation, for the name Matthew appears in all four lists of the Twelve regardless of the identity of Levi.” (Pg. 26-27)

He points out, “Christians were first persecuted at the hands of their own people, then by Gentiles during the reign of Nero, officially persecuted by the Roman government. From at least that point forward, Christians could legally be persecuted for the name of Jesus. These factors make it not merely plausible, but likely that at least some of the apostles would face martyrdom for proclaiming the name of Jesus.” (Pg. 53)

He also acknowledges, “Is the upside-down crucifixion of Peter a reliable tradition? The earliest church father to mention it, Origen… in the mid-third century, makes no mention of Peter’s prolonged speech. It is uncertain whether Origen derived this from an independent tradition or from the Acts of Peter. We do have evidence Roman executioners varied their crucifixion practices for their own sadistic pleasure, however, so it is not intrinsically implausible Peter was crucified upside down. Still, why it is possible the tradition preserves an early memory of Peter’s upside-down crucifixion, the evidence is simply inconclusive.” (Pg. 85)

Of the fourth gospel, he notes, “We must discover… whether John, the son of Zebedee, is the Beloved Disciple. The traditional answer is yes. Many contemporary scholars… defend this view. But many CONSERVATIVE scholars disagree. Thus, this is an issue on which even conservative scholars differ among themselves. Candidates for the Beloved Disciple among conservative scholars include Lazarus [see 'What Have They Done With Jesus?'; ‘John the elder,’ an unknown historical figure not part of the Twelve, and a non-real literary device meant to draw in the reader. While the evidence for identifying the apostle John as the Beloved Disciple is stronger than many scholars concede, the conclusions must be tentative as to the value internal evidence provides for authorship of the Gospel of John and thus his traditional fate in Ephesus.” (Pg. 137-138)

He concludes, “We have convincing evidence that Peter, Paul, James (the son of Zebedee), and James (the brother of the Lord) died as martyrs. It is more probable than not that Thomas died as a martyr, and Andrew warrants a designation or more plausible than not for his fate. And the scant evidence for some of the lesser-known apostles, such as Simon the Zealot and Matthias, makes it difficult to determine their fates with any confidence. The critical point is not that we might establish the martyrdom of all the apostles; rather, their willingness to suffer and die for their firsthand witness of the risen Jesus---this is of foremost importance. The evidence shows that some really died as martyrs, and that none recanted… No evidence exists that any wavered in their faith or commitment. Of course, this does not mean they were necessarily right, but it does mean they really thought Jesus had risen from the grave, and they bet their lives on it.” (Pg. 259)

This is a really EXCELLENT historical study; McDowell treats all evidence fairly, and reaches only conclusions reasonably based upon the evidence. (I only wonder if his father Josh might now “qualify” some of the statements he has made in lectures/books about the “martyrdom” of the Apostles…) This book has now significantly “raised the bar” for studies of the ends of the apostles.

[Glenn Lantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rare Work on a Unique and Fascinating Topic

In The Fate of the Apostles – Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus, author/apologist Dr. Sean McDowell provides a thorough exploration into the deaths and fates of Jesus’ 12 apostles as well as that of Paul of Tarsus, and James, the brother of Jesus. The question at hand explores whether evidence exists that support the claim of Jesus’ apostles being martyred for their faith. Within the 265-page work is found an extensive bibliography containing Christian, Jewish and Roman sources. Setting the stage for examination of each individual apostle, McDowell explains the methodology by which the evidence will be engaged in determining whether a particular apostle was martyred for their testimony of Jesus Christ. McDowell implements a historical certainty point scale to weigh the evidence individually for each apostle. The probability scale ranging from not possibly true (0-1 certainly not historical) to the highest possible probability (9-10 nearly historically certain). In analyzing available evidence from historical records, including those from Christian, non-Christian, Jewish and Roman sources, McDowell asks four overarching questions. First, the number and complexion of sources. Second, the dating of sources wherein earlier sources are preferred. Third, the instance of variation of source across a diverse spectrum of groups. Fourth, the existence of a historical core or nucleus of detail that, while not of primary significance, is maintained through multiple sources and/or accounts, whether verifiably historical or leaning to legendary accretions. Further, McDowell discusses relevant issues including the centrality of the resurrection, the twelve apostles and persecution in the early church. Following the introductory and foundation laying chapters is found a chapter devoted specifically to each apostle. McDowell limits his source material to that which falls in the confines of apostolic living-memory, up to AD 200, being within two living generations of followers of the apostles. For each apostle, all available evidence from all sources is analyzed and critiqued. McDowell then renders judgement as to the degree of historical certainty concerning the martyrdom of each apostle.

As an oft-quoted argument in the defense of the resurrection of Jesus, the martyrdom of the apostles warrants a historical analysis basing its conclusion on all material available. McDowell offers that analysis in The Fate of the Apostles, using all available sources. Although bias and presupposition is inherent in any endeavor, McDowell avoids this in large part by his honest and critical assessment of sources. Some sources are simply too late, 4th – 6th century or later, to be given credence as well as some being deemed legendary accretions. In this McDowell does not stack the deck in favor of a particular apostle’s martyrdom but lets the evidence speak. False and speculative narratives are avoided as are any effort to stretch a lack of information to appear more impactful. As a result, McDowell assesses the probability of Peter, Paul and James, son of Zebedee, being martyred as having the highest possible probability (9-10, nearly historically certain), James, brother of Jesus (8, very probably true, somewhat certain), Thomas as more probable than not (7, likely), Andrew more plausible than not (6, slightly more possible than not), Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeous, Simon the Zealot, and Matthias as more plausible than not (5, plausible) and John as improbable (3, unlikely). A portion of McDowell’s The Fate of the Apostles that is fascinating is his dissemination and assessment of how some of the apostles were alleged to be killed, this material gleaned from multiple diverse sources as well. Additionally, six points McDowell highlighted as summary findings bore from his investigation encapsulated the relevance of his findings by shedding light on early Christian formation, beliefs and behavior/response to persecution. One shortcoming of note, albeit minor within the context of the entire work, is the brevity and abruptness concerning James, son of Zebedee. As one of the earliest and closest disciples of Jesus, his martyrdom is succinctly recorded in the New Testament book of Acts (12:1-2). Although this entry appears to solidify his martyrdom, as does the Acts account of Stephen as historically valid, a more robust entry, if possible, is warranted to justify the high rating given James’ martyrdom. All in all, a worthwhile endeavor being beneficial to scholarly and popular audiences.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDowell's analysis of apostolic martyrdom in "The Fate of the Apostles" revolves around the profound assertion that the apostles' willingness to sacrifice their lives bolsters the authenticity of their convictions. While he concedes that sincerity alone doesn't decisively validate Christianity, he posits that it heightens the credibility of resurrection claims. Contrary to prevailing scholarly views, McDowell contends that martyrdom isn't unique to Christianity but distinguishes the apostles' experiences as foundational to their beliefs. Drawing on New Testament texts, early church writings, and pseudopigraphical sources, McDowell emphasizes their direct transmission, aligning them with the apostolic era (Living Memory). He categorizes martyrdom accounts using a probability spectrum, considering factors like source number, dating, perspectives, and historical core. Despite historical challenges, including scant data and credibility concerns, McDowell argues for the significance of available evidence, navigating issues like legendary elements and competing claims. His argument's strength lies in the diverse sources he examines, providing a comprehensive perspective on martyrdom, and the strategic use of "Living Memory" criteria, establishing a reliable foundation. Much of the book delves into the individual destinies of key figures. With a judicious analysis, McDowell presents compelling evidence supporting the martyrdom of prominent apostles like Peter, Paul, and James, the son of Zebedee, as well as James, the brother of the Lord. The likelihood of Thomas and Andrew meeting a similar fate is deemed more probable than not, though uncertainties shroud the lesser-known apostles like Simon the Zealot and Matthias. McDowell underscores a pivotal point: the crux lies not in establishing the martyrdom of every apostle but in recognizing their steadfast commitment to suffer and die for their first hand witness of the risen Jesus. His careful exploration reveals that some apostles indeed died as martyrs, and notably, none recanted their faith. As McDowell navigates these individual narratives, he addresses common objections, thereby (in my opinion) fortifying the book's scholarly rigor and maintaining a robust analytical stance.

