On his first missionary journey (45-51) Paul set out from Antioch in Syria, and after visiting in turn Seleucia, Cyprus, Perga in Pamphylia, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, he returned thence to his starting-point, to attend soon afterwards the Apostolic Synod in Jerusalem, where he upheld the independence of Christianity from the forms and ceremonies prescribed by Mosaic law. His second missionary journey (53-55) was undertaken for the purpose of visiting and strengthening in the faith these newly-established communities, but his zeal drove him to Troas, on the further side of Asia Minor, whence he took ship to Europe and founded the Churches of Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. And on his third missionary journey (56-59) for some time Paul adopted as his headquarters the great town of Ephesus in Asia Minor, to the chagrin of Diana's votaries. Thence he proceeded to visit the newly-founded Christian communities in Macedonia and Greece, and on his way back preached the Gospel in Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Miletus, Cos, Rhodes, and Tyre in Phenice, returning to Jerusalem by way of Caesarea.

The Arrest and Martyrdom of Paul.

   But the Jews, who had never ceased to persecute Paul as a denier and corrupter of their religion, seized him and flung him into prison, first in Jerusalem and then in Caesarea. For two years the Apostle waited in vain for his acquittal by the Roman procurator; under the influence of the Jews, the latter postponed his trial from day to day. At last Paul, as a Roman citizen, claimed his right of direct appeal to Caesar, and thus he was sent in chains to Rome, where after a stormy voyage he arrived in A.D. 62. There, though always under military guard, he lived in a house of his own where he was allowed to receive freely, and preached the Gospel to all and sundry in the great capital of the Roman Empire. At this point, the narrative of the Acts comes to and end. According to certain ancient writers, Paul's martyrdom took place under Nero, in A.D. 64, following immediately on this period of imprisonment. Others, however, affirm that on this occasion he was released, and after undertaking yet a fourth journey “to the farthest west” (i.e. to Spain), he returned to Rome, where he was beheaded in A.D. 66 or 67.

The Apostle Peter.

   Paul, who devoted nearly all his energies to the conversion of the heathen, has been called the “Apostle to the Gentiles”; Peter, on the other hand, focused his whole attention on the Jews, and is therefore known as the “Apostle of the Circumcision.” His baptism of the half-Gentile centurion Cornelius, after receiving in a vision the divine injunction not to call common that which the Lord had cleansed, was a mere episode in the career of a man whose life was devoted exclusively to his fellow-Jews. At first Peter stayed in Jerusalem with the other Apostles, and played an important part in the early stages of Christianity. His life was threatened by Herod Agrippa, to the great satisfaction of the Jews, but after his miraculous escape from prison he soon left Jerusalem and journeyed through Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, and other parts of Asia Minor. For many years he watched over the Christians of Antioch as their first Bishop; but, like Paul, he came at last to Rome, where, according to tradition, he was crucified in the reign of Nero, head downwards, since he considered himself, even in death, unworthy to be set on a level with his Savior. The story of Peter's martyrdom may be taken as an established fact, being supported both by our Lord's prediction (cf. John 21:18) and by the evidence of ancient writers; that he flourished as Bishop of Rome for twenty-five years is, however, only a myth. In A.D. 51 he was present at the Apostolic Synod at Jerusalem. In A.D. 58 Paul, writing his Epistle to the Romans, does not mention his name, although he sends greetings to many of the faithful in Rome. In A.D. 62 when Paul came to Rome as a prisoner, Peter did not come to greet him, and though Paul wrote various epistles during his stay, not once does he mention him. The historian Eusebius, moreover, speaks of Linus as the first Bishop of Rome.

The Other Apostles.

   Like Peter and Paul, the rest of the Apostles also sealed their message with their blood. James the Elder, the brother of John, was beheaded in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa, according to the indisputable testimony of the Acts. James the Younger, or “Adelphotheos,” who became first Bishop of Jerusalem after the departure of the other Apostles, was precipitated from the pinnacle of the temple, according to Hegisippus, and stoned by the Jews as he confessed Jesus Christ the Son of God. Andrew, who journeyed through Scythia and founded the first Christian Church in Byzantium, was crucified at Patras, so tradition says, on the chi-shaped cross (X) which ever since has borne his name; while Thomas had his side pierced with a spear after a fruitful missionary career in Persia, Ethiopia and India. Indeed, practically all the Apostles crowned their life's work with a martyr's death, although on many points their story is obscure and confused, having been handed down to us not by authenticated histories but by popular traditions.

The Apostle John.

   A single exception was John, the Beloved Disciple, the youngest of them all, who died peacefully in the closing year of the first century of the Christian era. After the dispersal of his fellow-disciples, John made Ephesus the center of his activities, and directed from there all the missionary work in Asia Minor, especially after the death of the other Apostles. During the reign of the Emperor Domitian he was banished for a while to the island of Patmos, where, after the manner of the ancient prophets, he wrote the Book of Revelation. But he was restored again to his flock, and lived on among them to such a green aid age that at the close of his life he would be carried to the place of worship, where, too weak to deliver a lengthy discourse, he confined his whole teaching to these simple words: “Little children, love one another.” For to John the epitome of all Christian morality was love. It is related of this Apostle that he was greatly attracted by a handsome and gifted youth and adopted him as his son. But the youth, during the Apostle's absence, was led astray by evil companions and became a brigand chief. The old Apostle went up into the mountains and searched until he found this wandering sheep, when laying him on his shoulders he brought him back repentant to the Christian fold.