Best additional biblical texts books according to redditors
We found 34 Reddit comments discussing the best additional biblical texts books. We ranked the 19 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 34 Reddit comments discussing the best additional biblical texts books. We ranked the 19 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Here's the book of Enoch that I read (http://www.amazon.com/Books-Enoch-Complete-Including-Ethiopian/dp/1609422007/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463630250&sr=8-3&keywords=the+book+of+enoch). It's a good copy, read it from the start if that's what you want to do (and by start I mean "book one (not well labeled) is literally the start of the pages, then read book 2, and then book 3 (they're all in there it's hard to explain). Book 1 is the most interesting, book 2 and 3 get boring. The book of Enoch isn't believed by all Christians.
Alternatively, this youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79onWInRCOU is like 90% as good as reading it and it does it soooo much faster. Great video -- if you don't like the imagery he uses just listen to it instead. I have a minor disagreement with him on fulfillment of a covenant that he'll mention but the video is great all the same.
> and what would they get from that?
Fame, renown, respect, free food, lodging, dozens or hundreds of people wanting to listen to them, etc. These are things that people from their positions (illiterate herders, fishermen, etc.) could only dream of having. Why do you think people get drawn into cults, to begin with? You don't need to be a part of the leadership of some huge group to gain benefits.
>they got the death sentence. would you sign up to be tortured to death for a lie?
We know extraordinarily little about the martyrdom of the apostles. The stories we do have about them are not only centuries later but are also contradictory (one account says an apostle went somewhere in Africa and died while another might say they went off to Europe and died) and contain absolutely fiction elements. I highly recommend Sean McDowell's (a conservative evangelical apologist ironically enough) book The Fate of the Apostles which goes through all the various historical texts/mentions we have of their martyrdom and showcases perfectly what I mentioned prior.
For example, you know the story of St. Peter how he was crucified upside down? That comes from the apocryphal "Acts of Peter" in which in addition to the claim of him being crucified that way also includes talking dogs, raising sardines from the dead, and battling a magician who can fly and whisper in people's ears to kill them. I think that speaks for itself about the historical weight of these accounts and why we should weigh the historical reliability of such accounts very low.
Another good compilation (not in book form like the source I mentioned above) of the accounts of the apostles can be found here.
Yes, you can check this out: https://www.amazon.com/Israelite-Samaritan-Version-Torah-Translation/dp/0802865194
Surely you mean the Acts of Paul and Thecla ;)
Here are some book recommendations:
EDIT: The HarperCollins Visual Guide to the New Testament is also fun.
I would be careful with this. Many of these are based on vague tradition which cannot be firmly authenticated today.
Listening to Pints With Aquinas Podcast, the following book was recommend as a study of what happened to the apostles and what evidence we have for each claim:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1472465202/?coliid=IX0U8S2BQT2Y8&colid=2YXGCX5KIHPRS&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Yeah, you can view the major scrolls here.
Decent English Translation here by Geza Vermes.
But I recommend picking up The Dead Sea Scrolls: Study Edition.
Howdy! I'm a religious studies major at UT, and I took a class on the Dead Sea Scrolls last semester.
The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Philip R. Davies was a great resource. The material wasn't overly dry, and the information was presented in a clear and concise way. It had a lot of great pictures, which I find helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-World-Dead-Scrolls/dp/0500283710
It's worth the $20 if you're really interested!
Mod up for being an informed and rather open minded Christian. If more Christians took your attitude the world would be a better place. Of course, I'd rather they be atheists like me, but either way I'm good!
Regarding 2), the Pauline church was in power by AD 70, so the earliest accounts we have are from Paul and his disciples. Jewish Christianity burnt along with the rest of Jerusalem, and we don't have a copy of the Saying's gospel (Q).
To me, it's amazing how much of Jesus' Jewishness comes through even in the obviously gentile scriptures we have instead. I wonder how much more Jewish Jesus' own teachings might have been. One thing I'm sure of, he wouldn't have accepted Gentiles becoming Jews without observing the law of Moses! Luke was certainly Pauline, and even he affirms this in Acts 21!