For anyone who enjoys learning—be it students, skeptics, laypeople, pastors, or professors—Sean McDowell's "The Fate of the Apostles" is an indispensable addition to any library. McDowell's exploration of apostolic martyrdom, not only sheds light on the fate of key figures like Peter, Paul, and James but also navigates the uncertainties surrounding lesser-known apostles. I’d argue that the book's strength lies in its comprehensive perspective, drawing on diverse sources, from New Testament texts to pseudepigraphical writings, offering a nuanced understanding of martyrdom. His strategic use of the "Living Memory" criteria adds a layer of reliability to the analysis, emphasizing direct transmission from the apostolic era. Ultimately, what sets this book apart is its scholarly depth, presenting a compelling case for the apostles' unwavering commitment to their first hand witness of the risen Jesus. The meticulous examination of individual destinies, coupled with addressing common objections, ensures a robust and balanced exploration. For anyone immersed in theological discourse or seeking a profound understanding of apostolic martyrdom, McDowell's work is an invaluable resource, making it a highly recommended addition to any theological library. Nevertheless, there is one critique. A notable critique emerges in the inconsistency of his certainty ratings. Specifically, his classification of John, the son of Zebedee's martyrdom as "the highest possible probability" raises questions. While McDowell cites an early New Testament source and later church fathers' affirmation, scrutiny reveals that only two out of the four criteria are met, with limited sources and scant information. Acknowledging the scarcity of details, McDowell's assertion seems incongruous, prompting consideration for a more cautious rating, perhaps "very probably true." This critique emphasizes the need for a nuanced reevaluation of certainty ratings to maintain a consistent and rigorous analytical framework.

[Anneliese · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of the Apostles gives an in-depth overview of the apostle’s martyrdoms. Specifically, this book goes into detail about each apostle’s life, ministry journeys, and ultimately how they died for their faith. The introduction informs the reader of the historical data that is available, the importance of living memory, the various obstacles of determining which documents are historically reliable, and the ranking system for each martyrdom. Dr. McDowell thoroughly explains the method in which he will determine the probability of each apostle’s martyrdom. Upon establishing these methods of research, Dr. McDowell explains why the resurrection is at the core of the apostle’s deaths. This establishes the reason for why they were willing to die for their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. From there, he notes what makes one eligible to be an apostle. Physically seeing the resurrected Jesus is part and partial of this requirement. The author also explains why enduring persecution would not have been a foreign concept to Jesus’ followers and the early church. This illuminates the resurrection of Jesus because Christians are no longer held by death. Each chapter is a thorough investigation of what is known historically (and even legendarily) of that particular apostle. Even their ministry journeys are thoroughly investigated to determine whether or not they actually traveled to a specific region. Commonly known information about any give apostle is not taken for granted in this book. All of this information is culminated together to determine the historicity for the way in which they died. There is no stone left unturned in Dr. McDowell’s investigation of the life and death of each apostle. As a result, the reader is left informed of the probability of each apostle’s martyrdom. The author gives common protests against these martyrdoms and then gives a detailed summary of his findings in regard to each apostle. Ultimately, this leads the reader back to the importance of the resurrection appearances that the apostles were eyewitnesses. Martyrdom of the apostles is seen in the light of the resurrection of Jesus, and this gives the foundation for their boldness to die for their faith.
Dr. McDowell does an excellent job of providing detailed evidence for each apostle’s death. What is extremely helpful is that he does not shy away from including legendary information. Prior to reading this book, I assumed any legendary account should be discarded altogether; however, Dr. McDowell explains that usually there is historical information intertwined with these legendary stories. This has changed my perspective on which documents to take into consideration when finding historical evidence for any given topic. Also, I was unaware that sometimes apostles were confused with one another which can lead to confusion in reviewing historical documents. I appreciate that this book does not assume that each apostle must have died by martyrdom. The resurrection appearances of Jesus by the apostles are not overlooked. They are reiterated throughout this book. Using the fact that these men were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ, gives a solid foundation of why they were willing to die. Also, it provides insight into why the apostles never recanted their belief that Jesus had risen from the dead. The only thing that I wish was included on a separate page would be the ranking scale of historical evidence used by the author. Although this is listed in the introduction, I found it difficult to search for it when I needed a reminder of how the author is ranking historical evidence about the apostle’s martyrdoms. This would be helpful for someone that is not familiar with historical research. Other than that, I would say that Dr. McDowell has presented a solid case for showing that the apostles were willing to die for their belief that Jesus was resurrected from the grave. Overall, this book is extremely valuable for anyone that is wanting to know more about the apostles, their belief about the resurrection and the probability of their martyrdoms. This book is helpful to those with no prior understanding of historical research, and it is beneficial for those that have done extensive study in ancient historical documents.

[Gerry Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of the Apostles is a much needed resource in the literature of Church history but also regarding the resurrection of Jesus. The book is written in a scholarly format and addresses the historical evidences for the accounts of these men that witness the resurrected Christ. The book first makes its stance in putting forth the credibility of these martyrs and the reason for their convictions. Making a strong case that these men indeed did die for the proclamations regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One-by-one you then go into each of these accounts and every one begins with evidences for the conclusion of their deaths. If there is scripture to be quoted it is found in sections. Conclusions regarding the lives and deaths of these men are presented and easily found to reflect on their sacrifice. The book digs and references heavily of key source material being scripture, non-Christian historical accounts, cultural, societal, and political beliefs and practices during the time period the accounts were recorded and witnessed. The book is written as guide not only to present information to the scholar and student but also to aid in framing the mind of the reader in the direction of proper analysis and logical conclusions based on the credible information that is available in the historical record.

This book is definitely one to have for the library. It is unique in its deep study of the life of these men. Normally if one is seeking these accounts the information is scattered throughout multiple authors and volumes. Sean McDowell does the heavy lifting and study for us and presents us with a piece of literature that brings together all the credible source material for the martyrdom accounts of the apostles and presents it in a manner that is easy to follow and utilize. The book itself is written in almost a hybrid format. In the first aspect it addresses the early persecution of the Church and the apostles death’s in a format for scholarly review and use. It covers the source material, the historical records of the time, and pulls from historians and authors that bring credibility to the accounts of these times and deaths. The other format is for a lay reader. It has a consecutive writing style and is easy to follow for both scholar and layperson alike. It is almost story like as you follow the persecution and martyrdom of these key early saints. I found myself reading just to better understand these men that we are only slightly introduced to in scripture. To understand to what extent these men where willing to give there lives instead of refusing to renounce their allegiance to the person and work of Christ and His gospel not only brings a profound appreciation for these saints but also to the person and work of Christ. It brings depth to the claim of His resurrection and reminds us of the difficulty one must have to die in the manner these men did for anything that was not a soul wrenching conviction of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

What I did, and continue to enjoy about this book is that it is multi-purpose. In the one sense I could easily read it as just a book like any other to walk through the analysis of these lives but also it can be a extremely invaluable resource and reference material. Sections in this book can be easily found if one where making a class, or prepping a sermon, or even a group study. One could easily spend much more in purchasing multiple volumes that would have all the information in this book. This is something I would recommend to anyone. Scholar, student, lay church goer, skeptic, parent, teenager. Books like this bring substance and credibility to not just the Christian tradition and faith, but the reasoning for life and the goal to which we are all moving whether we acknowledge it or not. I could not help reflect as I read the deaths of these men and the persecution the early church was dealt, what convictions do I hold so tightly and deeply that would prompt such allegiance. And that is something everyone should be confronted with with this book.  

[Brian Bauer]

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important historical fact of Christianity. If the resurrection did not happen, there is no Christianity. Christianity’s claim that Jesus rose from the dead is based on eye witness accounts. Primarily, it is based on the eye witness accounts of Jesus’ apostles: the twelve that lived and traveled with him prior to his death, his brother James, and Paul who also claimed to have met the risen Jesus. The argument is often made that the fact that the apostles were willing to (and did) die rather than deny their claim that Jesus is alive, is proof that their reports are in fact true. After all, who would die for a claim they knew was a lie; but is there evidence that they all did die as martyrs? This is the question that Dr. McDowell sets out to comprehensively answer in The Fate of the Apostles.

