Boiling oil is a good weapon, because its boiling point (400 degrees Fahrenheit) is much higher than that of water (212 degrees). It was a moderately effective weapon against men. But by its boiling and burning properties, it was a very effective weapon against ladders, rams, catapults, and other war instruments made of wood.

The earliest extant reference to John being thrown in boiling oil from Tertullian, c. 200. His casual mention of the event suggests that it was a widely known story during his day, although it is hard to say by what amount of time the story predates Tertullian.

It probably dates to the 2nd half of the 2nd century. Although no complete text exists, there are considerable portions in Greek and in Latin. Unfortunately, the actual story of the boiling in oil is not included in any existing text or fragment. But parts of the book are clearly missing, including the beginning of the story.

With Eusebius (Church History III.13.1) and others we are obliged to place the Apostle's banishment to Patmos in the reign of the Emperor Domitian (81-96). Previous to this, according to Tertullian's testimony (De praescript., xxxvi), John had been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil before the Porta Latina at Rome without suffering injury.

Jul 10, 2021 · The most plausible tradition regarding John’s death states that John was arrested in Ephesus and faced martyrdom when his enemies threw him in a huge basin of boiling oil. However, according to the tradition, John was miraculously delivered from death. The authorities then sentenced John to slave labor in the mines of Patmos.

Jan 2, 2019 · With Eusebius (Hist. eccl., III, xiii, 1) and others we are obliged to place the Apostle's banishment to Patmos in the reign of the Emperor Domitian (81-96). Previous to this, according to Tertullian's testimony (De praescript., xxxvi), John had been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil before the Porta Latina at Rome without suffering injury.

Apr 25, 2019 · I also found the boiling oil incident in Tertullian's in one of his writings, On the 'Prescription' of Heretics, Chapter 36. Answering @DJClayworth about the Christian group: since Irenaeus was born in 130 AD and Tertullian was born in 155 AD, and since the tradition seems to established among the early church fathers, the Christian group ...

Jun 21, 2022 · He was then tortured with red-hot pincers; the hand with which he had held the knife during the attempted assassination was burned using sulphur; molten wax, molten lead, and boiling oil were poured into his wounds. Various European legal codes prescribed breaking with (or on) the wheel for murder and other serious crimes. This method of ...

Apr 6, 2018 · "Catholic and Orthodox tradition say that John, together with the the Virgin Mary, moved to Ephesus, where both eventually died. According to Tertullian, John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling …

Jun 24, 2013 · Revelation 1:9 explicitly states that John was on the island of Patmos when he wrote revelation: I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.