Featured Is the martyrdom of the Apostles evidence for Jesus's resurrection?

[AgnosticBoy]

I often hear Christian apologists say that people would not die for a lie. I'm curious if there is a way to evaluate that point in terms of if it is strong or weak evidence or no evidence at all.

For Debate:
1. Do you consider the apostles being martyred as evidence of Jesus's resurrection? Why or why not?
2. If yes to #1, is it a powerful piece of evidence or is it weak?

 

[AgnosticBoy]

1. Do you consider the apostles being martyred as evidence of Jesus's resurrection? Why or why not?
2. If yes to #1, is it a powerful piece of evidence or is it weak?

I take the martyrdom of the apostles, especially Peter, to be evidence for Jesus's resurrection. Still, I think it has its problems. For starters, the death of the Apostles shows that they believe, but that doesn't automatically mean that what they believed in was right. I remember reading about a preacher (fraudster, really) Jim Jones that killed hundreds of his followers by getting them to drink poison while they believed he was some spiritual leader. Turns out their belief was wrong since the authorities were after him for the murder of a US official and other crimes. So it's more reasonable to say that people wouldn't knowingly die for a lie, but they could die for one while not knowing it was a lie.

Despite that potential for the apostles dying unknowingly for a lie, I think their actions alone serve as a good piece of evidence.

Btw, tradition has it that the apostle Peter was executed in Rome via an upside-down crucifixion.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

So it's more reasonable to say that people wouldn't knowingly die for a lie,

and add to this, that many people murdered by a ruler for supposedly having the wrong religious or political beliefs DO NOT have a chance to recant.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

So it's more reasonable to say that people wouldn't knowingly die for a lie,

and add to this, that many people murdered by a ruler for supposedly having the wrong religious or political beliefs DO NOT have a chance to recant.

I would imagine some of them might recant if given the chance. Even Jesus predicted that some would fall away from the faith, and I would imagine if all the times that would happen it would be if someone's life is on the line.

I see Paul as a good example because he was already suffering and found encouragement in his faith even in the midst of that suffering. If Peter requested to be crucified upside-down then I would bet that someone like that was definitely believed.

Although, can we hold someone as immoral for recanting their faith if they were coerced to do so? I'd say no.

 

[Scooter]

The only apostle that we know for certain who was executed for his beliefs was James. The other reported deaths come from tradition. If the reports are true however, the apostles died because they were preaching a resurrected Christ. You are correct in that nobody would knowingly die for a lie, so the apostles must have been 100% certain that Jesus was alive because that was the focus of their message.