McDowell follows a very systematic approach. First, he establishes the centrality of Jesus’ resurrection and the fact that this resurrection was at the heart of the apostles’ teaching. He then introduces us to these fourteen individuals, showing how they all (except for Paul) knew Jesus before his death, and how they would be in a position to encounter a risen Jesus. Next, he describes the persecution encountered by the early church, because if there is no persecution then you cannot have any martyrs. After laying this foundation, he spends at least one chapter evaluating the evidence for the martyrdom of each of the individual apostles. In each of these chapters he assesses the evidence, if any, found in biblical accounts, the writings of the early church fathers, pseudepigraphal texts (later writings written under a pseudonym, usually of an apostle), Jewish and Roman historians, and other evidences to determine whether there is evidence: (1) that the apostle was ever in the location where he was traditionally believed to have been martyred, (2) that the apostle was killed for his testimony (as opposed to dying from old age or natural causes), and, in some cases, (3) that the apostle was killed in the manner reported by tradition. McDowell concludes his work with a summary of the evidences and a response to three particular objections.

One of the impressive things about this book is McDowell’s commitment to objectivity and scholarship. This is clearly not an attempt to simply substantiate or shore up any long held tradition of the church. Instead, McDowell collects the available evidence and then evaluates that evidence to determine the relative probability of the apostle being martyred in the location and manner reported by tradition. Particularly useful is the summary and evaluation McDowell provides at the end of each chapter on an individual apostle. In each of these evaluations, McDowell expresses an opinion about what parts of the reported tradition are a “highest possible probability,” “more or as plausible as not,” or “improbable.” This is helpful in that it makes clear that the evaluation of a given apostolic tradition is not an “all or nothing” sort of proposition. It may be that some part of that tradition lacks any serious evidential support while other aspects are well documented. In addition, the citation to the specific texts allows the reader to revisit those texts and evaluate McDowell’s conclusions. The one thing that was missing was any real discussion of the various views on the reliability of the biblical passages that were referenced in evaluating certain aspects of the applicable apostolic traditions. Certainly, a thorough consideration of this topic could be a book in itself, but even an abridged consideration of the issue would have provided context useful in evaluating the weight to be given to the cited texts.

The Fate of the Apostles is a great read for anyone who is curious about what happened to the apostles after the Acts of the Apostles comes to a close. It is also an excellent resource for scholars and students who want to investigate the lives and deaths of the apostles in an effort to evaluate the veracity of their claims that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

[Jim Crookes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholarly research into the resurrection of Christ often focuses on the claims made by eye witnesses of the event. Many scholars argue that the eye witnesses held a sincere, deep, conviction that Jesus rose from the dead. They did not participate in some elaborate deception plan. The sincerity of the eye witnesses’ beliefs is established by the claim that they died as martyrs rather than recant their belief in the resurrection. But how do we know that the Apostles were in fact martyrs? It is this question which Sean McDowell sets out to answer.

McDowell begins by outlining his research method. First, he identifies the Twelve disciples by disentangling any confusion over the naming of individuals. He then examines the earliest available sources, including New Testament documents, the writings of the early church fathers, pseudo epigraphical writings, Gnostic sources, and other extra-biblical accounts. These sources are used to establish the confidence we can have in the missionary endeavors of each Apostle, and the stories of their subsequent martyrdom. McDowell has chosen to limit his sources to those earlier than 200 AD, because that date corresponds to the limit of a “living memory” (i.e., the memory of someone who knew a disciple of the Apostles well). Once the historical data has been assembled, a probability score is assigned to the martyrdom claim.

Having established his methodology, McDowell then investigates each Apostle in turn. Peter’s martyrdom is assigned the highest possible probability. A similar score is given to James, the brother of Jesus. The martyrdoms of Paul and James the son of Zebedee are regarded as very probably true. On the other hand, it is deemed improbable that John the son of Zebedee, and Matthew were martyred. The martyrdoms of lesser-known Apostles like Andrew and Thomas are scored as more plausible than not, while the martyrdoms of Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot are merely plausible claims.

McDowell reaches the conclusion that the willingness of the Apostles to suffer and die for their faith has sufficient historical weight to support the assertion that they held a sincere, deep, conviction that Jesus had risen. They were not liars.

This book is scholarly but accessible. The writing style is engaging, and the author always introduces the reader to his more obscure sources in an attractive way. He provides interesting insights into the missionary endeavors of the Apostles without lapsing into the romantic fiction that became popular in the later centuries of the Church. McDowell makes heavy use of Acts, John’s Gospel, and the letters of Paul, so he necessarily has to defend the general reliability of the New Testament documents. (His approach is very different from the Minimal Facts Method advocated by Gary Habermas, for example, even though this book provides an important support to one of the minimal facts.) In particular, I was impressed by McDowell's argument that the Fourth Gospel was written by an eye-witness who almost certainly was John the son of Zebedee. He provides an impressive set of mutually-supporting links between Acts and 1&2 Timothy, and between the Gospels by Mark and John. Given that many of his key arguments rest on the reliability of the New Testament documents, a critic might argue that McDowell should have written two books: the first one establishing the general reliability of the NT documents, and a second one on the Fate of the Apostles. However, I think that a good balance has been struck between providing evidence that the New Testament documents are early and reliable, and the specific arguments, derived from those documents, about the Apostle’s fate.

Any open-minded reader, in my judgement, will conclude that McDowell has successfully defended his narrow thesis. There is sufficient historical evidence that a number of the Apostles were martyred. It is overwhelmingly probable that most of them suffered for their faith. And there is no evidence that any of them recanted their beliefs. So these eye witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection did hold a deep, sincere, conviction that Christ rose from the dead.

[David Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Fate of the Apostles, Christian apologist Sean McDowell demonstrates his abilities in the role of a careful historian. He evaluates stories from the Bible and numerous extra-biblical sources in order to assess whether there is reliable historical evidence for whether Jesus’ apostles actually demonstrated a willingness to die for their faith in Jesus as the resurrected Lord and whether a number of them actually did die as martyrs. If they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their beliefs, this is one reason for the modern skeptic to be encouraged to explore the historicity of what the apostles believed to be true concerning Jesus’ resurrection.

McDowell’s introduction acknowledges that the apostles’ sincerity of belief in Jesus’ resurrection does not prove the resurrection but does seem to discount the argument that they were intentionally spreading lies about seeing Jesus alive after the resurrection. Only their perception of the truth could have motivated their actions to such a degree. While McDowell and others in academic and popular circles present arguments elsewhere for and against the resurrection itself, McDowell’s narrow focus in this book—on own the apostles’ fates—is unusual and promotes consideration of how it fits into the broader story about the historical Jesus. Despite the narrowness of the focus, the book is quite substantial, as McDowell’s research has uncovered much interesting information.

McDowell adopts a reasoned methodological approach for weighing evidence associated with the demise of each of the original apostles (except Judas Iscariot), as well as Matthias, Paul, and Jesus’ brother, James. McDowell’s historical research is impressive, closely examining biblical accounts and considering extra-biblical accounts from the first century (CE) and beyond. There is no hint of preconceived conclusions here. While he ultimately concludes that the martyrdoms of Peter, Paul, and James (the brother of Jesus) are well supported, there are no shortcuts in his analysis of the evidence. He cites the “traditional view” often on various issues but does not lean on that view without supporting historical detail. For other figures, such as Thomas and Andrew, the evidence supporting martyrdom is more tenuous. McDowell cites a wealth of academic references, offering readers a chance to undertake further evaluation for themselves.

Written for an academic audience, The Fate of the Apostles is thorough, yet very well organized, eminently readable, and not laden with extraneous or excessive detail. It offers something to thoughtful Christians who wish to learn more about the lives of Jesus’ apostles beyond the biblical record. How many Christians today know that there is good evidence that “doubting Thomas” may have been a pioneering missionary to India and that, today, there remains a community of “Saint Thomas Christians” in India who attribute their community’s founding to Thomas’ efforts which started there in 52 AD? Christians interested in history will benefit from this book’s presentation and careful assessment of the writings of early church fathers.

McDowell explores the degree to which mistake or bias may have tainted the written record, and he does not appear to overreach in drawing conclusions supporting martyrdom. After presenting the evidence and the uncertainties, he concludes that some cases are “strong,” while others are “moderate” or “weak.” McDowell’s approach should interest, and perhaps challenge, skeptics who are willing to engage in a good-faith exploration of the evidence regarding the lives and deaths of those in Jesus’ inner circle and the implications to be drawn. It offers those who believe in Jesus’ resurrection the opportunity to reflect on the fact that the Christian faith is not merely a personal, mystical experience but is grounded in history. As such, this book may provide a new angle for Christians to discuss the rationality of their faith with non-Christian friends and the significance of the resurrection event.

