Have you ever wondered what happened to the Apostles and early church leaders? Fox’s Book of Martyrs can help answer these questions. John Fox was a radical Christian who dedicated his life to researching and writing about people who throughout history gave their life for the Lord.

Do you ever doubt whether or not what the people in the Bible were preaching is true? Then ask yourself, why did so many of them give their life teaching the Truth of the Gospel?

Fox’s Book of Martyrs [eBook/Adobe Acrobat PDF]

Here is a summary of chapter 1:

• Stephen – First person to give his life for his belief that the Gospel was true.
• James – One of the sons of Zebedee, was beheaded by king Herod Agrippa, A.D. 44.
• Philip – Scourged, imprisoned, and then crucified, A.D 54.
• Matthew – The tax collector, was slain with a halberd (an axe-like blade), A.D. 60.
• James – Half brother of Jesus, at age ninety-four was beaten and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains bashed out with a fuller’s club.
• Matthias – Originally chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
• Andrew – Brother of Peter, crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground.
• Mark – Supposed to have been converted by Peter, was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria.
• Peter – Was crucified upside-down, because he said he was unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as his Lord Jesus Christ.
• Paul – Formerly persecuted Christians and gave consent to the stoning of Stephen (the first martyr) was beheaded by Nero for preaching the Gospel.
• Jude – Half brother of Jesus was crucified at Edessa, AD 72.
• Bartholomew – Preached the Gospel in several countries, then was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.
• Thomas – Originally doubted Christ’s resurrection (Doubting Thomas) was martyred by being thrust through with a spear by pagan priests.
• Luke – Wrote one of the Gospels, was supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
• Simon – Preached the Gospel in Africa, and then Britain where he was crucified, AD 74.
• John – The youngest Apostle was thrown into boiling oil but miraculously survived unharmed. He was banished to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
• Barnabas – Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed to have taken place about AD 73.