One thing is clear, the Jesus we know about has been sanitized for a Gentile audience, so we'll probably never know his actual feelings on the matter. To me, even the sanitized story makes it clear that Jesus did not preach to gentiles, and I wonder how much more pro-Jewish he was IRL.
I've recently been reading a book that focuses on the Jewish nature of Jesus' message, called "Rabbi Jesus". It's a fascinating read.
http://www.amazon.com/Rabbi-Jesus-Biography-Bruce-Chilton/dp/0385497938
Elaine Pagels is a great contemporary scholar of Christian religion, and particularly textual and historical explication. Her The Origin of Satan is fascinating, and The Gnostic Gospels is a solid survey of some of the lost branches of early Christian tradition.
Gershom Scholem is one of the last century's great explicators of Judaism and mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah. I doubt there's a book he's written that isn't worth reading, but the best place to start may be his book On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, particularly the chapter on the relation of mystical experience to community norms.
Speaking of Kabbalah, it's recent popularity speaks poorly of what is an otherwise venerable and serious tradition of symbolism and ethical concern. If you're interested in spiritual literature, it's probably not a bad idea to take a stab at the Zohar. There's an abridged translation by Scholem out in paperback, but you're probably better off with this edition.
That comes, incidentally, from a series of books issued by a Catholic publisher, Paulist Press, under the name Classics of Western Spirituality, which is generally excellent. So far as I know, it's the only press currently printing some truly classic historical texts, so their catalog is worth browsing. They're particularly good, as you might suspect, on early Christian texts -- I don't know where else you'd go for something like Carthusian Spirituality -- but they also have Sufist, Judaic and non-mainline texts. In particular, I'd say pick up the Pseudo Dionysus.
While we're on the subject of early Christian writers, there's The Desert Fathers, The Cloud of Unknowing, Revelations of Divine Love -- the last of which is a notable early example of feminine Christian spirituality.
On the more modern end, there's Simone Weil, the tragic Marxist-cum-Catholic. I'd recommend either Waiting for God or Letters to a Priest]. While we're talking about modern Christian theology, we should note three of the most important names of the 20th century: Paul Tillich, Rudolf Otto, and Tielhard de Chardin. The books to start with, respectively, are Dynamics of Faith, The Idea of the Holy, and The Divine Milieu.
Shifting away from Christianity, another major name in 20th century theology is Martin Buber, the Jewish German mystic. His I and Thou is the most generally applicable and was widely influential in existential circles, but he also wrote widely on issues of Jewish identity.
More in the mainstream of Jewish tradition, there's the Talmud, although the sheer size of the writings that full under that name are the sort of thing that scholars give their lives over to. For our purposes, something like Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud will generally suffice.
And finally, I just recently bought The Three Pillars of Zen, which is widely held to be the best practical introduction to the topic available in English. There are a bewildering amount of books on the subject, but without some sort of framework for understanding their relation to the historical traditions, it can be nearly impossible to sort out which are worth while.
EDIT: Forgot linking by reference isn't working; fixed with inline links.
>TIL. Didn't know he still quoted it.
Yep, there's a great book on the topic if you're interested in learning more about him.
>Btw, this article was posted on the sub not long ago.
The sub settings has always prevented reposts in the past... maybe the url was changed and so it slipped through. Got a link to the original post?
nope, no outside help other than like getting opinions from people i trust in the scene here to see if it reminds them of anything. but im using a lot of sounds, i dont really want to put too many details out there but vocals, percussion, synths mostly. i would like to work in some guitar at some point but right now im just going with the flow, if a musical passage asks for it then it shall receive
no thats the thing, its this book my friend was telling me about and i really wanted to read and its shipped from Amazon. i dont understand, ive never had this problem before. and they act like theyre sending a vaccine to the CDC or some shit, my girlfriend went up there the first day and they said they wouldnt give it to her, that i had to sign for it. i feel like im caught in a game of keep away with this postal service
lolxD!! yeah thats been me, i still cant believe i missed them yesterday
In context, Jesus was most definitely aware of the contemporary Hebrew prophesies foretelling of the Messiah, or "Jew King". Though he had an affinity for "the teachings" from a young age, according to some of the esoteric literature I've read on it, and spent the majority of his first thirty years cultivating his consciousness via exposure to the various teachers around the world at the time (Yogis/ Hindus/ Buddhists).
