Saint Peter
| Saint Peter | |
|---|---|
 Saint Peter, by Peter Paul Rubens | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | ~64 |
| Major shrine | St. Peter's Basilica |
| Feast | February 22, June 29, November 18 |
| Attributes | man crucified head downwards |
| Patronage | See St. Peter's Patronage |
| Controversy | Controversy exists depending on denomination as to whether Peter was a pope. Most Protestant denominations deny that Peter held this office. |
The Apostle Peter, also known as Saint Peter, Shimon "Keipha" Ben-Yonah/Bar-Yonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Keipha—original name Shimon or Simeon (Acts 15:14)—was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. His life is prominently featured in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
According to the New Testament Peter was a Galilean fisherman assigned a leadership role by Jesus (Matthew 16:18; John 21:15–16). Many within the early Church, such as St. Clement of Rome[1] and St. Irenaeus[2], mention his primacy.
The ancient Christian Churches, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglican Communion, consider Simon Peter a saint and associate him with the foundation of the Church in Rome, even if they differ on the significance of this and of the Pope in present-day Christianity.
Some who recognize his office as Bishop of Antioch and, later, as shop of Rome or Pope, hold that his episcopacy held a primacy only of honour, as a first among equals. Some propose that his primacy was not intended to pass to his successors. Still others view Peter as not having held the office of bishop or overseer, on the grounds that this office was a development of later Christianity.[citation needed] Some Protestants do not use the title of "saint" in reference to him.
The Roman Martyrology assigns 29 June as the feast day of both Peter and Paul, without thereby declaring that to be the day of their deaths. St. Augustine of Hippo says in his Sermon 295: "One day is assigned for the celebration of the martyrdom of the two apostles. But those two were one. Although their martyrdom occurred on different days, they were one." The Annuario Pontificio gives the year of Peter's death as C.E. 64 or A.D. 67. Some scholars believe that he died on October 13 C.E. 64. It is traditionally believed that the Roman authorities sentenced him to death by crucifixion. According to a tradition recorded or perhaps initiated in the apocryphal Acts of Peter, he was crucified head down. Tradition also locates his burial place where the Basilica of Saint Peter was later built, directly beneath the Basilica's high altar. In art, he is often depicted holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven (the sign of his primacy over the Church), a reference to Matthew 16:19.
New Testament account
According to the Gospel of John, Peter was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44). His father's name is given as Jonah (John 1:42, Matthew 16:17), although some ancient manuscripts of John say John. Each of the synoptic gospels recounts how Peter's mother-in-law was healed by Jesus at their home in Capernaum (Matthew 8:14–17); Mark 1:29–31; Luke 4:38), implying that Peter was married. Saint Paul likewise mentions Peter having a wife, who accompanied him on his missionary journeys (Cor.9:5&src=! 1 Cor. 9:5.
Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, Peter, then called Simon, was a fisherman along with his brother Andrew. The Gospel of John also depicts Peter fishing, but only after the resurrection.
Calling by Jesus
Matthew and Mark report that while fishing in the Lake of Gennesaret, Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus, with no previous contact, to be his followers, with the words, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18–19; Mark 1:16–17). In Luke's account Simon is the owner of a boat that Jesus uses to preach to the multitudes who were pressing on him at the shore of Lake Gennesaret (Luke 5:3). Jesus then amazes Simon and his companions James and John by telling them to lower their nets, whereupon they catch a huge number of fish. Immediately after this, they follow him (Luke 5:4–11).
The account of the Gospel of John, however, has Peter meeting Jesus for the first time by the River Jordan, where Peter was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:35–42). Andrew, we are told, heard John the Baptist describe Jesus as the "Lamb of God," whereupon he followed Jesus. He then went and fetched his brother Simon, saying, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. Jesus then gave Simon the name Cephas, meaning "rock," in Aramaic. Peter (Petrus)is simply a Greek translation of "Cephas."
Position among the apostles
Peter is also often depicted as spokesman of all the apostles, and as one to whom Jesus gave special authority. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Peter alone was able to walk on water after seeing Jesus do the same thing (Matthew 14:22–32). Mark and John also mention Jesus walking on water, but do not mention Peter doing so.
It is Peter who first declares Jesus the Messiah in the synoptic gospels, saying "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Jesus praises Peter for this confession and declares, punning on Peter's nickname: "I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18)
Other acts of Peter
Peter is frequently mentioned in the Gospels as forming, together with James the Elder and John, a special group, or trinity of disciples, within the Twelve Apostles. This core group of three was present at special incidents, such as the Transfiguration of Jesus and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, in which the others did not participate.
All four canonical gospels recount that, during the Last Supper, Jesus prophetically foretold that Peter would deny association with him three times that same night.
At Gethsemane, Peter and the other two chief disciples all fell asleep after Jesus had commanded them to keep watch while he prayed. Upon returning to find the men slumbering, Jesus specifically addressed Peter to say, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:41)
According to John, Peter cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest with a sword at the time of the arrest of Jesus.(John 18:10) The synoptic gospels also mention this incident, but do not identify Peter as the swordsman. Jesus rebuked this act of violence, with Luke adding the detail that Jesus touched the ear and healed it.
In John's gospel, Peter is the first person to enter the empty tomb, although the women and the beloved disciple see it before him (John 20:1–9). In Luke's account, the women's report of the empty tomb is dismissed by the apostles and Peter goes to check for himself (Luke 24:1–12).
