Long before the Church was secure, it was carried forward by men willing to die for what they preached.

The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, attributed to St. Abdias of Babylon and available in English for the first time, offers a striking account of the Apostles whose blood sealed the foundation of the Church. Though their names are known to every Catholic, the fullness of their labors, trials, and final witness remains largely unexplored.

Here, Peter and Paul emerge not as figures of the past, but as fervent missionaries—preaching across the Roman world, confronting pagan authority, and enduring persecution with unshakable fidelity.

Drawn from venerable tradition, this work illuminates the cost of the Gospel and the courage that established the Church at the heart of the world.

Encounter the witness that did not end in death, but continues to strengthen the faithful today.

Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB, is a monk of the Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity, New Norcia, Western Australia. There he serves as Director of the Institute for Benedictine Studies. He is a retreat master and liturgist. His interests include Medieval Latin literature, especially the lives of the saints.

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