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Chapter 43—Martyrdom of Paul and Peter
The apostles Paul and Peter were for many years widely sepa-
rated in their labors, it being the work of Paul to carry the gospel
to the Gentiles, while Peter labored especially for the Jews. But in
the providence of God, both were to bear witness for Christ in the
world’s metropolis, and upon its soil both were to shed their blood
as the seed of a vast harvest of saints and martyrs.
About the time of Paul’s second arrest Peter also was appre-
hended and thrust into prison. He had made himself especially
obnoxious to the authorities by his zeal and success in exposing the
deceptions and defeating the plots of Simon Magus, the sorcerer,
who had followed him to Rome to oppose and hinder the work of
the gospel. Nero was a believer in magic, and had patronized Simon.
He was therefore greatly incensed against the apostle, and was thus
prompted to order his arrest.
The emperor’s malice against Paul was heightened by the fact
that members of the imperial household, and also other persons
of distinction, had been converted to Christianity during his first
imprisonment. For this reason he made the second imprisonment
much more severe than the first, granting him little opportunity to
preach the gospel; and he determined to cut short his life as soon as
a plausible pretext could be found for so doing. Nero’s mind was so
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impressed with the force of the apostle’s words at his last trial that he
deferred the decision of the case, neither acquitting nor condemning
him. But the sentence was only deferred. It was not long before the
decision was pronounced which consigned Paul to a martyr’s grave.
Being a Roman citizen, he could not be subjected to torture, and was
therefore sentenced to be beheaded.
Peter, as a Jew and a foreigner, was condemned to be scourged
and crucified. In prospect of this fearful death, the apostle remem-
bered his great sin in denying Jesus in the hour of trial, and his only
thought was that he was unworthy of so great an honor as to die in
the same manner as did his Master. Peter had sincerely repented of
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