Verse 16: "When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." Verses 30–31: "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!" These verses present Paul under guard but living in his own lodging in Rome for two years, without mentioning martyrdom or Nero’s persecution.

Eusebius writes regarding Nero: "Thus publicly announcing himself as the first among God's chief enemies, he was led on in his madness to slaughter the apostles. It is, therefore, recorded that Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified under him." He cites earlier sources: "This account is confirmed by the fact that the names of Peter and Paul still remain in the cemeteries of that city even to this day." This is one of the earliest Christian testimonies linking both Peter and Paul’s deaths to Nero in Rome.

Britannica describes the persecution after the Great Fire: "In July 64 the great fire of Rome broke out, and the suspicion that Nero himself was responsible was never completely dispelled. In order to divert suspicion from himself, the emperor accused the Christians of starting the fire." It continues: "Many were seized and put to death with exquisite cruelties." Regarding Peter and Paul, it notes that Christian tradition connects their martyrdoms to this persecution but this connection is not directly documented by contemporary pagan sources.

Britannica states that Paul was imprisoned in Rome and that tradition places his death under Nero. It also notes that Paul was likely martyred in Rome by beheading, which fits his status as a Roman citizen.

Britannica says Peter was martyred in Rome during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero. The article reflects the long-standing Christian tradition that Peter died in Rome rather than elsewhere.

Britannica describes Nero’s reign as including the persecution of Christians after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. In Christian tradition, this persecution is the context in which Peter and Paul were said to have been executed.

Britannica states that the Great Fire occurred in AD 64 and that Nero blamed Christians for the disaster. This is the historical setting usually connected to later accounts of Christian persecution in Rome.

As to the manner of Peter’s death, we have the unanimous testimony of Christian tradition that he died a martyr in Rome during the persecution of Nero. Origen is quoted by Eusebius as saying that Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards. The precise year is not stated in the early sources, but it is naturally connected with the Neronian persecution that followed the fire of Rome in the year 64.

The Acts of the Apostles closes with Paul’s first Roman captivity, which lasted ‘two whole years’ in his own hired lodging (Acts 28:30–31). This is commonly dated about A.D. 61–63. Ancient tradition, witnessed by 1 Clement and developed in Eusebius, relates that after further missionary journeys Paul was again imprisoned in Rome and then martyred there. The martyrdom of Paul is placed in the Neronian persecution, but neither the exact year nor the circumstances of his trial are historically established.

In discussing the apostles, the article states: "It is certain that St. Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome. According to the ancient tradition he was beheaded on the Ostian Way." It goes on: "The martyrdom of Peter at Rome also finds confirmation in the writings of the early Church." The entry links both martyrdoms with Nero’s reign: "Both apostles are said to have died during the persecution of Nero, about the year 64–67." The article acknowledges that precise chronology rests on tradition rather than contemporary secular records.

This early Christian text says Peter suffered martyrdom and that Paul also endured persecution and died. The passage is often cited as one of the earliest literary witnesses connecting both apostles with martyrdom in the apostolic era.

In Eusebius’s account, Peter and Paul are linked to Nero’s persecution and to martyrdom in Rome. Paul is said to have been beheaded, while Peter is said to have been crucified.

1 Clement refers to Peter and Paul as examples of men who endured suffering and “reached the end of their faith” through martyrdom. The text is an important early source for their deaths, though it is not a detailed narrative.

Britannica identifies the Mamertine Prison as the ancient Roman prison traditionally associated with the imprisonment of Saints Peter and Paul. The association reflects Christian tradition rather than direct contemporary documentation.

The article summarizes Acts: "Because Paul had appealed to Caesar, he was then sent on to Rome around AD 60 (Acts 27). Although a prisoner in Rome, Paul was allowed to live in a house and receive care and provision from friends and family (Acts 28:30–31). He was under this house arrest for two years." It then notes: "Paul’s last arrest, which is not detailed in Acts, occurred somewhere around AD 66. Once again, he was held under Roman guard … From there, Paul penned his second letter to Timothy … and he realizes the end of his earthly ministry is coming soon." It concludes that tradition holds he was eventually executed in Rome.

The article notes Paul’s house arrest: "He then was under house arrest in Rome for two years (Acts 28:30), awaiting an appearance before Nero. Scholars believe Paul was released sometime in AD 62." It then describes tradition about his end: "Paul must have languished in the Mamertine Prison for a couple of years before his beheading (as befitting his status as a Roman citizen), which, according to tradition, occurred on the Ostian Way about three miles outside the city." It adds: "Eusebius notes that Paul and Peter were executed during the same Neronian persecution, though Peter was crucified upside down, as he requested."

Bible.org’s commentary on Acts notes that Paul, after appealing to Caesar, was taken to Rome where "he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters" under guard as Acts 28:30–31 describes. It places this Roman captivity around "AD 60–62". The study also observes that the New Testament does not narrate Paul’s death, and that later Christian tradition associates his martyrdom with Nero’s persecution in the 60s, likely by beheading as a Roman citizen.

On his first Roman imprisonment: "Paul's First Imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:30-31, 60-62 AD)… For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him." The study then infers a second imprisonment connected with Nero: "If, as Christian tradition holds, Paul is executed by Nero following the great fire in Rome (64 AD)… then Paul has at least two years unaccounted for, from 62 to 64 AD." It concludes: "We assume that Paul is arrested and is in custody in Rome sometime in 64 or 65 AD," linking his final custody and likely execution to Nero’s persecution of Christians.

Commenting on Acts 28:30–31, the commentary observes that Paul "dwelt two whole years in his own hired house" in Rome, receiving visitors and preaching the gospel, while remaining under guard. It notes that this period is generally understood as his first Roman imprisonment around AD 60–62, after which later historical tradition suggests he was released, then eventually "suffered martyrdom at Rome" during Nero’s persecution, though Scripture itself is silent about the manner and exact date of his death.

Acts 28 describes Paul under house arrest in Rome for two years, but it does not record his death. Later early Christian tradition places a subsequent Roman imprisonment and execution under Nero, usually dated to the mid-to-late 60s AD, while Peter’s martyrdom in Rome is likewise tied to the Neronian persecution.

The article explains that Acts ends with Paul’s first Roman imprisonment as a two-year house arrest and that ‘the Mamertine Prison is associated with Paul’s second Roman imprisonment, which occurred under the Emperor Nero after Paul had reportedly traveled to Spain or Macedonia and returned to Rome.’ It continues: ‘According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Paul (fifth century), Paul was condemned by Nero and led out of the city to Aquae Salviae… Because he was a Roman citizen, he was sentenced to die by the sword (beheading) rather than crucifixion, the penalty suffered by Saint Peter.’