A History of Martyrs For The Christian Faith
Comment: It should be noted that most if not all true Christians martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ would not deny Him as their Lord. They were not attempting to overthrow governments, but rather were trying to help individual people be freed from the sin and condemnation that every person experiences when separated from God. They were crucified for doing good and not evil in contrast to many "religions" that expound the forcible conversion of unbelievers. While it is true that some "so-called Christians" at times in the past did try to force conversions this was never a teaching of Jesus Christ. Again, this is in contrast to some leaders of other movements who have expected their followers to forcibly convert others.
Yet, by love,and the truth of God's Word-the Bible, many souls have come to have peace with God after hearing the Word of God preached by missionary martyrs. Apostle Paul's Thoughts (whom himself was martyred):
Philippians 1 :
20 "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." KJV online.
Yet, by love,and the truth of God's Word-the Bible, many souls have come to have peace with God after hearing the Word of God preached by missionary martyrs. Apostle Paul's Thoughts (whom himself was martyred):
Philippians 1 :
20 "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." KJV online.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs (online)
"PLEASE NOTE: We have placed Foxe's Book of Martyrs among our list of good books to read and study for two reasons: 1) not to cause doubts as to whether you will be able to endure the same persecution, but to show you how God's followers were able to face and endure all kinds of persecution because of their faith in God! Remember, Christ said: 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'John 16:33. Instead of fear, this brings encouragement to the faint of heart, and as we see what others have endured for the truth of God's word in the past, we know that with and through Christ we can do the same. 2) Lest we forget!
A History of the lives, sufferings and triumphant deaths of the early Christian and the Protestant martyrs. Edited by William Byron Forbush
'When one recollects that until the appearance of the Pilgrim's Progress the common people had almost no other reading matter except the Bible and Fox's Book of Martyrs, we can understand the deep impression that this book produced; and how it served to mold the national character. Those who could read for themselves learned the full details of all the atrocities performed on the Protestant reformers; the illiterate could see the rude illustrations of the various instruments of torture, the rack, the gridiron, the boiling oil, and then the holy ones breathing out their souls amid the flames. Take a people just awakening to a new intellectual and religious life; let several generations of them, from childhood to old age, pore over such a book, and its stories become traditions as individual and almost as potent as songs and customs on a nation's life.' - Douglas Campbell, 'The Puritan in Holland, England, and America'
'If we divest the book of its accidental character of feud between churches, it yet stands, in the first years of Elizabeth's reign, a monument that marks the growing strength of a desire for spiritual freedom, defiance of those forms that seek to stifle conscience and fetter thought.' - Henry Morley, 'English Writers'.
'After the Bible itself, no book so profoundly influenced early Protestant sentiment as the Book of Martyrs. Even in our time it is still a living force. It is more than a record of persecution. It is an arsenal of controversy, a storehouse of romance, as well as a source of edification.' - James Miller Dodds, English Prose."
From:http://www.remnantofgod.org/foxe.htm
"PLEASE NOTE: We have placed Foxe's Book of Martyrs among our list of good books to read and study for two reasons: 1) not to cause doubts as to whether you will be able to endure the same persecution, but to show you how God's followers were able to face and endure all kinds of persecution because of their faith in God! Remember, Christ said: 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'John 16:33. Instead of fear, this brings encouragement to the faint of heart, and as we see what others have endured for the truth of God's word in the past, we know that with and through Christ we can do the same. 2) Lest we forget!