[Madison Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDowell begins the book by clearly defining definitions, such as martyr, and providing evidence that the bodily resurrection of Jesus was at the core of the apostles’ faith. He makes it clear that his claim is not that all the apostles died for their faith, but rather, that they were willing to suffer and die for their faith. McDowell provides a list of different levels of probability that a historical event occurred and uses this list throughout his book as he examines claims about the apostles. Throughout the book, he examines the credibility of sources. His preference is to have sources within the living memory of the apostles. This living memory consists of sources that were written before the end of the 2rd century AD. McDowell addresses the idea of persecution among the early Christians. How much persecution did the early Christians actually face? Was it empire wide? McDowell goes through the biblical literature and early ancient sources showing that persecution and suffering were a central theme of the Christian life. After laying the foundation for his methodology and definitions, McDowell goes on to examine each apostle. He looks at the claims of martyrdom and their missionary journeys. McDowell examines the sources for each apostle and concludes that some apostles have good historical sources, while others come way too late to provide any level of historical certainty. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the probability of if, when, and how the apostle was martyred.

Overall, McDowell does a fantastic job of making things simple and providing clarity. The project he has taken on to look through each apostle seems to be an overwhelming task. To have brought all of this work together into a relatively short, but thorough book is astounding! His work adds to the cumulative case for the resurrection and allows Christians to objectively analyze the fate of the apostles. McDowell does a great job of defining terms and providing his methodology. He attempts to be as objective as possible and does a great job of evaluating sources. For example, even though it would help his case to agree with Cullman that 1 Clement provides evidence that Peter died in Rome, McDowell disagrees because the text does not make this claim. Additionally, McDowell agrees that the most straightforward way of interpreting the cup in Mark 10:35-45 refers to death even though John did not end up being martyred according to McDowell’s assessment. Thus, McDowell does his best to follow the evidence where it leads. Moreover, McDowell does a great job of putting forth an argument and addressing the counterarguments. He also does a good job of providing a variety of views and is extremely cautious as to the certainty of historical knowledge one can have on any particular issue. In other words, he is careful not to overstate his case.

One critique would be that McDowell relies heavily on the Gospels as valid sources. Even though he offers support for many passages, he does not go into great depth on this. However, this was outside the scope of the book so one should not fault him for this, but being an Evangelical Christian, one can see that he is more willing to treat the Gospels as accurate history than some other scholars. However, this does not impact his overall argument since he often shows that even if the writing is not wholly reliable or is pseudepigraphal, it still provides linkage to early tradition and thus critical evidence in evaluating the question at hand. Another critique that follows from McDowell’s reliability of Scripture would be that he places a large emphasis on Acts 5. His main foundation that the apostles were willing to suffer for their faith seems to come from Acts 5. Yet, Acts 5 does not say that “all twelve” of the apostles suffered in this episode. It simply mentions “the apostles.” One might argue that Acts 5 does not include all twelve apostles, but maybe only seven or eight of them. The text does not specify, thus one might argue that McDowell is placing too much emphasis on this passage.

[Anthony Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDowell’s book is a novel apologetic approach to the question of whether it is possible to trust in the historical bodily resurrection of Jesus. Previously, other apologists who have written on the subject at an accessible, but more academic level (such as Licona and Wright) have focused on a broad spectrum approach, honing in on the resurrection narratives themselves. McDowell however, counterintuitively directs his attention to events that occur after the reported resurrection appearances, and instead analyses the claims of the martyrdom of the apostles.

One of the main assertions for the reliability of the Christian kerygma is that Jesus’ apostles were transformed almost overnight from a group of cowardly individuals who had deserted, fled, and lost confidence in their leader, to a group of staunch believers ready and willing to die for their faith. Of note is the fact that McDowell clarifies that a demonstrable martyrdom of the apostles does not necessarily evidence the truth of the resurrection hypothesis, but rather evidences that the apostles believed and were sincere in their claims that they saw the resurrected Jesus.

McDowell begins his systematic analysis by outlining his methodology for his assessment of the evidence, as well as the challenges involved in carrying out a historical investigation of their deaths. In the following chapters, McDowell first establishes the resurrection as a central claim of the Christian kerygma. He then examines the historicity and identity of Jesus’ apostles, as well as the evidence of their missionary work in the early church. This is then followed by a review of the persecution of the early church. The main body of McDowell’s investigation follows, which is a systematic review of the evidence supporting each apostle’s martyrdom, with McDowell assessing both the available biblical and extra biblical evidence. The book then concludes with McDowell’s assessment that it is plausible that each of the apostles examined were martyred save one, finishing with a tiered ranking of each apostles’ likelihood of martyrdom.

As a mature Christian, I found the book very interesting. From an accessibility perspective, the material was academic and well sourced, but McDowell’s arguments were very clear and easy to follow, and therefore I believe that anyone interested in the topic could appreciate it. Within the greater Christian tradition, it has always been well claimed that the apostles were transformed from cowards to willing martyrs following the resurrection, but I have never come across such an in-depth and methodical analysis of such a claim.

I also appreciated McDowell’s honesty towards the martyrdom claims that he felt were weak. For example, I agree with McDowell’s assessment that it is improbable that John, son of Zebedee was martyred, and it was fascinating to consider how some relatively later Christian writers may have invented martyrdom narratives, or “almost martyrdom” narratives for this historical figure for the sake of pushing a particular agenda. In my opinion, such relatively weak, and probably false claims only served to further highlight and contrast the strength of the likely claims contained in the presentation.

I would highly recommend this book, and my only criticism is that the conclusion felt rather rushed to me. I wish that more time was given to some of the objections that McDowell highlights in his last chapter, in particular the objection that other religious people have also died for their beliefs. McDowell unfortunately only contrasts modern martyrs with the death of the apostles, as opposed to perhaps the death of the contemporary followers of Muhammed. While I do believe that the motivations behind these deaths can be differentiated, it is a shame that these were not to be found here.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction, McDowell informs his readers that he will be investigating the historical evidence for the martyrdom of each of the 12 disciples in addition to Paul and James, Jesus’ brother. The quality and quantity of data is analyzed for each before being put into a numeric scale from 1-9 with 1 being “not possibly true” and 9 being “the highest possible probability.” He specifies that for the purpose of this work, martyrdom is defined as “involving death for confession of the Christian faith.”
Before diving in to each individual account, he spends a few chapters discussing the centrality of the resurrection in general and the twelve apostles—who they were, the internal and external witness of their missionary work, and their testimony. He then spends a chapter with a brief address of the cost of discipleship, persecution in the New Testament, martyrdom in the Old, and what persecution has looked like for Jews and Gentiles throughout history. McDowell then thoroughly assesses each of the 14 accounts before providing a summary and assigning to each a number from the scale previously mentioned. He concludes by addressing a few objections that are often made to the apostles’ martyrdoms before summarizing his investigation with six key points and a recap of the probabilities reached for each apostle analyzed.
While this book was assigned as one of three texts for a graduate level course on the resurrection, it is not overly academic for the lay person. In fact, though thoroughly researched, it reads more like a popular text such as McDowell’s other books or one by an author such as Lee Strobel or J. Warner Wallace.
I’m not sure I would have ever picked up this book without it being required reading. But I’m glad it was. For anyone who might be curious about the fate of the apostles, this work takes a deep dive into the arguments and evidence both for and against the martyrdom of each individual. Both biblical and extra-biblical sources were utilized in the research therein. McDowell didn’t seem to leave a single stone unturned when it came to his investigative work. He mentions texts that I had never heard of, but each has its place in providing supporting evidence for or against the likelihood of each martyrdom.
What I did not expect was how the impact of this investigation, and the details that were fleshed out in the process, added to the cumulative case for the resurrection of Jesus. Whether martyred or not, the willingness of each to suffer and die for their faith speaks volumes. Each of these men were in the presence of the risen Jesus—at least they each believed they had witnessed his appearance. Then each went on a mission to share the gospel with surrounding nations knowing that doing so would likely cause them great pains, perhaps even death. If the resurrection had not happened, had they made the whole thing up, then their willingness to suffer—and even die—would have been solely for what they knew to be a lie.
One popular objection to the idea of Christian martyrdom is that there have been many people of faith, whether Buddhist, Muslim, or those from the Heaven’s Gate Cult, who have died for what they believed to be true. What this text uncovers is that these apostles didn’t just believe it, they lived it. And there is evidence to back up not only their existence, and in some cases their deaths, but there is evidence to show their willingness to suffer for what they experienced to be true. This goes a long way in providing the skeptic with reasons to at least consider why Christianity is not the same as every other religion. For the person who is a Christian, you will find treasures in this book that will bolster your faith in ways you didn’t know existed. I’m glad I was “forced” to make it part of my library.