And further, his involvement with the Essenes, a Jewish, ascetic sect and his experience in the desert for forty days and nights, I think, unlocked some of the more profound knowledge.
It wasn't until after his crucifixion, under Pontius Pilate, that he really came into his Higher Form. Interestingly, his teachings after his crucifixion are neglected in the New Testament- but they can be found in The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, which was referred to me by a professor/spirit-guide. She describes it as: "Extra Biblical scripture, largely Gnostic, contains the Gospel of Judas and other Metaphysical texts. Interesting stuff."
See also: The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch by J.J Hurtak
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Knowledge-Keys-Enoch/dp/0960345043
https://www.amazon.com/Nag-Hammadi-Scriptures-Translation-Complete-ebook/dp/B003V1WT5Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493705006&sr=1-1&keywords=nag+hammadi+scriptures
and: The Book of Enoch I (Ethiopian text), The Book of Enoch II (Hebrew/Greek)
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Enoch-Complete-Including-Ethiopian/dp/1609422007/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AFTBAS05K9JCCFS01E0H
These somewhat promising, though I can't vouch for them: https://www.amazon.com/John-Baptist-Jesus-Report-Seminar/dp/0944344429/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5B57FXQB325AKS0YNMWA
https://www.amazon.com/John-Baptist-Alexander-Burke-Jr/dp/0867167378/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5B57FXQB325AKS0YNMWA
https://www.amazon.com/Immerser-Baptist-Judaism-Studying-Historical/dp/0802842364
https://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-John-Baptist-Gnosticism-Freemasonry/dp/1594774749/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BXFQTJ9ND7WSD7AW713G
Lawrence Schiffman - Reclaiming the dead sea scrolls, and his updated discussions in Qumran and Jerusalem
I highly recommend Paul: A Very Short Introduction by E. P. Sanders, Luke Timothy Johnson on the New Testament, or Timothy Lim on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Richard Bauckham did the one on Jesus, but I have not read it.
The edition I use is Wise/Abegg/Cook, which I switched to after deciding that my trusty Vermes was a bit stilted and not easy enough to navigate for as frequently as I consult the Dead Sea Scrolls (which lately has been just about weekly); I'm not too familiar with Martinez but see it cited enough in academic literature to make me think it wouldn't be a bad choice either.
What your mom might really enjoy, though, is Catholic scholar John Bergsma's recent book Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. (Haven't read it myself, but Bergsma's reputation carries some heft.)
I really like history books that don't at first seem to be history books, but are explorations of societies sometimes seen through the lens of a single important concept or product. For instance, Mark Kurlansky has several books such as Salt; A World History, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, The Basque History of the World, Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea that teach more history, and more important history than is usually taught in US public schools.
History need not be rote memorization of dates and figures. It can, and should be a fun exploration of ideas and how those ideas shaped civilizations. It can also be an exploration of what did not make it into the history books as Bart Ehrman's Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament or his Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why and Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels attest.
I don't wish to come across as too glib about this, but I feel like the average person might well retain more useful knowledge reading a book like A History of the World in 6 Glasses than if they sat through a semester of freshman history as taught by most boring, lame generic high schools. I feel like often the best way to understand history is to come at it tangentially. Want to understand the US Constitution? Study the Iroquois confederacy. Want to understand the French? Study cuisine and wine. Want to understand China? Study international trade. And so it goes. Sometimes the best history lessons come about from just following another interest such as astronomy or math or cooking. Follow the path until curiosity is sated. Knowledge will accumulate that way. ;-)
Check that. Some sects (such as Qumran) did expect a "suffering servant" instead of a Davidic conqueror. The best book I've read on the matter is "The Messiah Before Jesus" http://www.amazon.com/The-Messiah-before-Jesus-Suffering/dp/0520234006
Actually, this is one my favorite ways to show that Jesus wasn't unique, because many Christians think he was some revolutionary figure of peace. Indeed, there were others before him who preached the same. Most of the gospel teachings that are so "revolutionary" are only so because they differ from the OT canonized text, and in reality they're pretty much copying and pasting the best-of rabbinic commentary and ideas from the last thousand years. If you can get a Christian to accept this, your job is done.