A History of the lives, sufferings and triumphant deaths of the early Christian and the Protestant martyrs. Edited by William Byron Forbush
'When one recollects that until the appearance of the Pilgrim's Progress the common people had almost no other reading matter except the Bible and Fox's Book of Martyrs, we can understand the deep impression that this book produced; and how it served to mold the national character. Those who could read for themselves learned the full details of all the atrocities performed on the Protestant reformers; the illiterate could see the rude illustrations of the various instruments of torture, the rack, the gridiron, the boiling oil, and then the holy ones breathing out their souls amid the flames. Take a people just awakening to a new intellectual and religious life; let several generations of them, from childhood to old age, pore over such a book, and its stories become traditions as individual and almost as potent as songs and customs on a nation's life.' - Douglas Campbell, 'The Puritan in Holland, England, and America'
'If we divest the book of its accidental character of feud between churches, it yet stands, in the first years of Elizabeth's reign, a monument that marks the growing strength of a desire for spiritual freedom, defiance of those forms that seek to stifle conscience and fetter thought.' - Henry Morley, 'English Writers'.
'After the Bible itself, no book so profoundly influenced early Protestant sentiment as the Book of Martyrs. Even in our time it is still a living force. It is more than a record of persecution. It is an arsenal of controversy, a storehouse of romance, as well as a source of edification.' - James Miller Dodds, English Prose."
From:http://www.remnantofgod.org/foxe.htm
Christian Martyrs In Iraq: Modern
Christians are being martyred for their faith in Christ all over the world but none so graphic than in Mosul Iraq.Young men are being crucified if they attempt to leave Islam. I have attached a link to a site that verifies these atrocities. It is gruesome but accurate as best as I can ascertain. If more information is available please notify me.
Five Missionaries to Ecuador: Martyrs 1956
"Philip James 'Jim' Elliot (October 8, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador...
... Elliot professed faith in Jesus at the age of six and grew up in a home where obedience and honesty were enforced. The Elliot parents encouraged their children to be adventurous, and encouraged them to "live for Christ".
…At the beginning of Elliot's third year at Wheaton, he decided to pursue a major in Greek, believing that it would both help him in his personal study of the Bible and make it easier to translate the Scriptures into the language of a people unreached by missionaries...
…While at Camp Wycliffe, Elliot practiced the skills necessary for writing down a language for the first time by working with a former missionary to the Quechua people. The missionary told him of the Huaorani – also called the "Auca", the Quichua word for "savage" – a group of Ecuadorian indigenous people considered violent and dangerous to outsiders...
…Elliot and four other missionaries – Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint – made contact from their airplane with the Huaorani using a loudspeaker and a basket to pass down gifts. After several months, the men decided to build a base a short distance from the Indian village, along the Curaray River. There they were approached one time by a small group of Huaorani and even gave an airplane ride to one curious Huaorani whom they called 'George' (his real name was Naenkiwi). Encouraged by these friendly encounters, they began plans to visit the Huaorani, without knowing that Naenkiwi had lied to the others about the missionaries' intentions. Their plans were preempted by the arrival of a larger group of about 10 Huaorani warriors, who killed Elliot and his four companions on January 8, 1956. Elliot's body was found downstream, along with those of the other men, except that of Ed McCully which was found even farther downstream...
…His journal entry for October 28, 1949, expresses his belief that work dedicated to Jesus was more important than his life (see Luke 9:24 in the Bible). 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.'" from: Wikipedia
... Elliot professed faith in Jesus at the age of six and grew up in a home where obedience and honesty were enforced. The Elliot parents encouraged their children to be adventurous, and encouraged them to "live for Christ".
…At the beginning of Elliot's third year at Wheaton, he decided to pursue a major in Greek, believing that it would both help him in his personal study of the Bible and make it easier to translate the Scriptures into the language of a people unreached by missionaries...
…While at Camp Wycliffe, Elliot practiced the skills necessary for writing down a language for the first time by working with a former missionary to the Quechua people. The missionary told him of the Huaorani – also called the "Auca", the Quichua word for "savage" – a group of Ecuadorian indigenous people considered violent and dangerous to outsiders...
