Paul's Martyrdom

The event

The book of Acts does not record Paul's death, but Paul's own last letter gives a clear window into how he faced it. Writing to Timothy from what appears to be a second, far harsher Roman imprisonment - chained like a common criminal this time, rather than under the relatively comfortable house arrest of Acts 28 - Paul wrote: "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" (2 Timothy 4:6-7). He asked Timothy to come quickly and to bring his cloak and his scrolls, aware that the cold and isolation of this final imprisonment were closing in.

Early church tradition, recorded by writers such as Eusebius and going back to sources as early as Clement of Rome writing within a few decades of the events, consistently holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome - a form of execution consistent with his status as a Roman citizen, who could not legally be crucified. The traditional site of his execution is along the Ostian Way outside the city, and the ancient Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls has marked the traditional location of his burial since the earliest centuries of the church.

Most evangelical scholars place Paul's death sometime between AD 64 and 68, during or shortly after Nero's persecution following the fire of Rome. What the church has never doubted is the substance of the tradition: the apostle who carried the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome sealed his testimony with his life, exactly as he had told the Ephesian elders he was prepared to do (Acts 20:24).

Dating

The precise year depends on the disputed question of what happened to Paul between the release recorded (by implication) after Acts 28 and his final arrest; AD 67 or 68, near the end of Nero's reign, is often favored, but the church has always been confident of the substance of the tradition even where the exact year is uncertain.

Scripture references

• 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Other witnesses

• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.25
• 1 Clement 5

Further reading

• Christian History Magazine 156: What Happened to the Apostles? — free full issue
• Christian History Magazine 47: Paul and His Times — free full issue