[Stuart Pyclik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question The Fate of the Apostles addresses is: “What historical evidence do we have for the martyrdom of the Twelve disciples who followed Jesus?” It is a common assertion in Christian circles that the apostles were martyred for their faith; what Sean McDowell does is closely investigate the documents, traditions, and occasionally legends surrounding the apostles and their deaths to determine what can concluded historically. First he starts off explaining his scale of historical reliability he will be judging the claimed martyrdom of each apostle on. Next is an extended introduction where McDowell explains who the Twelve disciples are, their beliefs, and the relevance of those beliefs and supposed martyrdom. Afterwards each chapter is devoted to one of the Twelve with an additional two chapters devoted to Paul the missionary and James the brother of Jesus respectively. He does not offer new research or evidence but rather takes a thorough sample of the evidence that exists within the Living Memory of the apostles (AD 30-200). In the few cases where there is too little in that timeline to get a good survey of the data, McDowell will extend his search beyond AD 200; this is only done sparingly in the book, and in most cases regarding one of the Twelve, Paul, or James he has found more than enough within the ideal time frame to produce a reasonable conclusion. Sources most commonly used are apocryphal texts from the second century and the writings of Church Fathers who came shortly after the apostles. McDowell lays out the narratives from these sources presented as well as where they agree and disagree. He then dives into the likely historical core that can be found between the pieces of evidence and deals with criticisms to some of the ideas and claims he cites as being valid or potentially containing some historical truth. Each chapter ends with a conclusion where he gives a final rating on the historical likelihood of each apostles martyrdom along with a few other relevant details in their life.
This book is a great choice for a handful of people. Obviously the purpose of the book is to defend the Christian claim of the apostles martyrdom, but does so in a historically rigorous way. McDowell does not take any Church Father or tradition at face value simply because they say the commonly accepted narrative. Rather he analyzes their claims against other sources and the knowledge we have of the first century Roman Empire. Now in some cases it does feel like he gives some of the claims more benefit of the doubt than they deserve. Some of his choices where he concludes their martyrdom is just as possible as not feel like there may be a stronger argument that they are even less likely. But he provides the scale he is using at the beginning of the book, lists each piece of evidence for his rating, and cites contrary opinions. It would be easy for any reader to keep a finger at the beginning and refer back to the scale to decide for themselves what they think the rating should have been. Also it can at times be hard to keep up with which source exactly McDowell is talking about unless one is already familiar with first century Christian writings. Since the book is about the apostles and not the Church Fathers, he only gives brief introductions for the authors of his sources and dives into the history.
Another group this book would be good for are those who are already aware of or believe in the traditions, but want to know how historically sound those traditions are. Maybe you do not doubt the apostles’ martyrdom, but are curious just how reliable they are historically. Yet whether you are a skeptic or a believer, whether you want to begin a deep dive into the topic or just want a relatively easy read to give you a taste, The Fate of the Apostles is a good start in one’s research on the reliability of the apostles’ martyrdom.

[Nate Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY:
In The Fate of the Apostles, Dr. Sean McDowell examines the various accounts of those who were martyred for their faith in Jesus. Many people point to the apostles’ willingness to become martyrs as a reason to trust the sincerity of their testimony of the historical resurrection of Jesus, since “it is difficult to believe they would go willingly to such gruesome deaths for the sake of empty deceit” (McDowell 1). He introduced his methodology and how most of the investigation focuses on “living memory,”--that which was personal and early memory of the apostles–instead of primarily that which was written later. McDowell uses a scale for evaluating the historical evidence for the martyrdom of individual apostles, which ranges from “not possibly true–certainly not historical” to “the highest possible probability–nearly historically certain.” He introduced challenges such as lack of information and challenges, and then layed out the research outline. Chapter 2 focuses on the apostolic kerygma–the Christian faith was a “resurrection movement”--this is why people joined the church. Chapter 3 explains who the apostles were and provides evidence that they were actually eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Chapter 4 provides evidence that other Christians were persecuted and martyred in the early church. Chapters 5-18 examine the evidence for each apostles’ death for his faith, and then provide a historical rating from the scale mentioned above. The last chapter synthesizes the information and rebutes three common objections to the historicity of the apostles’ martyrdom accounts. It is concluded that “the apostles were willing to die for reporting what they believed to be true, and that many in fact did” (McDowell 15).

ANALYSIS:
The Fate of the Apostles by Dr. Sean McDowell is a very helpful tool to honestly examine the historicity of the apostles’ willingness to die for their faith. This subject is popularly used by apologists to argue for the truthfulness of the resurrection since the apostles probably would not have been willing to be murdered for empty deceit. The 16th century work The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe has been the source that most people go to for studying the martyrdom of the apostles, so it is fantastic to have an updated and modern work which examines all of the apostles in a very helpful, honest, and convincing way. Chapters 5-18 are so helpful in equipping the reader with an abundance of information surrounding each individual apostle. Dr. McDowell truly went in-depth with this work and did not just provide general information that applies to most of the apostles. Instead, he reviewed the historical sources pertaining to each individual apostle and the value that each of those sources brings. My only suggestion to McDowell regards his assessment of the apostle Paul. He concluded that “Paul was in Rome” and “The martyrdom of Paul” are both of the highest possible probability. This is great, and this is what is truly important. He then wrote that his “Martyrdom during the reign of Nero” is very probably true and that “The beheading of Paul” is more probable than not. I would have rated the beheading of Paul higher since there are so many sources that support his beheading and there is no competing version of his death. Again, it doesn't really matter if he was beheaded or not since we can certainly say he existed and was martyred for his faith. Although, I do believe that from a historical perspective, the beheading of Paul is “very probably true” instead of “more probable than not.” McDowell’s book is fantastic and something which all apologists, honest atheists, and historians should be blessed with.

[Alex Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDowell provides a clear and convincing case for the apostles’ willingness to be martyred. The martyrdom of the apostles has historically been foundational for the case for the resurrection, yet it was hard for believers to come up with evidence when questioned. McDowell begins by emphasizing the centrality of the resurrection in the oldest biblical creeds and among the church fathers. He then gives a description of the Twelve Apostles, offering a proper classification and justification of its historicity. McDowell then argues that gospel proclamation was central to the lives of the Twelve after the Resurrection event, and that many engaged in missionary activity.
The author then argues for widespread persecution against the earliest Christians. Jesus consistently warned the disciples about the cost of following him; Paul wrote throughout his letters that he suffered because of his gospel proclamation, from both Jewish and Gentile authorities; other books like Hebrew, James, 1 John, and Revelation all indicate suffering for true believers and the glory therein. Jesus also implies that the Israelites killed Old Testament prophets, and while only two deaths are recorded there is a general tradition within extracanonical work that considered martyrdom an expected end for faithful believers. There are clear examples of Gentiles persecuting believers, such as Tacitus’ description of Neronian persecution in the early second century, specifically for declaring Jesus is lord and refusing to worship the emperor.
McDowell then goes on to establish the probability that given apostles were martyred. Peter, James the brother of Jesus, Paul (the central disciples), and James the son of Zebedee were very likely killed for their faith. John most likely did not. Thomas more likely was martyred. Andrew is plausible. Too little evidence exists to know for Matthew, Philip, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, Matthias, or Bartholomew. More importantly, all apostles seemed to be willing to die for their faith, the key criterion in assessing the veracity of their beliefs.
Dr. McDowell assesses the probability of the death of the individual apostles in a fair and cogent manner. This was my first exposure to these arguments, and I appreciated how he approached each individual separately and from there further separated the facts about a given apostle from one another. He was measured in giving his assessments–sometimes overly measured. I recognize that McDowell was trying to be fair to his critics and to be careful to account for multiplying probabilities, but some of his compounded predictions like the martyrdom of James the brother of Jesus to be too timid. For instance, given the evidence put forth, the chance that James died as a Christian martyr given that he was killed by stoning is almost one hundred percent, thus meaning that the probability of his death as a martyr is as likely as his execution by stoning. Throughout the text, it felt like probabilities for the strongest martyrdom accounts were simply knocking off one level of probability for each compounding event– death is the highest category of probability, death as a martyr the second-highest, etc.
Overall, McDowell does a good job emphasizing that those who knew Jesus were ready to die for their belief that their teacher resurrected from the dead as he said he would. This is an important text for putting the skeptical desire for proof of martyrdom to bed, and is encouraging to now be able to confidently answer this as part of an argument for the Resurrection.

