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why Jesus disciples refused to be silent.
Topic Started: May 15 2009, 08:44 PM (252 Views)
the breeze
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Friday May 15 2009 • Home >> And Jesus? >> Why Jesus' Disciples Refused to Keep Silent



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Why Jesus' Disciples
Refused to Keep Silent
Speaking out about Jesus meant the disciples risked being tortured, even killed. Why didn't they keep silent?


THE TWELVE APOSTLES:
1. Andrew - crucified
2. Bartholomew - beaten then crucified
3. James, son of Alphaeus - stoned to death
4. James, son of Zebedee - beheaded
5. John - exiled for his faith; died of old age
6. Judas (not Iscariot) - stoned to death
7. Matthew - speared to death
8. Peter - crucifed upside down
9. Philip - crucified
10. Simon - crucified
11. Thomas - speared to death
12. Matthias - stoned to death
(source: Fox's Book of Martyrs)

Each of the 12 apostles left families and careers, often traveling alone to distant countries, declaring that Jesus died and came back to life. For proclaiming Jesus' resurrection, they were beaten, imprisoned, and many killed in torturous ways.

Did they have any basis for declaring this? Yes. It is undisputed that after the crucifixion of Jesus, the tomb was empty three days later, just as Jesus' predicted. The controversy focuses on what became of Jesus' body? Some say that Jesus' disciples stole his body and concocted a story that he rose from the dead. However, if the disciples made it all up, each of them allowed himself to be executed -- for what they knew to be a lie. It doesn't make sense. Would you die for something you knew was a lie?

What does make sense are the historical facts. Jesus had been humiliated, beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross, where he died on display before the public. A spear was thrust into his side just to make sure he was dead. He was buried in a stone tomb, with Roman soldiers to guard the tomb, assigned by the religious establishment who feared an attempt to steal the body. But on the third day, the guards had fled, the tomb was open, and the only remaining evidence were the burial clothes inside the tomb, laying there empty.

Starting that day, the disciples said they saw Jesus physically alive multiple times. So had hundreds of others. They had lengthy conversations with him and ate with him -- all after witnessing his death by beating, crucifixion and spearing. When ordered not to speak about Jesus' resurrection, they responded, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!"

These disciples risked their lives to speak out about what they had no doubts about -- that Jesus had risen from the dead, proving that he was everything he claimed to be...the Son of God.

What do you think? You will hopefully never be executed for believing in Jesus like the first disciples were, but you can become just as sure of the truth of his resurrection, and understand why it mattered so much to these twelve men. Click here to learn more about Jesus and the facts supporting his resurrection: Beyond Blind Faith.


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ngc1514
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Or so the bible and Fox say (and where did Fox get his info? From the bible? Another tautology!). In some cases, the information comes from extra-biblical sources like the anonymous Acts of Philip written centuries after Philip was supposedly martyred.

From the Wiki article on Philip the Apostle:
Quote:
 
Later stories about Saint Philip's life can be found in the anonymous Acts of Philip, probably written by a contemporary of Eusebius.[7] This non-canonical book recounts the preaching and miracles of Philip. Following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip was sent with his sister Mariamme and Bartolomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria.[8] Included in the Acts of Philip is an appendix, entitled "Of the Journeyings of Philip the Apostle: From the Fifteenth Act Until the End, and Among Them the Martyrdom." This appendix gives an account of Philip's martyrdom in the city of Hierapolis.[9] According to this account, through a miraculous healing and his preaching Philip converted the wife of the proconsul of the city. This enraged the proconsul, and he had Philip, Bartholomew, and Mariamme all tortured. Philip and Bartholomew were then crucified upside down, and Philip preached from his cross. As a result of Philip's preaching the crowd released Bartholomew from his cross, but Philip insisted that they not release him, and Philip died on the cross.

From the Wiki article on The Acts of Philip:
Quote:
 
The Acts of Philip is most completely represented by a text discovered in 1974 by François Bovon and Bertrand Bouvier in the library of Xenophontos monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. The manuscript dates from the fourteenth century but its language identifies it as a copy of a fourth century original. Many of the narratives in the manuscript were already known from other sources, but some were hitherto unknown.

A 14th century manuscript that appears to have been taken from a 4th century manuscript about someone who died in the 1st century.

Pretty shaky historical basis to pin all your beliefs, breezy.

And do you go along with other items in this Acts of Philip?
Quote:
 
The text discovered by Bovon also described a community that practiced vegetarianism and celibacy.[5] Women in the community wore men's clothes and held positions of authority comparable to men, serving as priests and deacons.[5] The community used a form of the eucharist where vegetables and water were consumed in place of bread and wine.[9] Among lesser miraculous accomplishments of the group were the conversion of a talking leopard and a talking goat,[5] as well as the slaying of a dragon.[10] "Speaking animals as helpers of the apostles are familiar figures in the apostolic Acts" (Czachesz 2002).

If not, why not? I like the talking leopards and goats and good to know dragon slaying was still a practiced art back then.

Do you believe women should be priests? Sounds like that was OK with Philip - before his crucifixion, of course.

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