Persecution in the Early Church

As we have learned, persecution of Christians was great throughout the Roman

Empire. The twelve disciples/apostles were ordinary men whom God used in an
extraordinary manner. Among the twelve were fishermen, a tax collector, and a
revolutionary. The Gospels record the constant failings, struggles, and doubts of these
twelve men who followed Jesus Christ. After witnessing Jesus' resurrection and
ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit transformed the disciples/apostles into powerful
men of God who turned the world upside down. Christ’s apostles are perhaps amongst
the best examples of what it means to have extraordinary faith, as 10 of the original 12
were martyred for their beliefs. What does it mean to have faith like that? How does our
own faith compare?
PART I.
Choose any one of the 11 apostles listed below to research. Try and research their
background, including how they grew up, their family life and profession. Discover how
their life was transformed once they met Christ. How did being an apostle affect their life
from that point forwards? How did it affect their death? Your response should be
approximately 500 words, arranged into well-organized paragraphs and typed into
WRCA paper format.

• Simon (who is called Peter) • Thomas

• Andrew (Simon Peter’s • Matthew

brother)
• James (son of Alphaeus)
• James (son of Zebedee)
• Thaddaeus (Judas, son of
• *John (son of Zebedee) James)

• Philip • Simon, the Zealot

• Bartholomew

PART 2.
Using your English journal, write a 250-word response on the following question:
How does my faith compare to that of the apostle I have chosen to study?
This assignment does not have to be types, but should be neatly written by hand
and placed in the “journal” section of your in-class duotang.