So am I. What a coincidence!
What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archeology Can Tell Us About the Reality of Ancient Israel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G0O3DI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5F-UBbG236X4E
Daily Life in Biblical Times (Archaeology and Biblical Studies) (Archaeology & Biblical Studies) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1589830423/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4v-UBb7HWYXCB
Etched in Stone: Archeological Discoveries That Prove the Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944229795/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dy-UBbYB3WT5E
Next is Prof. Finkelstein, a representative of the “minimalist” approach. He has many followers as do his academic opponents:
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Sacred Texts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBJG86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8I-UBbY6KVZ34
Edit: in my (subjective) opinion, much of the religious beliefs and worship followed the ruling empires of the day. Israelites drew much from Mesopotamian cultures (Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, Sumerian). Next, they modified those beliefs and practices until it became “their” tribal religion.... Today we lump up Israel’s rich history as “ancient”, but it went trough very distinct phases.
Jesus was a real person, a point which seems fairly agreed upon by historians (of which I am not).
I highly suggest reading Rabbi Jesus. While it's written by a Christian, it's well researched (dude learned dead languages to read source material) and really sets Jesus in historical context.
As an atheist I found the book very enlightening. Jesus is both a person from history and an archetype representing the good within all of us.
> Truth, justice, and compassion were within our grasp, [Jesus] taught, if only we would seize them.
I can't think of anything more true.
In D. Michael Quinn's Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, p. 192, he states:
>"Similar to John W. Welch's claims about pre-1830 America's alleged ignorance of a form of biblical parallelism (chiasmus), Nibley understated the access of Palmyra's residents in the mid-1820s to information about the pseudepigraphic Enoch."
Follow fn108 to the appendix on pp 499-504. Quinn basically here submits an essay expounding John Welch's discovery of chiasmus in the BoM and subsequent dishonesty about Joseph's access to scholastic materials available at the time. From p. 500:
>"Advertised for sale in Joseph Smith's neighborhood, Horne's 1825 Introduction To the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures emphasized ...: 'The grand, and indeed, sole characteristic of Hebrew Poetry, is what Bishop Lowthe entitles Parallelism, that is, a certain quality, resemblance, or relationship, between the members of each period; so that in two lines, or members of the same period, things shall answer to things, and words to words, as if fitted to each other by a kind of rule or measure. This is the general strain of the Hebrew poetry; instances of which occur in almost every part of the Old Testament ...' ... Horne further explained ... that these 'Parallel constructions and figures' referred to 'those passages in which the same sentence is expressed not precisely in the same words, but in similar words' ... Horne's 1825 American edition said that such parallelism would be found in any ancient text written by Hebrews. ... [p. 501: In the same edition,] Horne also gave ... several diagrams of 'Parallel Lines Introverted ... [Horne quotes a pair of multi-line chiasmus from Isaiah and Psalms that follow the typical ABCDCBA structure]."
Is chiasmus a reputable form of ancient Hebrew poetry? Yes. Was it also a common Old English poetic mechanism? Yes. Bill Shakespeare made abundant use of it. In my opinion, some Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon are outstanding achievements (e.g. Alma 36 in its entirety). Other purported examples can be a bit of a stretch. But Joseph Smith (and any accomplices) had everything he needed to compose such a book. To see the entire Book of Mormon reformatted to fit Hebrew poetic styles, I recommend Perry's Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon.
Interestingly, several unique changes made to Isaiah in the Book of Mormon actually ruin or obscure other types of Hebrew poetry native to the Masoretic texts. I recommend picking up a copy of American Apocrypha and reading David P. Wright's essay, "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: Or Joseph Smith in Isaiah" - it is a bit technical, but an excellent treatment of the subject. Regardless of one's position on its authorship, the Book of Mormon as dictation literature is actually very, very impressive.
