The below people are in the Bible, but they are not the only ones martyred for Jesus. There are thousands and thousands, if not millions of people that died for Jesus Christ, and I’m not talking about just the people in the inquisition.
Roman brides wore a unique hairstyle called the tutulus: the hair was divided into six locks, pinned into a cone on top of her head, parted with a bent spearhead, and then decorated with flowers.
If interested you can read about them all in “Fox’s Book of Martyrs” by John Foxe or if you have a Kindle you can download it for free.
Enough about dead people, for now at least. Tomorrow we’re going to look at the last Lost City of Africa, which is…
John 2
Water Made into Wine
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
“A marriage” – a little is known of how a wedding was performed in the Holy Land in the 1st century, but clearly the feast was important and might go on for a week. To fail in proper hospitality was a serious offense.
“Cana” – West of the Sea of Galilee, but the exact location is unknown.
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
“Manner of the purifying” – Jews became ceremonially defiled during the normal circumstances of daily life, and were cleansed by pouring water over the hands.
“Two or three firkins” – about 20 to 30 gallons.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
This portrait of famed empress Mumtaz Mahal (whose grieving husband built the Taj Mahal as her tomb) shows that henna designs were popular for brides even back in 1612. Legendarily, Mumtaz’s father-in-law the emperor adorned her hair with a gorgeous pearl wreath himself before sending her to meet her new husband.
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
The Jews thought Jesus was referring to the literal temple, but John tells us that He was not.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
“Forty and six years” – the temple was not finally completed until 64 A.D. The meaning is that work had been going on for 46 years. Since it had begun in 20 B.C., the year of the even recorded there is 26/27 A.D.
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
A Few Other Biblical People Martyred
History of the church may almost be said to be a history of the trials and sufferings of its members, as experienced at the hands of wicked men.
At one time persecution, as waged against the friends of Christ, was confined to those without; at another, schisms and divisions have arrayed brethren of the same name against each other, and scenes of cruelty and woe have been exhibited within the sanctuary, rivalling in horror the direst cruelties ever inflicted by pagan or barbarian fanaticism.
Stephen
To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death.
The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the Passover which succeeded to that of our Lord’s crucifixion, and to the area of his ascension, in the following spring.
Matthias
Less is known of Matthias than of most of the other disciples; he was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
Mark
He was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He was supposedly converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote the Book of Mark and it was written in the Greek language.
Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.
Paul
The great apostle of the Gentiles, was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, and before his conversion was called Saul.
After suffering various persecutions at Jerusalem, Iconium, Lystra, Phillippi and Thessalonica, he was carried prisoner to Rome, where he continued for two years, and was then released.
He afterwards visited the churches of Greece and Rome, and preached the gospel in Spain and France, but returning to Rome, he was apprehended by order of Nero, and beheaded.
Paul wrote the majority of the books/epistles in the New Testament – Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
It is unknown who wrote the Book of Hebrews, but most believe that Paul did. The biggest story about Paul is in the Book of Acts, written by Luke.
Luke
Luke was a doctor, an evangelist, and the author of the Book of Luke and Acts. He travelled with Paul through various countries and is supposed to have been hanged in an olive tree by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
…Leptis Magna.