[Jeff Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of The Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus, by Dr. Sean McDowell, is an in-depth review of historical literary evidence surrounding the death of Jesus' loved ones and their proclamation of the Gospel message. McDowell focuses on the most prominent post resurrection followers; the original eleven apostles, Matthias, the apostles Paul and James (Jesus’ brother). Through a careful examination of the evidence surrounding various traditions of martyrdom, McDowell demonstrates, that based upon the personal witness of the resurrected Jesus, each follower was willing to suffer and die for their strongly held beliefs. As an apologist, McDowell is keenly aware that many unbelievers require evidence, which he delivers. The reader is thus pulled into the historical life and death of those closest to Jesus, and led to discover that at a very minimum, each of Jesus’ follower were so convinced of the resurrection of Jesus, they were all willing to suffer and die for their beliefs.

Like other writers of historical analyses, McDowell faces the challenge of developing a methodology to revisit the generational historical and textual data available. From the available set of information succession, called “living memory,” McDowell highlights the evidence for the resurrection at the heart of Christian teaching, and a key part of the apostles testimony of Jesus. To assess his final conclusion, McDowell establishes a probabilistic scale to be used in making his historical inferences. The reader is educated on the definition of historical Martyrdom, the historical evidence of persecution that existed, and a review of the evidence surrounding the death of each of Jesus’ followers in question. Finally, McDowell presents his probabilistic assessments, which admittedly do not exhaust the evidence or alternative view; however, assist in pointing out some of the most common objections in order to establish the reasonableness for accepting his conclusion of the evidence presented.
What is much appreciated is that McDowell leaves room for questions, a natural part of any analysis. McDowell provides a humble, yet reasonable methodology for analyzing new evidence and/or probabilities to re-assess the premise of martyrdom for each of the followers of Jesus. However, one would be hard pressed to conclude differently than McDowell. The treatment of evidence in his book coherently demonstrates that each of Jesus’ closest followers were willing to suffer and die based on their testimony of faith in who they believed Jesus was – the promised Christ.

The reader will appreciate the book's brevity; however, may find themselves wanting more. With the door of history open, there seems to be plenty of room to expand on the arguments of martyrdom tradition that many have grown up with as established fact. Such traditions are long standing, however, McDowell sheds light on evidence that challenges some of these traditional views, rather than challenge such long standing traditions, the conclusions come quickly leaving the established evidence for the reader to question. Perhaps this is the intent, it certainly caused the reader to pause, however, given his scholarly reputation, one may be left wanting. That said, The Fate of The Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus, by Dr. Sean McDowell is a highly recommended book for the inquisitive biblically minded reader.

[David Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary

In The Fate of the Apostles, renowned Professor and Apologist Dr. Sean McDowell seeks to evaluate the historical truthfulness and accuracy of the martyrdoms of Jesus’ twelve disciples, as well as the martyrdom of Apostle Paul, and James the brother of Jesus. He undertakes this investigation due to the fact that Christians often claim that every disciple of Jesus, with the exception of John were martyred. Christians often cite and use the martyrdoms of the disciples to confirm the historical veracity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, however, when Christians make these types of claims, they provide no qualification, and as such, these claims can appear to be simply unsubstantiated theories. But the question is, is there any evidence that can corroborate or even authenticate and confirm these martyrdom stories? Or are these claims that Christians make groundless and embellished folklore, myths, and legends, as many critics allege? These are the questions that Dr. McDowell endeavors to answer and bring clarity to.

McDowell begins his investigation by first clarifying that his intention is not to merely demonstrate that only Christians have martyrs, but rather to prove “that the apostles died uniquely for the belief that they had actually seen the risen Christ, which demonstrates the sincerity of their convictions” (3). McDowell’s primary method is to focus on the historical evidence for the martyrdoms of the apostles, and as such, the study looks at the earliest historical sources which include the New Testament, the pseudepigraphical writings, the writings of the early church fathers, Gnostic sources, as well as other extra-biblical sources (3). The book ends with a summary of McDowell’s investigation – that out of the 14 apostles, more than six are more plausible than not, seven are as plausible as not, and only one is lower than plausible (264).

Analysis

Dr. Sean McDowell does a tremendous job at offering a well-written, critical, and detailed analysis concerning the historical reliability of the Christian martyrdom stories. McDowell does a great job of defining the meaning of “martyr,” and also in explaining why focusing in on and proving the sincerity of each apostle's conviction that they had seen the risen Lord is so essential to "resurrection research,” which I found to be insightful. McDowell also provides clear reasoning about why Christianity must be seen as a resurrection faith since the beginning and why it must “lie at the heart of the earliest Christian kerygma” (17). McDowell showed intellectual honesty in his investigation and in his chosen methodology by how he rated the probability of each account based on the available and relevant historical evidence.

Overall, McDowells method, assessment, and conclusions were scholarly, thoughtful, and reasonable. The only section that I had any issues with was the section on the Apostle John. I felt that there could have been more said and I believe the rating should have been more plausible than not, rather than his rating of improbable based off of the evidence he provided. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about their Christian faith or simply interested in researching the fate of the apostles more critically and academically.

[Jeffrey C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fate of the Apostles by Dr. Sean McDowell presents a thoroughly researched and analytical study of the post-resurrection history of each apostle, examining their potential martyrdom and its implications for their testimony. McDowell’s primary aim is to use biblical and extra-biblical sources, including writings of early church fathers and pseudepigrapha, to explore the likelihood of martyrdom for each apostle. His methodical approach employs a detailed probabilistic framework to assess the credibility and historical reliability of the narratives surrounding their deaths.

In summary, one of the book’s most compelling features is its incorporation of extensive extra-biblical research. McDowell systematically examines the apostles' reported travel destinations and martyrdom accounts, referencing a wide range of sources, such as early Christian and non-Christian writings, apocryphal acts, and the works of second-generation church fathers. For instance, he rigorously evaluates the accounts of apostles like James, the son of Zebedee, whose death by execution is documented in Acts 12:2, alongside testimonies from figures like Josephus and Tacitus. This layered analysis enriches the narrative, ensuring that biblical and historical contexts are accounted for.

McDowell frames the apostles' willingness to die as an extraordinary testament to their sincerity in the resurrection. Their unique readiness to face death for their firsthand claims of encountering the risen Christ highlights the depth of their conviction. The argument does not cover other Christian doctrinal truths but instead supports the historical credibility of their claims through the lens of martyrdom.

The book analyzes the theological and hermeneutical significance of possible martyrdom, presenting a balanced and comprehensive examination of each apostle’s death. McDowell constructs a cohesive narrative that underscores the apostles' pivotal role in spreading early Christianity by weaving together various genres, historical testimony, theological reflection, and interpretative analysis.

One area that could enrich future editions of this work is the inclusion of more detailed insights from later church fathers, such as Augustine or Jerome, who wrote after the third century. While not within the recent generations of the apostles, their reflections might illuminate how the apostolic legacy and martyrdom narratives evolved. Tracing the consistency (or divergence) between early accounts and later interpretations could offer a broader understanding of the enduring significance of apostolic martyrdom.