…Elliot and four other missionaries – Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint – made contact from their airplane with the Huaorani using a loudspeaker and a basket to pass down gifts. After several months, the men decided to build a base a short distance from the Indian village, along the Curaray River. There they were approached one time by a small group of Huaorani and even gave an airplane ride to one curious Huaorani whom they called 'George' (his real name was Naenkiwi). Encouraged by these friendly encounters, they began plans to visit the Huaorani, without knowing that Naenkiwi had lied to the others about the missionaries' intentions. Their plans were preempted by the arrival of a larger group of about 10 Huaorani warriors, who killed Elliot and his four companions on January 8, 1956. Elliot's body was found downstream, along with those of the other men, except that of Ed McCully which was found even farther downstream...
…His journal entry for October 28, 1949, expresses his belief that work dedicated to Jesus was more important than his life (see Luke 9:24 in the Bible). 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.'" from: Wikipedia
"Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; born December 21, 1926) is a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca (now known as Huaorani) of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. Returning to the United States after many years in South America, she became widely known as the author of over twenty books and as a speaker in constant demand. Elliot toured the country, sharing her knowledge and experience, well into her seventies." From Wikipedia.
"Nathanael 'Nate' Saint (August 30, 1923 – January 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca...Nate Saint was born in 1923. When he was seven he took his first plane ride with his brother Sam, who would eventually become a commercial pilot for American Airlines. While in the airplane he discovered a love of flying.
...In September 1955, Nate was joined by his teammates, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian. Saint finally found a [Huaorani also known as Aucas] settlement while searching by air. To reach the tribe, Saint and the team lowered gifts to the Huaorani in a bucket tied to the plane.
... Finally, the missionaries decided to try to meet the Huaorani on the ground; and, on January 3, 1956, using the beach as a landing strip, they set up camp four miles from the Huaorani settlement. Their initial contact was encouraging; however, on Sunday, January 8, 1956, the entire team was killed on the beach (known as 'Palm Beach') when armed Huaorani met and speared them.
...Rachel Saint, Nate's sister, continued the mission efforts to the Huaorani, which eventually came to fruition. This resulted in many of these natives becoming Christians, including those who had killed Saint...." From: Wikipedia
Nate's son, in 1995, took his family back to stay among the Huaorani people to minister to them. As far as I know he remains among them.
...In September 1955, Nate was joined by his teammates, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian. Saint finally found a [Huaorani also known as Aucas] settlement while searching by air. To reach the tribe, Saint and the team lowered gifts to the Huaorani in a bucket tied to the plane.
... Finally, the missionaries decided to try to meet the Huaorani on the ground; and, on January 3, 1956, using the beach as a landing strip, they set up camp four miles from the Huaorani settlement. Their initial contact was encouraging; however, on Sunday, January 8, 1956, the entire team was killed on the beach (known as 'Palm Beach') when armed Huaorani met and speared them.
...Rachel Saint, Nate's sister, continued the mission efforts to the Huaorani, which eventually came to fruition. This resulted in many of these natives becoming Christians, including those who had killed Saint...." From: Wikipedia
Nate's son, in 1995, took his family back to stay among the Huaorani people to minister to them. As far as I know he remains among them.
"Theophilus 'Ed' McCully (1927 – Jan. 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Auca people, through efforts known as Operation Auca...
...He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his father was a bakery executive. The family attended a Plymouth Brethren assembly called at that time the, "Good News Chapel," ...McCully's father was also a church elder, who preached from the pulpit...
...In the fall of 1945, McCully enrolled in Wheaton College where he majored in business and economics. It was also at Wheaton where he met and became good friends with Jim Elliot....His self-authored speech about U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton won McCully the 1949 National Hearst Oratorical Contest in San Francisco, a contest in which over 10,000 students had entered. That same year, McCully was unanimously elected senior class president
....After dropping out of law school, McCully began a ministry in the United States. In the winter and spring of 1951, he and Jim Elliot shared a weekly evangelical radio broadcast...He also travelled and spoke at various churches around the country. At one stop in Pontiac, Michigan, he met his future wife, Marilou Hobolth, a Moody Bible Institute graduate. They were married on June 29, 1951...
