What Happened to Paul (How did He Die)? Apostle Paul is arguably one of the premier figures at the beginning of Christianity and the early Church. While Apostle Paul was not among the twelve disciples of Jesus, he played a crucial role in the formation of the early Church and the beginning of Christianity. Paul’s influence is visible in the fact that he wrote most of the books in the New Testament. Given his vast influence, Apostle Paul is considered as the true founder of Christianity.[footnoteRef:1] However, the death of Apostle Paul has been one of the relatively controversial issues in Christianity, particularly among Bible scholars and theologians. Even though Bible scholars, theologians and Christians concur that Paul played an influential role in the beginning of Christianity, what happened to him in terms of how he died remains controversial. The controversy is partly fueled by the fact that the Bible does not have a record of the exact time and manner of Paul’s death. This paper examines this controversial issue with a view of establishing how Apostle Paul died based on Biblical history and evidence. [1: Sean McDowell, The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2015)]

Overview of Apostle Paul’s Life

Paul was born in the city of Tarsus as a Roman citizen as stated in Acts 22:28, “…And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”” (New King James Version). As shown in Acts 22:3, Paul was trained at the feet of Gamaliel and was a highly respected teacher of the Torah and a member of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:34-39). Paul’s Roman citizenship, his training and membership of the Sanhedrin could have played a crucial role in his boldness and granted him proper juridical procedure.[footnoteRef:2] Paul spent most his early years in a deep Hellenistic city of the diaspora where he was shaped by his family and synagogue. As a result, he demonstrated utmost devotion and commitment to the Jewish faith. [2: Ibid., 1]

In Philippians 3:4b-5, Paul identifies himself as a Jew and states that he was circumcised on the eight day based on Jewish tradition, which implies that he adhered to one of the most significant symbols of the Jewish culture and tradition.[footnoteRef:3] Paul highlights that he was also part of God’s chosen nation, Israel, through stating that he was born from the tribe of Benjamin. Given his training and Sanhedrin membership, Paul was an ardent observer of the law and a Pharisee. Paul’s view of law, his mission in life, his values and his social identity were shaped by the fact that he was a Pharisee living in a Gentile empire.[footnoteRef:4] New Testament scholars have never disputed Paul’s Jewish background, but differ on the kind of Jew that Paul was. [3: J.M. Wessels & Fika J van Rensburg, “Paul, The Man of Three Worlds: Still Inspiring the Church Across Frontiers”, Scriptura 103 (2010):190] [4: David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves & E. Randolph Richards, Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011)]

Paul’s background as a Christian and his involvement in ministry can be traced to his conversion experience on the Damascus Road. Prior to this conversion experience, Paul persecuted the Church based on his Jewish beliefs and the fact that he was a Pharisee. In Acts 9:1-6, Paul structures his conversion experience as a sudden change from his previous life. On one hand, Paul refers to this experience as a calling that already originated at his birth and connection to the Jewish background. On the other hand, he refers to it in prophetic terms i.e. receiving a divine revelation and assignment.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Ibid., 3]

Following his conversion and belief that he has received a divine revelation and assignment, Paul plays an important role in the establishment of churches in different places including Corinth, Philip, Ephesus and even Rome. His spiritual experiences during the early years as a Christian informs his devotion to the divine assignment and epistles to the different churches. For instance, based on his spiritual experiences during his early years as a Christian, Paul’s letter to Colossians focuses on combating teachings that he considered contrary to his gospel.[footnoteRef:6] Through his ministry, Paul develops to become an enigmatic figure and the most accessible character in first-century Christianity. As a result, he develops to become one of the most central figures in the establishment and development of first-century Christianity. [6: Victor Paul Furnish, “On Putting Paul in His Place”, Journal of...

1 (2012):5]
The Death of Apostle Paul

While Paul’s influential role in the beginning of Christianity is not in contention, his death or what happened to him remains to be a major controversial issue. The controversy surrounding the death of Paul is attributable to the fact that the Bible does not provide an account of the exact time and manner of his death. Moreover, this controversy has been fueled by the seeming inability by secular history to provide definitive comprehensive information on Apostle Paul’s death. However, Apostle Paul anticipates his death in 2 Timothy 4:6-8…

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (English Standard Version).

The book of 2 Timothy was written in A.D. 64-67 during Apostle Paul’s second Roman imprisonment. Therefore, it’s suspected that Apostle Paul’s death must have occurred after his missionary journey that concluded in A.D. 67. This was his fifth missionary journey that culminated in his epistle to Timothy, which was centered on encouraging him (Timothy) to devote himself to God and ministry.

At the time of Apostle Paul’s death, most of the famous figures and martyrs in Christianity died through various persecutions. According to David Eastman, Christianity’s most famous martyrs died during the first three centuries after being subjected to numerous persecutions.[footnoteRef:7] These persecutions ranged from attacks by mobs to death through an executive order of an imperial government. In Rome, the initial imperial persecution occurred during Apostle Paul’s fifth missionary journey under the emperor Nero i.e. between A.D. 64-67. [7: David L. Eastman, Paul the Martyr: The Cult of the Apostle in the Latin West (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011)]

The persecutions of Christians under the emperor Nero has led to the historical belief that Apostle Paul was beheaded as a martyr in Rome.[footnoteRef:8] In his Commentary on the Bible, Adam Clarke states that the time, place and manner of Apostle Paul’s death is a matter with little certainty because of unavailability of Biblical evidence to demonstrate what happened. However, he argues that there is a common belief that a general persecution against Christians by the emperor Nero emerged in Rome around A.D. 64. Under the presumption that they had set Rome on fire, Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter were beheaded and crucified with head downward respectively.[footnoteRef:9] However, Clarke asserts that the question on whether Paul returned to Rome has not be effectively proven. This implies that there is no certainty on whether he suffered and died there if he probably returned. [8: Ibid., 1] [9: Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible (Pasadena, CA: Parsons Technology, 2000)]

Sean McDowell seemingly differs with Adam Clarke by arguing that even unlike Peter, there is little scholarly debate regarding Paul’s presence in Rome. He argues that Paul’s presence in Rome is critical toward providing the historical view or account of his death since it provides the link to emperor Nero. The book of Philippians provides the strongest case of Paul’s presence in Rome given that Paul wrote all his prison epistles in Rome. The reference in 2 Timothy 1:16-17, his historical account in Acts 28:11-31 provides strong evidence of his presence in Rome.[footnoteRef:10] Therefore, the strong evidence of Apostle Paul’s presence in Rome provides the foundation for the assumption that he could have been beheaded under the emperor Nero who persecuted Christians during his reign. [10: Ibid., 1]

Following the establishment of Apostle Paul’s presence in Rome around A.D. 64-67, there is scriptural evidence that points to his probable martyrdom. 2 Timothy, which was one of Paul’s epistles to Timothy, portrays that Apostle Paul was in a Roman prison for preaching Christ. In 2 Timothy 4:16-18, Paul had already undergone an initial hearing following his Roman imprisonment and was firmly anticipating his death as shown in 2 Timothy 4:6-8. Paul’s choice of words in his epistle to Timothy suggests that he many never see him again as he provides admonition, instruction, and encouragement about changes he would like to see in Timothy’s life and ministry.[footnoteRef:11] [11: Luc Bulundwe, 2 Timothy 4:6-8 as Paradigm of the Apostle Paul’s…