But Nazi’s believed those lies - doesn’t mean they KNEW they were lies.
Big difference.
Millions (billions?) have died for lies that they believed were true. But hardly anybody, if anybody, would willingly die for a lie that they knew was an outright lie.
You also have to take into account the change in the apostles. They denied Jesus and ran when Jesus was there with them in the flesh. They were hardly what you would call brave and assertIve. But one meeting with the risen Christ and there was no stopping them. Not threats beatings or torture. It took a death they gladly went to singing hymns of praise to shut them up. And even that didn’t stop the message because people saw the change in the apostles and were convinced. Jesus Christ and His message of salvation are truly undefeatable
Unless a gun was pointed at them.
The Apostles saw Him die. The notion that He was the Messiah was eviscerated. They cowered in fear in rooms out of sight, ashamed they had believed and followed a fraud, confused because of all the signs they had witnessed.
They stated, as is written, they did not believe the reports of the women who had seen He was alive. A woman’s testimony was never accepted under Mosaic law because they were considered unreliable, too inclined to gossip and embellishment. Why would a writer of the Gospel have women as the first witnesses?
The Apostles were depressed, in fear, ashamed, and no longer believing.
Then something happened. They became emboldened as never before. They believed with such passion that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the simple act of spreading the Good News and to do so in peace.
Nothing like this has ever been recorded in history.