Jason Gale, Vice President of Content and Production at TAN Books, joins The Catholic Morning Show to introduce The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, a newly translated eyewitness account by Saint Abdias of Babylon. From Peter's dramatic defeat of the sorcerer Simon Magus to Paul's miraculous ministry in Malta, this ancient text brings the founding pillars of the Church vividly to life. With the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul approaching, this conversation is a timely and fascinating deep dive into early Church history.
Just ahead of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Jason Gale of TAN Books joins the show to discuss a remarkable new translation by Father Robert Nixon: The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, drawn from the writings of Saint Abdias of Babylon. Saint Abdias was a disciple of the apostles, one of the seventy-two sent out by Christ, and the first patriarch of the Persian church — making him a firsthand witness to the events immediately following the close of the Acts of the Apostles.
Jason walks through Peter's repeated confrontations with the sorcerer Simon Magus, whose demonic signs captivated Emperor Nero and whose downfall came when Peter prayed and cast out the demons sustaining his fraudulent flight — sending Simon crashing to the ground. He also highlights Peter's miracles: healing a man lame from birth, raising Tabitha from the dead, and healing the paralyzed. The book also records why Peter requested crucifixion upside down — out of profound humility, declaring himself unworthy to die as his Lord did — and preserves Peter's final words of praise from the cross.
On Saint Paul, Jason recounts the Malta episode: after surviving a shipwreck and a venomous viper bite, Paul healed the island's leader Publius, and the entire population of Malta converted to Christianity. The book also records the miraculous phenomenon at Paul's beheading — an event that recalls Paul's own words in 1 Corinthians about feeding his flock with milk.
The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is available at TAN Books, on Amazon, and through your local Catholic bookstore.
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