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28. Ten Bloody Persecutions
Of the Ten Bloody Persecutions which the Christians Suffered under the Heathen Emperors of Rome; the First of which Began in the Reign of Nero, A. D. 66 The First Persecution of the Christians, under Nero, Anno 66 When the Jews were deprived of their power, by the heathen, and their time was past, in which they had persecuted and slain the saints of God, the Lord God nevertheless suffered His church to be visited by the refining fire of persecution, namely, through the power of the heathen; of whom the Emperor Nero was the first tyrant. Introduction to the Mirror of the Anabaptist Martyrs, printed Anno 1631. p. 35. col 2. This Nero, according to the testimony of Emperor Trajan, governed the monarchy of…
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27. Mark, the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist dies on the way while being dragged to the site of his burning, Alexandria, A. D. 64 How Mark, the Holy Evangelist, Dragged to the Stake at Alexandria, Died on the Way, A.D. 64 The holy evangelist Mark is supposed by most to have been that Mark whose surname in Holy Scripture is John. He was of the circumcision, and a nephew of Barnabas, whose mother was called Mary, a very godly woman, who gave her house in Jerusalem for the assembling of Christians. Acts 12:12; Col. 4:10. Niceph. lib. 2. cap. 33. He was first appointed a servant of Paul and Barnabas, but on a journey to Pamphylia he returned to Jerusalem. Acts 12:25; 13:13. Afterwards the apostle Paul recommended him…
Further Study
The Gospel According To Mark
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26. Barnabas, Companion of Paul
Barnabas burned at Salamanca on Cyprus, A.D. 64 Barnabas, a Companion of the Apostle Paul, Dragged out of the City and Burned, at Salamina in Cyprus, A.D. 64. Barnabas, also called Barsabas, and surnamed Joseph, Joses, or Justus, was a Levite from Cyprus, full of the Holy Ghost. He was called the son of consolation, and such a one he indeed proved himself to the poor saints. Acts 11:24; 1:23; 4:36; Euseb. hist. Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 1. It is maintained that he was one of the seventy disciples of Christ, and from the multiplicity of his names we can see his renown and eminence; which latter he gained by his zeal and piety; for he brought Paul, after his conversion, to the apostles; and…
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25. The Apostle James, the Less
The Apostle James (the Lesser) stoned and clubbed to death, Jerusalem, A.D. 63 James, the Son of Alpheus, or Brother of the Lord, Cast Down from the Temple, Stoned, and Beaten to Death with a Club, A.D. 63. James the Lesser was the son of Alpheus, and Mary Cleophas, sister to the mother of Christ; he is called the Lord's brother. Matt. 10:3; Gal. 1:19. After proper instruction he was ordained an apostle by Christ, and sent out to minister to the Jews; wherein he acquitted himself well, until Christ's death. After that, he, with others, was sent out to preach the Gospel, which he did in the Jewish church. Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15. And although Peter, and James and his brother John, of whom…
Further Study
The Letter Of James To The Churches Of Jerusalem
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24. The Apostle Philip
The Apostle Philip stoned in Hierapolis, Phrygia, A.D. 54 The Holy Apostle Philip, Bound with His Head to a Pillar, and Stoned, at Hierapolis, in Phrygia, A.D. 54 Philip, a native of Bethsaida, in Galilee, had a wife and daughters of very honorable life. John 1:44; 12:21; Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 3. cap. 30; 31. He was found of Christ, and called as His disciple to follow Him; which he did so faithfully, that when he found Nathanael, he brought him to Christ, declaring to him, that he had found Him of whom Moses and the prophets had written, namely, Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah. John 1:45. From that time on, Philip constantly followed Christ, listening to His admonitions, and beholding the miracles He…
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23. The Apostle James, the Major
The Apostle James (the major) beheaded in Jerusalem, A.D. 45 James, the Son of Zebedee, Put to Death with the Sword, by Herod Agrippa, in Jerusalem, A.D. 45 James, surnamed the Greater, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and a fisherman by occupation; but, Christ having called him to be His disciple, he abandoned fishing, and followed Christ. Matt. 4:21; Mark 1:19. He was instructed for a considerable time together with the other disciples in the duties of the apostleship, until he was properly sent out in that capacity. Matt. 10:2; Mark 6:17; Luke 6:13. He was endowed with the gift of working signs and miracles, and on account of this special gift he was one of the three surnamed Boanerges, that is, sons…
