Did the Apostles REALLY Die as Martyrs? with Dr. Sean McDowell

How much evidence exists for the martyrdom of the apostles? Did they REALLY die for their faith? Christians often use this argument to defend the credibility of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but could we be overstating the case?

This week, let’s dive into the latest research on Christian martyrdom with one of today’s leading experts on the topic–our good friend Dr. Sean McDowell! A decade ago, his groundbreaking research challenged what we thought we knew about the fate of the apostles. Now, with new discoveries and fresh insights, the second edition of ‘The Fate of the Apostles‘ has been released—offering the most up-to-date investigation into their martyrdom. Join Frank and Sean as they uncover what really happened to the closest followers of Jesus and tackle pressing questions like:

What incident spurred Sean to make ‘The Fate of the Apostles’ the topic of his doctoral dissertation?

What updates has Sean made to the second edition of his book?

Was Peter crucified upside-down and how did this tradition get started?

Which apostles does Sean believe have the highest (and lowest) probabilities of being martyred?

Is there evidence that any of the apostles recanted their testimony?

Is John the only apostle who died from natural causes?

If we say martyrdom proves Christianity is true, what about the martyrs of other religions?

Is there good reason to believe that Joseph Smith died as a martyr for Mormonism?

Forget ‘Foxe’s Book of Martyrs’—’The Fate of the Apostles‘ is today’s go-to comprehensive resource for studying the martyrdom accounts of the apostles! Tune in as Sean clears up some common misconceptions and shares insights from leading New Testament scholars who both agree and disagree with his findings on this fascinating episode of ‘I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist!’

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Resources mentioned during the episode:

Sean’s website: SeanMcDowell.org

Sean’s book: The Fate of the Apostles