...In the fall of 1955, McCully, along with Jim Elliot and missionary pilot Nate Saint, began Operation Auca, their plan to reach the previously un-contacted Auca Indians... after friendly ground contact with three Aucas, the missionaries were attacked by a party of six Auca warriors and three women. McCully was speared by a young Auca named Mincaye, and also severely mutilated with a machete after he grabbed and tried to hold back one of his attackers. His role is described in the 2006 film End of the Spear.
...At the time of Ed's death, Marilou was eight months pregnant with their third son, Matt. She returned home to give birth and to meet with family. Ed McCully's memorial service was held at his home church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and drew around 800 people.
Marilou eventually returned to Ecuador and lived in Quito for 6 years, running a home for missionary children. She later returned to America and settled in Washington State where she worked as a hospital bookkeeper. She never remarried, and died of cancer on April 24, 2004." From Wikipedia.
...He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his father was a bakery executive. The family attended a Plymouth Brethren assembly called at that time the, "Good News Chapel," ...McCully's father was also a church elder, who preached from the pulpit...
...In the fall of 1945, McCully enrolled in Wheaton College where he majored in business and economics. It was also at Wheaton where he met and became good friends with Jim Elliot....His self-authored speech about U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton won McCully the 1949 National Hearst Oratorical Contest in San Francisco, a contest in which over 10,000 students had entered. That same year, McCully was unanimously elected senior class president
....After dropping out of law school, McCully began a ministry in the United States. In the winter and spring of 1951, he and Jim Elliot shared a weekly evangelical radio broadcast...He also travelled and spoke at various churches around the country. At one stop in Pontiac, Michigan, he met his future wife, Marilou Hobolth, a Moody Bible Institute graduate. They were married on June 29, 1951...
...In the fall of 1955, McCully, along with Jim Elliot and missionary pilot Nate Saint, began Operation Auca, their plan to reach the previously un-contacted Auca Indians... after friendly ground contact with three Aucas, the missionaries were attacked by a party of six Auca warriors and three women. McCully was speared by a young Auca named Mincaye, and also severely mutilated with a machete after he grabbed and tried to hold back one of his attackers. His role is described in the 2006 film End of the Spear.
...At the time of Ed's death, Marilou was eight months pregnant with their third son, Matt. She returned home to give birth and to meet with family. Ed McCully's memorial service was held at his home church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and drew around 800 people.
Marilou eventually returned to Ecuador and lived in Quito for 6 years, running a home for missionary children. She later returned to America and settled in Washington State where she worked as a hospital bookkeeper. She never remarried, and died of cancer on April 24, 2004." From Wikipedia.
"Peter Fleming (November 23, 1928 – January 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador...
...He was taught the Bible from an early age, but claimed he was not a Christian until he was 13 years old after hearing the testimony of ablind evangelist. During his late teens and early twenties, Fleming was known for his knowledge of Scripture and spiritual maturity...
...In 1946, Fleming went to the University of Washington as a philosophy major. He was very driven in college, working part-time and dedicating much time to prayer and Bible study, as well as keeping up on his classes. He was also elected president of the UCA at his college. He which he received a masters degree in 1951...
...Fleming met Jim Elliot during many conferences and mountain climbing expeditions arranged by a big Christian organization. They were good friends and once spent six weeks preaching across the country with each other. Elliot had a great deal of influence on Fleming and was largely responsible for his becoming a missionary...
...Fleming went to Ecuador in 1952 as a part of a two-man team with Jim Elliot. After serving on the mission field in Ecuador, Jim Elliot married Elisabeth Elliot. Shortly afterwards, Fleming proposed to Olive in a letter, and they were married in 1954...
