While WillowTree is currently mired in attempts to avoid a discussion based on evidence, I thought I'd pick an Apostle and see what I can find out about what happened to him.
Before picking an Apostle I need a list of the 12 Apostles. Looking about the web I find this list:
- Simon Peter
- James
- John
- Judas Iscariot
- Andrew
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Matthew
- Thomas
- James
- Thaddaeus
- Simon
There was an Apostle named Bartholomew? I had no idea!
Some lists include Matthias who replaced Judas Iscariot.
I randomly choose Thaddaeus because that's a really cool name. More accurately, according to Young's Compact Bible Dictionary, he was Judas, son of James, also called Thaddaeus. Young's has no more to say about Thaddaeus.
My Britannica lists him under Saint Judas, and says there is some uncertainty concerning whether Judas is the brother or the son of James.
It goes on to say, in part:
After Jesus' ascension, Judas' history is unknown. Like the Apostle St. Simon, he seems to have come from the Zealots, the Jewish nationalistic party prior to AD 70. Legends first appearing in the 4th century credit Simon and Judas with missionary work and martyrdom in Persia (noted in the apocryphal Passion of Simon and Jude). Thus, since the 8th century, the Western Church has commemorated them together on October 28. The Greek Orthodox Church, however, distinguishes Judas from Thaddaeus, celebrating Judas, brother of the Lord, on June 19, and Thaddaeus the Apostle on August 21. The devotion to Judas (Jude) as patron of desperate causes began in France and Germany in the late 18th century.
I'm a little confused on the part about the Greek Orthodox Church's beliefs. Is this passage saying they believe Judas/Thaddaeus was actually two different people?
The apocrypha source about the mission of Simon and Jude in Persia is contradicted by other legends (mentioned widely on the web, e.g.,
Early Church Missionaries) that Simon's missionary work was actually in Egypt with Mark.
Summing up, the evidence for martyrdom of Thaddaeus is legends recounted in later apocrypha.
--Percy
[text=wheat]
[Fix syntactic gumbo in next to last para. --Percy][/text]
[This message has been edited by Percy, 03-18-2004]