What Happened to The 12 Apostles?

For someone who wasn’t a Christian in the ancient world, one of the most compelling cases for the faith was the lives of saints. The radical transformation that people of all walks of life made to repent and follow Christ - former pagans, harlots, murderers, and much more - bewildered those around them. For many today, little is known about what happened to the apostles after the book of Acts concluded. We have a vast wealth of stories regarding the lives of the apostles, martyrs, Church Fathers, and saints within the Orthodox Church. At the risk of being unoriginal, I am going to simply read the synaxarion entries for many of the saints of the early Church, beginning with the 12 apostles. I am referring to the Prologue of Orchid for these readings, which can be found digitally online or printed in a two-volume book set. I will include links in the description for each saint discussed. Before we begin, however, I must warn the listener - the details of many of these stories, especially in the accounts of the saints’ martyrdoms, are very gruesome. Reader’s discretion is advised.

The Holy Apostle Peter

The son of Jonah and brother of Andrew the First-Called, of the tribe of Simeon and the town of Bethsaida, he was a fisherman and was at first called Simon, but the Lord was pleased to call him Cephas, or Peter (Jn 1:42). He was the first of the disciples to give clear expression to his faith in the Lord Jesus, saying: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Mt. 16:16). His love for the Lord was very strong, and his faith in Him went from strength to strength. When the Lord was put on trial, Peter denied Him three times, but it needed only one look into the face of the Lord, and Peter's soul was filled with shame and repentance. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter became a fearless and powerful preacher of the Gospel. After his first sermon in Jerusalem, about 3,000 souls were converted to the Faith. He preached the Gospel throughout Palestine and Asia Minor, in Italy and in Illyria. He performed many wonders, healing the sick and raising the dead, and even his shadow had the power of healing the sick. He had a major struggle with Simon the Magician, who declared himself to be from God but was actually a servant of the devil. He finally put him to shame and overcame him. Peter was condemned to death on the order of the wicked Emperor Nero, a friend of Simon's. After installing Linus as Bishop of Rome and exhorting and encouraging the flock of Christ there, Peter went to his death with joy. When he saw the cross before him, he asked the executioner to crucify him upside-down, because he felt himself to be unworthy to die in the same way as his Lord. And so this great servant of the greatest Master went to his rest and received a crown of eternal glory.