The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) are believed to be the works of a sect of Judiasm called the Essenes, whom were obsessed with writing down everything they encountered via the oral tradition. The discovery of the DSS was significant because it contains parts of the Old Testament canon we use today and allowed us to compare to see how the translations have changed over the years. Surprisingly, the translations have remained pretty faithful and in places where there were deviations, the DSS provided a baseline for newer revisions to correct themselves.
That is just one aspect of the DSS which impacted our understanding of the faith today.
There are many translations that you can look at if you are curious, such as The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition or The Dead Sea Scrolls & Modern Translations of the Old Testament.
I don’t think it is as baseless as you suppose: https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Apostles-Examining-Martyrdom-Followers/dp/1472465202
Were the heavens gate apostles in a position to know whether or not their beliefs were true?
Moderator message: Reddit automatically removes comments that contain some URLs which it doesn't allow. That's what happened to your comment above, probably because you used the "amzn.to" link shortener. Then I manually approved for your comment to appear to others.
In the future you could use a longer link to an Amazon page, such as: https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Apostles-Examining-Martyrdom-Followers/dp/1472465202/
... which should be ok. Note that you don't need to include the "ref=" part of the original URL.
Sure. If you want scholarly resources on the resurrection, then I would suggest The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach by Licona. You can get it on Amazon for about $35 and it's a long read at 700+ pages.
https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-New-Historiographical-Approach/dp/0830827196/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UCOAX5QZYQUY&keywords=the+resurrection+of+jesus+mike+licona&qid=1570211397&sprefix=the+resurrection+of+Jesus%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1
Another good scholarly resource is The Case For the Resurrection of Jesus by Habermas and Licona. You can get it for about $13 dollars on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Resurrection-Jesus-Gary-Habermas/dp/0825427886/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/140-8576167-7556334?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0825427886&pd_rd_r=decfba9d-109a-4324-99c9-ba4523d42796&pd_rd_w=TIA6v&pd_rd_wg=EeKYx&pf_rd_p=d66372fe-68a6-48a3-90ec-41d7f64212be&pf_rd_r=WW1HBRRY8K7JV6EPDW3P&psc=1&refRID=WW1HBRRY8K7JV6EPDW3P
I would also suggest getting a general overview of the New Testament. Bart Ehrman is probably the world's leading skeptical scholar of the New Testament. His book on the New Testament, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the New Testament Writings, is a great resource and can be bought on Amazon for around $6.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Historical-Introduction-Christian/dp/0195126394/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=introduction+to+new+testament+ehrman&qid=1570211027&sr=8-6
Other books that I would strongly recommend would be:
Early Christian Writings. A short read at 200 pages. A catalog of some of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament. You can get it for $3 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Early-Christian-Writings-Apostolic-Fathers/dp/0140444750/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=early+christian+writings&qid=1570212985&s=books&sr=1-1
The New Testament: Its Background, Growth and Content Bruce Metzger was one of the leading New Testament scholars of the 20th century. You can get it for $20.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Background-Growth-Content/dp/1426772491/ref=pd_sbs_14_5/140-8576167-7556334?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1426772491&pd_rd_r=d83ca7e7-e9be-4da7-b3e8-3e5b6e143a27&pd_rd_w=AUNpT&pd_rd_wg=VLsLw&pf_rd_p=d66372fe-68a6-48a3-90ec-41d7f64212be&pf_rd_r=RESQKSAY5XYMKZ939JS7&psc=1&refRID=RESQKSAY5XYMKZ939JS7
The Fate of the Apostles, by McDowell. An in-depth study of how reliable the martyrdom accounts of the apostles are. A little bit pricey at $35-40.
https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Apostles-Sean-McDowell/dp/1138549134/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JBDB9MJMOVL8&keywords=the+fate+of+the+apostles&qid=1570212064&s=books&sprefix=the+fate+of+the+ap%2Cstripbooks%2C167&sr=1-1
Ecclesiastical History, by Eusebius, a 3rd century historian. Eusebius documents the history of Christianity from Jesus to about the 3rd century. You can get it for $10.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Background-Growth-Content/dp/1426772491/ref=pd_sbs_14_5/140-8576167-7556334?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1426772491&pd_rd_r=d83ca7e7-e9be-4da7-b3e8-3e5b6e143a27&pd_rd_w=AUNpT&pd_rd_wg=VLsLw&pf_rd_p=d66372fe-68a6-48a3-90ec-41d7f64212be&pf_rd_r=RESQKSAY5XYMKZ939JS7&psc=1&refRID=RESQKSAY5XYMKZ939JS7
I don't think you are talking with any credibility or actual authority here. I'll just use one example from the items you listed off:
>We have 0 evidence that the original 12 were martyred.