...In September 1955, Fleming joined with Elliot and three other missionaries in Operation Auca, an attempt to reach the Auca Indians with the Gospel...According to reports, Fleming was speared by Kimo, a man who later became one of the first Auca converts to Christianity. Four years before his death, he wrote in a journal 'I do want to be committed to the work there laying down my life for their faith.' Some of the Quichua Indians and even some of the Auca killers came to saving faith in Christ." From Wikipedia.
...He was taught the Bible from an early age, but claimed he was not a Christian until he was 13 years old after hearing the testimony of ablind evangelist. During his late teens and early twenties, Fleming was known for his knowledge of Scripture and spiritual maturity...
...In 1946, Fleming went to the University of Washington as a philosophy major. He was very driven in college, working part-time and dedicating much time to prayer and Bible study, as well as keeping up on his classes. He was also elected president of the UCA at his college. He which he received a masters degree in 1951...
...Fleming met Jim Elliot during many conferences and mountain climbing expeditions arranged by a big Christian organization. They were good friends and once spent six weeks preaching across the country with each other. Elliot had a great deal of influence on Fleming and was largely responsible for his becoming a missionary...
...Fleming went to Ecuador in 1952 as a part of a two-man team with Jim Elliot. After serving on the mission field in Ecuador, Jim Elliot married Elisabeth Elliot. Shortly afterwards, Fleming proposed to Olive in a letter, and they were married in 1954...
...In September 1955, Fleming joined with Elliot and three other missionaries in Operation Auca, an attempt to reach the Auca Indians with the Gospel...According to reports, Fleming was speared by Kimo, a man who later became one of the first Auca converts to Christianity. Four years before his death, he wrote in a journal 'I do want to be committed to the work there laying down my life for their faith.' Some of the Quichua Indians and even some of the Auca killers came to saving faith in Christ." From Wikipedia.
"Unfolding Destinies: The Ongoing Story the Auca Mission by Olive Fleming Liefeld, Verne Becker
Olive Fleming Liefeld, widow of the missionary Peter Fleming, relates her version of the events already familiar to readers of Elisabeth Elliot's Through the Gates of Splendor. Olive describes details of the fateful trip in 1956 during which Pete, Jim Elliot, and three others were killed by Waorani Indians in Ecuador.In 1989, Olive returned to Ecuador and met the Indians." From books online called GoodReads.com. I have not read this book but the review sounds good.
Olive Fleming Liefeld, widow of the missionary Peter Fleming, relates her version of the events already familiar to readers of Elisabeth Elliot's Through the Gates of Splendor. Olive describes details of the fateful trip in 1956 during which Pete, Jim Elliot, and three others were killed by Waorani Indians in Ecuador.In 1989, Olive returned to Ecuador and met the Indians." From books online called GoodReads.com. I have not read this book but the review sounds good.
"Roger Youderian (January 21, 1924 – January 8, 1956) was an Armenian-American evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Auca people through efforts known as Operation Auca...
As a paratrooper stationed in England, he assisted an Army chaplain and eventually became an evangelical Christian. In 1944, he participated in the Rhine jump and the Battle of the Bulge, and then returned to Montana in 1946...
...Youderian entered Northwestern College near Minneapolis, Minnesota, by this time having been called to the mission field. There he studied Christian education and met Barbara Orton. Youderian graduated from Northwestern College in 1950. He and Orton married in 1951, and they applied to be missionaries with the nondenominational mission board Gospel Missionary Union...
...He worked with missionary pilot Nate Saint to provide important medical supplies, but after a period of attempting to build relationships with them, he failed to see any positive effect and, growing depressed, considered returning to the United States. However, during this time, four other missionaries in Ecuador were planning Operation Auca, an attempt to reach another group of people, the Auca. Nate Saint approached Youderian about joining their team to meet the Auca, and he assented.
