When Bisbee compared the Acts of Justin and Companions with this formula, he noticed that the Acts of Justin does not follow this pattern precisely. It preserves the most important structural elements of a trial, for instance, the verdict and sentence, but it meanders from the expected legal script. There are specific elements missing. This…

The interesting thing is that, according to later Christians, this Ptolemy was a heretic. The Ptolemy who wrote to Flora belonged to a group of Christians known as the Valentinians. If Justin is describing the death of the very same Ptolemy, then this would mean that one of the earliest Christian martyrs was a heretic.…

There’s no single piece of evidence that can help us pin down the date of the text’s composition precisely, but if we have to make an educated guess, then we would say that the account was written in the third century, when voluntary martyrdom and relic collection had already emerged as religious practices. What this…

There are indications in the story that the author of Acts wants us to think of the death of Stephen as just like Jesus. There’s numerous parallels (a literary device used to forge Stephen’s death). Jews did not persecute Christians during this time because: Furthermore, we don’t have any good proof that Peter went to…

(A famous case in Asia Minor around 185 where Christians wanted to be executed by the governor, and the governor told them to jump off a cliff if they wanted to.) A large group of Christians could’ve been persecuted, but instead, they were volunteering to die. Recent research into the Decian persecution has questioned whether…

Caution with Tacitus: No proof, there’s more probability of Peter dying in the mid-50s in Judea. For Nero and the source: