Evangelists’ Deaths?

Q. I just am curious: What caused the death of the Evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John ?


A. St. Matthew was of course one of the twelve apostles. According to ancient tradition, he preached in the East and died as a martyr for the Faith. One tradition says he died in Ethiopia; another says it was in Persia.

St. Mark was according to ancient tradition a companion of St. Peter in Rome and wrote his Gospel from that apostle’s perspective. One tradition also reports that he died a martyr’s death in Alexandria, Egypt, after having preached the Gospel there.

St. Luke was one of St. Paul’s traveling companions and wrote his Gospel under the influence of that Apostle. He is believed to have died at Boeotia, a region of Greece, at the age of eighty-four.

St. John was the only one of the twelve apostles who did not die a martyr’s death. He had the responsibility (given to him by Jesus) of caring for Our Lady after Our Lord’s death. According to ancient tradition, he spent his latter years in Asia Minor in the city of Ephesus (in what is now Turkey) and died there at an advanced age.