Yea, we do.
Dr. Sean McDowell is an associate professor at Biola University and historian / prominent New Testament scholar. In Dr. McDowell’s 2015 book The Fate of the Apostles, he completes a meticulous and thorough meta-analysis of the available historical evidence regarding the purported martyrdom of Jesus’ closest Apostles. In particular, McDowell focuses on the historical evidence produced within “living memory” of the Apostles as a way of preventing “the development of legendary material about the apostles" from affecting the analysis. He then analyzes, in detail, a set of four questions with respect to each Apostle’s martyrdom tradition. First, how many sources are there? Second, how early are the sources? Third, are there sources from varying perspectives? And fourth, is there a historical nucleus even if secondary details disagree? Using the totality of the appropriate evidence, McDowell then ranks each Apostle’s likelihood of having been martyred on the following scale.
First and foremost, McDowell concludes, based on numerous in-depth analyses of Biblical and non-Biblical historical evidence, that the Apostles Peter, Paul, and James the son of Zebedee were martyred for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth with “the highest possible probability” in all three cases. [pg. 55-92; 93-114; 187-192]. Regarding causes of death for each of their martyrdoms, the evidence evaluated by McDowell strongly suggests that Peter was crucified, very likely while preaching the Gospel throughout Rome, and more probable than not during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. [pg. 55-92]. The evidence that Peter was specifically crucified upside-down, as some church tradition holds, is inconclusive.
Next, McDowell concludes that Paul was very likely martyred for preaching the Gospel while in Rome during the reign of Nero, and was probably beheaded as a means of execution. [pg. 93-114]. Finally, the evidence analyzed leads to the verdict that James the son of Zebedee, was very likely martyred for his evangelism while in Jerusalem, put to death by sword, pursuant to the order of King Herod Agrippa—who was the Jewish ruler of Judea from AD 41 to AD 44, and considered James to be a heretic and apostate. [pg. 187-192]
In drawing these conclusions for the Apostles Peter, Paul, and James the son of Zebedee, McDowell analyzes and incorporates a plethora of textual sources (some Biblical, but with the large majority being non-Biblical). For example, with respect to Peter and Paul, McDowell cites the work known as 1 Clement, which is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. 1 Clement is dated by some scholars to as early as AD 70—although it is traditionally dated to circa AD 96. [Thomas J. Herron. Clement and the Early Church of Rome: On the Dating of Clement’s First Epistle to the Corinthians. (Emmaus Road: Steubenville, OH, 2008)]. A substantial number of scholars—including, for example, agnostic-atheist Bart Ehrman—agree with McDowell that 1 Clement provides notably early attestation for Peter and Paul’s martyrdoms. [Bart Ehrman. The Apostolic Fathers. (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA: 2004). 1:24.]. It reads, in relevant part:
“We should consider the noble examples of our own generation. Because of jealousy and envy the greatest and most upright pillars were persecuted, and they struggled in the contest even to death. We should see before our eyes the good apostles. There is Peter, who because of unjust jealousy bore up under hardships not just once or twice, but many times; and having thus borne his witness he went to the place of glory that he deserved. Because of jealousy and strife Paul pointed the way to the prize for endurance. Seven times he bore chains; he was sent into exile and stoned; he served as a herald in both the East and the West; and he received the noble reputation for his faith. He taught righteousness to the whole world, and came to the limits of the West, bearing his witness before the rulers. And so he was set free from this world and transported up to the holy place, having become the greatest example of endurance.”