Overall, The Fate of the Apostles succeeds as a meticulous and exhaustive study. Dr. McDowell’s balanced approach, allowing the evidence to guide the conclusions, ensures that this work is both rigorous and accessible for those interested in historical apologetics and the early Christian witness. It is a valuable resource for scholars and lay readers alike, providing a deeper appreciation of the apostles’ lives, journeys, and sacrifices. I look forward to reading the next edition since it will cover additional historical arguments further to evaluate the early evidence regarding the apostle's martyrdom.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biblical scholars often cite the fate of Jesus' disciples as evidence to support the authenticity of the resurrection. Most scholars contend that "their deaths [are] a good reason to trust the sincerity of their testimony, since it is difficult to believe they would go willingly to such gruesome deaths for the sake of empty deceit." In his book, The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus, Sean McDowell explores the historical evidence for the martyrdom of the twelve disciples and argues that, although their martyrdom does not prove the resurrection, it provides strong evidence that the disciples faithfully believed Jesus was resurrected. By analyzing historical evidence, McDowell demonstrates that even though the disciples' lives were in danger following the death of Jesus, "they were willing to die for their faith, and that in fact some did."
In order to analyze the fate of each disciple, McDowell applies strict historical criteria to analyze their martyrdom accounts. McDowell admits that the case for martyrdom is stronger for some disciples than others. He contends that there is solid evidence for the martyrdom of Peter, Paul, James, the Son of Zebedee, and James, the brother of the Lord. He states there is evidence to suggest that three other disciples (John, Matthew, and Phillip) died of natural causes and that the fate of the remaining five disciples cannot be determined with any historical certainty. Even though the historical data doesn't support the claim that all twelve disciples were martyred, it does support the claim that all twelve disciples were willing to suffer and die for the cause of Christ. He states that there is no "evidence to indicate that any [of the disciples] wavered or recanted in their faith,' which lends credibility to the argument that they all genuinely believed they encountered a risen Christ.
Throughout the book, McDowell utilizes biblical and nonbiblical sources to strengthen his argument. For example, when examining evidence for the martyrdom of Peter, he cites passages in the New Testament and a handful of non-biblical sources, such as 1st Clement, Ignatius, and Tertullian. Using nonbiblical sources to support biblical claims is a strength when dealing with skeptics, as they tend to dismiss biblical evidence on grounds of bias or lack of credibility. He also examines common claims about the martyrdom of each disciple (e.g., Peter being crucified upside down) and assesses the historical probability of each claim. In addition, he also addresses common objections to the disciples' martyrdom. His presents a balanced account regarding the disciples’ martyrdom, and he even admits that there are historical limitations to proving some of them. Although some might find the historical limitations in proving the martyrdom of all the disciples a weakness, I found it a strength. It demonstrates McDowell’s fidelity to the subject and his reluctance to falsify data just to strengthen his argument. All in all, the book provides useful analysis on the fate of each disciple and how their post-resurrection lives demonstrated a sincere belief in the resurrection.

[Casey Sudduth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
In this comprehensive work, McDowell examines the details surrounding the ends of the lives of the twelve disciples and the apostles Paul and James. McDowell undertakes this study with an eye for defending the resurrection of Jesus, noting that the apostles’ willingness to die for their beliefs - usually evidenced by their martyrdoms - would give reason to accept their sincerity in the belief that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them. McDowell defends the idea that these apostles were eyewitnesses to the resurrection, which would mean that they were willing to die for something that they had seen for themselves. Next, McDowell demonstrates the fact that Christians were persecuted in large numbers in the early church, making the martyrdom of the apostles very plausible. Starting in chapter five, McDowell evaluates each of the fourteen apostles on how likely it is that they were martyred, according to the historical data that we have. He concludes that all of these apostles were willing to die for their faith, whether it came to that or not, and that this is the point “of foremost importance.” He also concludes that six of these apostles likely died as martyrs, with four of those having very strong evidence. Seven others received as plausible as not ratings in regards to whether or not they were martyred, and only one received a lower rating. McDowell sees these conclusions as great evidence for their sincerity; he suggests that it would be difficult to imagine how they could have done more to show the depth of their sincerity in their belief in the risen Jesus.
Analysis
Overall, I thought McDowell did a great job of presenting and evaluating the relevant material on this topic. He rated the historical likelihood not only of the martyrdom of each apostle, but also of a few other important details of each disciple’s life that are relevant to their fate, and I really appreciated that. In the chapter on John son of Zebedee, I wish there had been more of a complete case presented against John’s martyrdom, that he died of old age in Ephesus. McDowell ends up rating John’s martyrdom as improbable, even though pretty much all of the evidence he presents is in favor of John’s martyrdom. Even if the evidence doesn’t prove to be compelling, I don’t think the rating of improbable makes sense without a stronger defense of an alternative explanation. It seems that John’s dying a natural death is the relevant alternative explanation, so I wish that had been discussed in greater detail. A second, related point is that I think overall, my evaluation of the material would fall more towards the middle of McDowell’s rating system than his ratings do. He gave more ratings at the very top and nearly very bottom ends of his “historical likelihood” rating scale than I would’ve expected based on the evidence; I think a case could be made that his ratings should be more on the middle of the scale on a handful of his evaluations. But this is far less important to me than the honest, fair representation of the relevant material, and I think McDowell did a great job with that, making this definitely my go-to resource on the fate of the apostles!

[Dave Melin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell provides a thorough historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and Paul and James, the brother of Jesus. He assesses the historical evidence for each martyrdom account utilizing historical sources within Marcus Bockmuehl’s criteria of “living memory.” This scholarly approach analyzes the historical written accounts from the first and second centuries of people who transmitted personal memories of the events that trace back to the apostles themselves. This is a particularly interesting approach since the historical writers he allows into evidence may be no later than three generations following eyewitness testimony. In addition, McDowell thoroughly debunks the myth that the first Christians did not experience systematic persecution at the hands of the Jewish religious authorities. Instead, he writes that the Jewish leadership handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities to face crucifixion. As soon as the apostles began preaching that Jesus was the resurrected Messiah, they were silenced, persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and threatened by the Jewish leaders of the day. Thus, today's common idea that the early Jewish persecutions of Christians were the stuff of legend is not supported by the evidence in Fate of the Apostles.

McDowell is willing to examine and challenge some of the most cherished Christian teachings from the past 2000 years. For example, he offers a critical look at the evidence for the upside-down crucifixion of Peter. Church tradition and teaching have favored the narrative that the apostle Peter was martyred by crucifixion, and he chose to be executed upside down in the act of humility and respect to Jesus. McDowell concludes that the traditional claim that Peter was crucified upside down is open to doubt, and there is inconclusive evidence to support the popular claim. Nevertheless, public and scholarly opinion favors the conclusion that Peter was crucified upside down over the centuries. The only literature supporting this claim cited by McDowell and within the living memory is the Martyrdom of Peter. This early historical reference is not otherwise explicitly cited in the text of Fate of the Apostles, although other references from the Acts of Peter are cited. Additional support for the "upside-down" claim comes from the middle of the 3rd century and later and is considered by McDowell to be outside the living memory criteria. After reading this section of the text, I was forced to rethink and change my longstanding view related to the upside-down crucifixion of Peter. While McDowell rates the probability of the upside-down crucifixion as inconclusive, I would rate the probability lower as very probably not true and doubtful historically.

McDowell’s scholarship highlights the willingness of the apostles of Jesus to face persecution and death because of their conviction that after Jesus rose from the dead, they believed he appeared to them. I would recommend Fate of the Apostles for the layman, skeptic, or biblical scholar.

[Lisa Rometti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Sean McDowell’s The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus, second edition, was published in 2025 by Routledge and is 333 pages. McDowell conducts a comprehensive investigation into the historical evidence of the apostles’ martyrdom accounts. He offers a scholarly analysis of each apostle and their willingness to die for their faith through an apologetic approach. Methodology is clearly outlined via a systematic reliability assessment on the quantity and quality of historical data, including a reliability conclusion at the end of each chapter. Reliability is critically examined by confidence of a claim, date of sources, varying perspectives, they type of source, and a historical nucleus.
There is a careful analysis of both Christian assumptions and skeptical claims. This includes the development of traditions of how each apostle was martyred. An assessment of scholarly views of historical accuracy is critically examined through evidence. He assesses the reliability of each source and notes if the source is well-attested, legendary, or a story, and whether it adds weight to the evidence based on sources, geography, consistency, and the type of testimony.
The author investigates common objections. He clarifies that in evaluating the martyrdoms, they are not based on if there is proof of their deaths, but that they were willing to die for their witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pattern McDowell establishes is that the apostles willingly died because they had an encounter with the risen Jesus.
McDowells work is a much-needed contribution not only the theological understanding of the facts and assumptions surrounding the apostles’ deaths, but also an apologetic discourse which will strengthen believers’ defense of the resurrection through the apostles’ willingness to die. He carefully uses a balanced approach, avoiding defensive overstatement of the facts while ensuring he does not dismiss points of skepticism. True to his character, McDowell remains honest and is open to addressing any uncertainty. This strengthens his argument.
As such, the book shows the limitations of the arguments that are presented when assessing the apostle’s death. While the argument to willingly die supports the apostle’s belief, there is lack of evidence to prove actual end-of-life events. Historical theologians that understand Roman legal practices would have strengthened his defense. Assessing each apostle in order of rank, for the strongest to the weakest, an arguable defense, would show the strength of each defense and maintain transparency and consistency with his ranking system.
Regardless, this work challenges skeptical claims and clarifies historical texts regarding the apostles’ deaths. This is a well-balanced work. This is a valuable tool not only for the lay Christian but for the scholarly apologetic conversation in the defense of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[Jethro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:

As a result of his doctoral work, Dr. Sean McDowell authored The Fate of the Apostles to offer a robust examination and clarity concerning the traditional argument that the apostles of Jesus died as a martyr due to their sincere conviction that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them. Additionally, McDowell points out that, if proven of its historical reliability, this case of martyrdom will be a significant piece of an overarching evidence for the resurrection of Christ—not as single independent evidence to prove the historicity of the resurrection.

