Biblical Views: The Martyrdom of the Zebedee Brothers

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The sons of Zebedee—James and John—are two of the more enigmatic apostles. What ever happened to them? It is an especially pertinent question because of their request shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion. The story is told in Mark 10:35–45. They would like box seats in the Kingdom, on either side of Jesus when he comes into his glory. Jesus tells them that it is not for him to grant them such seats, but he makes a prediction: “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.” Jesus is predicting that James and […]

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Endnotes

There is now textual evidence from Papias, the second-century Christian writer, to support the view that John Zebedee met an early demise. Papias fragment 10.17 seems clearly to affirm that John died early as a martyr, as did his brother. See Ben Witherington, What Have They Done With Jesus? (Harper Collins, 2006), p. 158 and notes.