...On January 6, several Auca approached them and appeared to be friendly, but two days later, all five were attacked and killed by a group of Auca warriors. According to reports,Youderian was speared while he was trying to radio to Shell for help. His body was later pulled from the river and buried at Palm Beach in a common grave with three of the other men. All family members were safely returned to the United States where they still reside today." From Wikipedia
As a paratrooper stationed in England, he assisted an Army chaplain and eventually became an evangelical Christian. In 1944, he participated in the Rhine jump and the Battle of the Bulge, and then returned to Montana in 1946...
...Youderian entered Northwestern College near Minneapolis, Minnesota, by this time having been called to the mission field. There he studied Christian education and met Barbara Orton. Youderian graduated from Northwestern College in 1950. He and Orton married in 1951, and they applied to be missionaries with the nondenominational mission board Gospel Missionary Union...
...He worked with missionary pilot Nate Saint to provide important medical supplies, but after a period of attempting to build relationships with them, he failed to see any positive effect and, growing depressed, considered returning to the United States. However, during this time, four other missionaries in Ecuador were planning Operation Auca, an attempt to reach another group of people, the Auca. Nate Saint approached Youderian about joining their team to meet the Auca, and he assented.
...On January 6, several Auca approached them and appeared to be friendly, but two days later, all five were attacked and killed by a group of Auca warriors. According to reports,Youderian was speared while he was trying to radio to Shell for help. His body was later pulled from the river and buried at Palm Beach in a common grave with three of the other men. All family members were safely returned to the United States where they still reside today." From Wikipedia
A beautiful Summary of the Impact of those Five Men-see link below with pictures.
Christian Translators of the Bible Who Where Martyred While Bringing God's Word to Those of Different Language Groups
This section will be further amplified in weeks to come.But, many scholars of the Languages gave up their lives to translate the Bible written in Hebrew/Greek into the common language of people groups around the world. Below are a few examples.
"The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death....It is thus a vital link in the main sequence of English Bible Translations.”
Quote from: http://www.bibles-online.net/1537/
Quote from: http://www.bibles-online.net/1537/
Early Church Examples of Martyrs-3rd Century
Voice of the Martyrs lists an event of martyrdom that occurred during Decius' reign as emperor of Rome: 249-251 A.D. A man named Vincent was put on the rack and all his extremities pulled out of socket. Then he was thrown in a cell covered with broken glass. He remained at peace and trusting Jesus till he died. His crime: not signing a document stating that he worshipped the Roman gods.
Early Church Examples of Martyrs:1st-2nd Centuries
"Polycarp (Greek: Πολύκαρπος, Polýkarpos; AD 80 – 167) was a 2nd-century Christian bishop of Smyrna.[2] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him. Polycarp is regarded as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches.
It is recorded by Irenaeus, who heard him speak in his youth, and by Tertullian, that he had been a disciple of John the Apostle. Saint Jerome wrote that Polycarp was a disciple of John and that John had ordained him bishop of Smyrna" From Wikipedia list of Martyrs.
It is recorded by Irenaeus, who heard him speak in his youth, and by Tertullian, that he had been a disciple of John the Apostle. Saint Jerome wrote that Polycarp was a disciple of John and that John had ordained him bishop of Smyrna" From Wikipedia list of Martyrs.
Paul the Apostle (Greek: Παῦλος Paulos; c. 5 – c. 67), originally known as Saul of Tarsus (Hebrew: שאול התרסי; Greek: Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς Saulos Tarseus) was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. He is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. In the mid-30s to the mid-50s, he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. Paul used his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to advantage in his ministry to both Jewish and Roman audiences. From Wikipedia on Paul the Apostle...Neither the Bible nor other sources say how or when Paul died, but Ignatius, probably around 110, writes that Paul was martyred.[85] Christian tradition holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero around the mid-60s at Tre Fontane Abbey (English: Three Fountains Abbey). By comparison, tradition states that Peter, who was not a Roman citizen, was given the more painful death of being crucified upside-down. From Wikipedia.
The Martyrdom of Paul, which occurred in Rome about 67 AD by Roman Authority. Painting by Tintoretto in 1556 public domain on Wikipedia.