McDowell begins his book by stating the need to examine the traditional martyrdom historicity and frames his methodology to arrive in a just and unbiased conclusion. His investigation, as he looks through the lens of a historian, is primarily concerned with the quality and quantity of the historical evidence which are found within Bockmuehl’s “living memory” or the sources within the first- and second-century. These sources include the Biblical, particularly the New Testament, extra-biblical, and non-biblical sources alike.

The book is comprised of 19 chapters where each examines a certain apostle—including Paul and James, the brother of Jesus—and ends with a verdict for their martyrdom. He ends his book by summarizing the investigation where there are six apostles who garnered at least more plausible than not, seven are as plausible as not, and John is lower than plausible. He concludes that we have a good reason to believe that some of them actually faced execution, thus all of the apostles’ proven willingness to suffer and die contributes significantly to resurrection studies.

Analysis:

In his succinct yet very informative book, Dr. McDowell writes a clear and comprehensive study to offer an unbiased examination of the historicity of the apostles’ martyrdom. I believe that his approach, particularly his compliance to the framed historian’s methodology on gathering and weighing the hypotheses and sources, is undoubtedly successful.

One of the things that I truly appreciate in this book, aside from the solid sources, in-depth analyses, cogent hypotheses, and strongest counter-arguments, is McDowell’s numerical scale which pertains to the spectrum of probability since I found it very handy in personally assessing the presented conclusions. Additionally, his adopted epistemological approach for evaluating the historical evidence is a very clear presentation that even those who do not have a background in historical studies can comprehend.

The presented ancient sources, the gathered historical piece of evidence, and the concluding evaluation to each apostle were all of a high value in connection to Christ’s resurrection. And ultimately, this book is a gem—a great source concerning the historicity of Christianity.

[Luke Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Habermas is famous for his “minimal facts approach” regarding the resurrection of Jesus. One of the minimal facts that virtually all scholars agree upon is that the disciples really believed Jesus rose from the dead. How can scholars be so sure of this? Because the evidence shows that almost all the disciples died for their faith, which shows that they truly believed what they were saying. If you want to go deeper in this “minimal fact” of whether or not the early apostles died for their faith, this is the book for you. The first couple of chapters starts with talking about the basic preliminary information the reader needs to know before jumping into what we know about the martyrdom accounts of each apostle. Dr. McDowell then jumps into each apostle individually and goes through the evidence we currently have for that apostle. After going through the evidence, he then assesses whether or not it is likely or unlikely certain events happened in that apostle’s life. When reading through each apostle, you get a general sense that some apostles have way more information about their martyrdom than other apostles. Although this is not explicitly stated in the book, there seems to be three different “levels” of evidence that all the apostles are categorized into regarding their martyrdom accounts: those with lots of evidence, those with some evidence, and those with minimal evidence. This book is meant for someone who wants to take a deep dive into the evidence we have for each apostle’s martyrdom account.

I generally agree with the way Dr. McDowell “rated” each of the events of the apostles’ lives. He works through each of the apostles in detail, which I greatly appreciated. I never got the impression that he was avoiding evidence he found hard or that maybe went against what agrees with. He confronted the evidence head on and went at the process fairly unbiased from my perspective. He also included many other scholars’ opinions, even those he disagrees with. He interacts with them and gives his reasons for why he agrees or disagrees with them. Because of all of these aspects I just mentioned, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to someone who wants to learn more about the martyrdom accounts of the apostles. One slight downside to this book is that it could potentially be hard for an average Christian layperson who hasn’t studied a lot of church history to fully understand the information presented. At times, when Dr. McDowell was talking about the certain apocryphal accounts, like the Acts of Peter or the Acts of Thomas and others, I have never read these prior to reading the book or knew much about them, so I found it hard to get the full context of these accounts. However, outside of this, the book was amazing and I would 100% recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.

[David Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Christian, you may have heard the stories about Peter being crucified upside down or Thomas being killed during his time as a missionary in India. These stories inspire us, even convict us to follow Christ in their footsteps. But are they true? More importantly, does it matter that they are true? The author of this book claims that it matters because the historical reality of these martyrdoms is a crucial test of the apostles’ sincerity. If they lied about the empty tomb and seeing their master risen from the dead, why would they endure gruesome deaths? If the apostles in fact died for their claims, then, it makes it more plausible that they at least believed strongly that they had seen Jesus after His crucifixion. So, demonstrating the historicity of the martyrdom of the eyewitnesses is a foundational task that must be undertaken, not to “prove” the resurrection of Jesus, but as an important building block for its cumulative case.
The author, Prof. Sean McDowell, has established himself as a leading voice in bridging the gap between academic scholarship and popular apologetics, and this book, an adaptation of his doctoral dissertation, provides an academic foundation that both professional apologists and laypersons can confidently rely on.
The central objective of the book is to critically evaluate the historical evidence for the martyrdom of the twelve apostles, along with Paul and James, the brother of Jesus. A key aspect of his methodology is the use of a historical probability scale—ranging from “not possibly true” to “highest possible probability”—to assess claims about each apostle’s death. He presents the varying confidence levels for each apostle and each historical event, and invites the reader to draw the conclusion themselves, with the inevitable conclusion that the martyrdom of Jesus’s followers, as a broad historical statement, is on solid historical ground.
It should be noted that the inherent rarity of early sources for the lesser-known apostles (such as Simon the Zealot) forces the author to rely on later traditions that are beyond the “living memory,” a specific window of time where oral traditions about the apostles were circulating while eyewitnesses or their immediate students were still alive to verify or correct them. While he is transparent about the lower probability of specific cases, the stark contrast between the robust evidence for Peter or Paul and the speculative evidence for the others can leave the reader feeling that the overall argument is unbalanced. Additionally, the structure can feel repetitive, as the same historiographical criteria are mechanically applied to each historical figure; a thorough and faithful application of the methodology that is fantastic for an academic work, but may not appeal at the popular level.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book McDowell looks to see what the various viewpoints with regard to the deaths of the apostles are and how likely accurate it is that they actually died as martyrs for the faith. The point that he makes is that their deaths show the sincerity of their views and help us discern to what extent the resurrection of Jesus Christ was real, at least in the minds of those who claimed to have witnessed his resurrected self. For as McDowell denotes, people do not go to their deaths for a con.

Thus, he creates a table of possibilities with regard to their deaths and the historicity of those accounts, ranging from most likely true to most likely false, and he finds that with the most famous "most likely true" is what we can accept and with those less famous we can see the accounts as "as likely true as not."

Most interesting of all, though, is his account of just how important the resurrection is to Christian theology. It was on this basis that the twelve apostles preached the divinity of Jesus and that they faced death as they did. Christianity was a resurrection sect, McDowell notes.

The individual accounts are workmanlike but very informative. For each apostle, plus Paul and James the brother of Jesus, McDowell recounts the legends and historical records regarding where they went or are said to have gone; then he recounts the various martyrdom narratives that surround the individual; finally he evaluates the reliability of said narratives and what this says about the possibility that the apostles actually died as part of their witness. (If I were going to criticize McDowell's argument at all, it would be in his assumption that because no legend shows any apostle as having recanted on threat of death, none left off believing. He doesn't take into account the possibility that an apostle might simply wander off after a time--no recantation necessary. This is not to say that I think this is what happened to those whose trail seems to disappear; it is simply to say that arguments from silence aren't necessarily the most compelling.)

As for where the apostles went, the theories for many run far and wide. Some would seem to be in contradiction with another, and a number arise from rather late traditions. Still, that the apostles scattered and that some traveled into Africa and India and Britain (and back) seems quite possible, given the actual conditions of the time, as McDowell shows.

This is an excellent reference. Would that there were a reasonably priced paperback available for individuals, rather than just the high-priced hardcover intended for scholarly libraries.