Saint Peter

Life

Most details of Peter's life depend primarily on the New Testament; there are no other contemporary accounts of his life or death. Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, Simon (i.e., Peter) was a fisherman. He was originally a native of Bethsaida (John 1:44), the son of Jonah (Matt. 16:17) or son of Jochanan (John 1:42). The synoptic gospels all recount how his mother-in-law was healed by Jesus at their home in Capernaum (Matt. 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38f), so we know he was married, but the name of his wife is not known. A number of later legends mention that he had a daughter.

Related Topics:
New Testament - Synoptic gospels

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While fishing in the Lake of Gennesaret, Simon was called by Jesus to be his follower (-; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-10; John 1:40-42), along with his brother Andrew. Seeing them cast a net for fish, He told them "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Related Topics:
Lake of Gennesaret - John - Andrew

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Peter is often depicted as spokesman of the twelve disciples, and he and James and John formed the core of an intimate group which is closest to Jesus, present in many moments of special revelations, such as the Transfiguration.

Related Topics:
James - John - Transfiguration

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The gospels also state that Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him three times after Jesus' arrest. Again according to the Gospel of Matthew, on the evening before the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which is called the Passover), Jesus predicted to his disciples that they would "fall away" from him that night. Peter replied, "Even if all desert you, I will never desert you." Jesus answered, "In truth I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times." Confronted after Jesus had been arrested, Peter did deny knowing Jesus to avoid being arrested himself. When he heard a cock crow, he remembered what Jesus had said, and wept. (Matt. 26:31-35, 69-75; Mark 14: 26-31, 66-72; Luke 22:31-34,54-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27).

Related Topics:
Feast of Unleavened Bread

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However, after Jesus' resurrection, Peter meets him on a fishing trip where Jesus enables him to compensate for his previous lack of faith. This occurs when Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved him with increasing forcefullness and Peter answers yes with equal firmness.(John 21:15-17)

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The author of Acts portrays Peter as an extremely important figure of the early Christian community. Peter takes the lead in selecting a replacement for Judas (1:15); he is twice examined, with John, by the Sanhedrin and directly defies them (4:7-22; 5:18-42); he undertakes a missionary journey of Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea (9:32-10:2); and is present at the Council of Jerusalem, where Paul argued his case for converting the non-Jews, or gentiles, to the Gospel.

Related Topics:
Acts - Judas - John - Sanhedrin - Lydda - Joppa - Caesarea - Council of Jerusalem - Gentile - Gospel

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From the early Christian writings, it is clear that Peter was considered one of the principal members, if not leaders of the early community. Most of the gospels suggest that he was favored by Jesus. Since Peter does not reappear in Matthew’s gospel after his denial of Jesus, some scholars have suggested that for Matthew, Peter was an apostate.

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After the author of Acts turns his attention away from Peter and to the activities of Paul, we lose sight of Peter's movements. It is clear that he lived in Antioch for a while, for not only did Paul confront him there (Galatians 2:11f), but tradition makes him the first bishop of that city, and thus the first Patriarch of Antioch. Paul's account of his confrontation with Cephas suggests that the latter was lower in the hierarchy than James (Jacob), brother of Jesus, since envoys from James turned Peter away from eating with Gentiles. Some scholars interpret Paul's mention of Peter in 1 Corinthians 1:12 as evidence that Peter had visited Corinth. A far more insistent tradition, at least as early as the first century, is that he came to Rome, where he was martyred. The Gospel of John may be interpreted as suggesting that Peter was martyred by crucifixion ("when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and take you where you do not want to go" John 21:18), and Clement of Rome in his Letter to the Corinthians placed his death in the time of Nero. Later traditions hold that the Romans crucified him upside-down by his request; he did not want to equate himself with Jesus. On the way to his execution, it is said, he encountered Jesus and asked: "Domine, Quo Vadis" ("Lord, where are you going?"). Other versions of this story claim that this occurred as Peter was fleeing Rome to avoid his execution; Jesus' response, "I am going to Rome, to be crucified again," caused him to turn back. This story is commemorated in an Annibale Carracci painting. The Church of Quo Vadis, near the Catacombs of Saint Callistus, contains a stone in which Jesus' footprints from this event are supposedly preserved, though this was actually apparently an ex-voto from a pilgrim, and indeed a copy of the original, housed in the Basilica of St. Sebastian.

Related Topics:
Antioch - Galatians - Bishop - Patriarch of Antioch - 1 Corinthians - Corinth - Rome - Crucifixion - Clement of Rome - Nero - Annibale Carracci - Church of Quo Vadis - Catacombs - Saint Callistus - Ex-voto - Pilgrim - Basilica of St. Sebastian

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This story is recorded in a number of places, notably the apocryphal Acts of Peter (35):

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: And as they considered these things, Xanthippe took knowledge of the counsel of her husband with Agrippa, and sent and showed Peter, that he might depart from Rome. And the rest of the brethren, together with Marcellus, besought him to depart. But Peter said unto them: Shall we be runaways, brethren? and they said to him: Nay, but that thou mayest yet be able to serve the Lord. And he obeyed the brethren's voice and went forth alone, saying: Let none of you come forth with me, but I will go forth alone, having changed the fashion of mine apparel. And as he went forth of the city, he saw the Lord entering into Rome. And when he saw him, he said: Lord, whither goest thou thus (or here)? And the Lord said unto him: I go into Rome to be crucified. And Peter said unto him: Lord, art thou (being) crucified again? He said unto him: Yea, Peter, I am (being) crucified again. And Peter came to himself: and having beheld the Lord ascending up into heaven, he returned to Rome, rejoicing, and glorifying the Lord, for that he said: I am being crucified: the which was about to befall Peter.

Related Topics:
Xanthippe - Agrippa - Marcellus

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: -- M.R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament, Clarendon Press, 1924.

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The ancient historian Josephus describes how Roman soldiers would amuse themselves by crucifying criminals in different positions. This is consistent with the ancient traditions about Peter’s crucifixion.

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