[Clement of Rome. The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. c. AD 96. 5:2-7]
Further evidence cited in support of Peter’s martyrdom includes, but is not limited to, Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrneans 3.1-2; Ignatius, Letter to the Romans 4.3; Apocalypse of Peter 14.4; Ascension of Isaiah 4:2-3; The Acts of Peter; Dionysius of Corinth, Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.25; Tertullian, The Prescriptions Against Heretics 36; Tertullian, Scorpiace 15; Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.1.1; numerous texts appearing later in time (AD third and fourth centuries) than the foregoing texts, yet all confirming the earlier traditions; 2 Peter 1:12-15 (particularly when interpreted in the context of John 21:17-19); and the absence within the historical record of any competing narrative to Peter’s martyrdom. [Fate of the Apostles pg. 55-92]
Furthermore, with respect to Paul’s martyrdom, McDowell’s evidence includes, without limitation, Ignatius, Letter to the Romans 4:1-3; Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians 12:2; Ignatius, Letter to the Philippians 7:1; Tertullian, Scorpiace 15:4-6; Acts of Paul; Dionysus of Corinth, Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.25; The Prescription Against Heretics 24, 36; Hippolytus on the Twelve 13; 1 Clement 6:1; 2 Timothy 4:6-8 strongly suggesting knowledge of his imminent demise; and the absence of any competing historical narrative with respect to Paul’s death. [Ibid. pg. 93-114]
Once more, regarding James the son of Zebedee’s martyrdom, McDowell’s historical support includes, in part, Clement of Alexandria, Outlines, Book 7 (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.9); Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 26; Gregory of Nyssa; Homily 2 On Stephen; The Apostalic Acts of Abdias; Philip of Side, Christian History; the Acts 12:1-2 account of his death and the lack of any “legendary” embellishments contained therein; and, again, the absence of any competing narrative. [Ibid. pg. 187-192]
Moving past these first Apostles, we arrive at the Apostle James the half-brother of Jesus. Dr. McDowell concludes it is “very probably true” that James died as a Christian martyr, and that there is “the highest possible probability” that he was executed by stoning circa AD 62 while in Jerusalem. It is also “more probable than not” that James the half-brother of Jesus was thrown off a temple roof prior to his murder via stoning—possibly as a means of pre-murder torture. [Ibid. pg. 115-134]. Historical evidence for these conclusions is found in sources such as Josephus, Antiquities 20.197-203; Hegesippus, Hypomnemata Book 5, as recorded in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23; Clement of Alexandria, Hypotyposes Book 7, as recorded in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.1.4-5; First Apocalypse of James; Second Apocalypse of James 60.15-63.32; and Pseudo-Clementines 1.70.8. [Ibid.]
Thomas is "more probable than not."
Andrew is "more plausible than not."
Philip; Matthew; Thaddeus; Bartholomew; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon the Zealot; and Matthias are "as plausible as not."
Lastly, only John the Son of Zebedee is rated "improbable."
Summarizing his study, Dr. McDowell concludes:
“[T]he apostles were willing to suffer and die for their faith. . . . The consistent reason they gave is that Jesus appeared to them personally over a lengthy period of time (Acts 1:3). They were threatened, beaten, thrown in prison, and killed for their faith, and yet they refused to back down because they obeyed God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Whether or not all the apostles actually died as martyrs, they all willingly proclaimed in the risen Jesus with full knowledge it could cost them their lives.”
[Ibid. pg. 263]
This is not conjecture or recitation of legend. It is thorough and extensive historical research.
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Some of your other suppositions are also dubious (e.g., making claims with unjustified levels of certainty while providing no evidence) -- but this is long enough for one comment.
You are going to get mostly conventional answers here. I would suggest, among others, trying out John Collins' The Invention of Judaism or the earlier Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora.
What it meant to be Jewish at the time Jesus was born is at least as complicated as what it means to be Jewish today in Israel, albeit for very different reasons. The distinguishing feature is not simply belief (there were many beliefs, even beliefs that defy the rabbinic tradition, and probably beliefs that defy the monotheistic tradition).
Also the Christian scriptures are terrible primary sources for understanding Jewish beliefs during this period, standing alone.