Resurrection appearances
Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians contains a list of resurrection appearances of Jesus, the first of which is an appearance to "Cephas" (Peter).[3] An appearance to "Simon" is also reported in Luke 24:34. In the final chapter of the Gospel of John, Peter three times affirmed his love for Jesus, apparently restoring his threefold denial, and Jesus reconfirmed Peter's position (John 21:15–17), instructing him to "feed my sheep."
Role in the early church
The author of the Acts of the Apostles portrays Peter as an extremely important figure within the early Christian community, although it is not clear whether Peter or James, "the Lord's brother," is the leading figure in the Jerusalem church. Peter clearly plays the leading role early on. He took the lead in selecting a replacement for Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15) Peter also delivered a significant speech during Pentecost at which 3,000 Jews reportedly accepted his message and were baptized (bibleverse||Acts|2:38-41). He became famous in Jerusalem for healing a crippled beggar (Acts 3). He was twice arraigned before the Sanhedrin for preaching the gospel. (Acts 4:7–22, Acts 5:18–42). It was also Peter who condemns the disciple Annanias for withholding part of the proceeds of the sale of his home from the church, after which the Holy Spirit immediately killed both Annanias and his wife (Acts 5:1-10).
Peter came to Samaria after the gospel began to spread there, and it was he who harshly scolds Simon Magus for offering money in order to obtain the ability to impart the Holy Spirit to other believers (Acts 8). Peter undertook a missionary journey to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea (Acts 9:32–10:2), becoming instrumental in the decision to evangelize the Gentiles (Acts 10). He also famously brought about the resurrection of the child Tabitha ((Acts 9:40) In Acts 11, Peter is criticized by the Jerusalem church for associating to closely with Gentiles but insists that he has been commanded by God to do so. Acts 12 relates how Peter miraculously escaped from prison after having been arrested by Herod Agrippa I.
Peter was present at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where Paul argued the case for accepting Gentiles into the Christian community without circumcision. At this point, it is no longer Peter, but James who is the deciding authority in the matter. Acts turns its attention to Paul's ministry at this point in its narrative, and we must therefore turn to Paul for further information.
Peter seems also to have resided for some time at Antioch. Paul relates an incident in the Epistle to the Galatians (Galatians 2:11), in which he confronted Peter for hypocrisy in refusing to dine at the same table with Gentile Christians after certain "men from James" arrived at at the city. Other letters of Paul contain numerous references to disagreements between himself and other church leaders on how the Jewish law relates to Gentile Christians. Peter is not directly mentioned, however, except to say that one of the factions of the Corinthian church claims to follow "Cephas," while another follows Paul, and a third adheres to Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12).
Death
Verses 18-19 in the last chapter of the Gospel of John have been interpreted as referring to Peter's martyrdom by crucifixion, though without reference to its location: "'…when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and take you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God" (John 21:18–19).
Accounts outside the New Testament
Sayings of Peter
Various sayings and acts are attributed to Peter in the New Testament Apocryha, all of which are considered by most scholars to originate from a period later than the synoptic gospels, and usually from the second century C.E.
Two sayings are attributed to Peter in the Gospel of Thomas. In the first, Peter compares Jesus to a "just messenger."[4] In the second, Peter asks Jesus to "make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."[5]
In the Apocalypse of Peter, Peter holds a dialog with Jesus about the parable of the fig tree and the fate of sinners.[6]
In the Gospel of Mary, Peter appears to be jealous of Mary (probably Mary Magdalene). He says to the other disciples "Did he (Jesus) really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?"[7] In reply to this, Levi says "Peter, you have always been hot tempered."[8]
Other noncanonical texts that attribute sayings to Peter include the Secret Book of James, 2 Clement and the Acts of Peter. The fragmentary Gospel of Peter contains an account of the death of Jesus differing significantly from the canonical gospels. It gives little information about Peter himself, except that after the discovery of the empty tomb, "I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother, took our fishing nets and went to the sea" [9].
Death of Peter
The early writings indicated in the following paragraphs witness to the tradition that Peter, probably at the time of the Great Fire of Rome of the year 64, for which the Emperor Nero blamed the Christians, met martyrdom in Rome.
Clement of Rome, in his Letter to the Corinthians (Chapter 5), written c. 80-98, speaks of Peter's martyrdom in the following terms: "Let us take the noble examples of our own generation. Through jealousy and envy the greatest and most just pillars of the Church were persecuted, and came even unto death… Peter, through unjust envy, endured not one or two but many labours, and at last, having delivered his testimony, departed unto the place of glory due to him."
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, in his Letter to the Romans (Ch. 4) of c. 105-110, tells the Roman Christians: "I do not command you, as Peter and Paul did."
Dionysius of Corinth wrote: "You [Pope Soter] have also, by your very admonition, brought together the planting that was made by Peter and Paul at Rome and at Corinth; for both of them alike planted in our Corinth and taught us; and both alike, teaching similarly in Italy, suffered martyrdom at the same time" (Letter to Pope Soter [A.D. 170], in Eusebius, History of the Church 2:25:8).
St. Irenaeus of Lyon (a disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, who was himself a disciple of the Apostle St. John, which puts Irenaeus not far from the authentic teachings of the Apostles) in c. 175-185 wrote in Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter III, paragraphs 2–3):
Since, however, it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the succession of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul, that church which has the tradition and the faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. With that church, because of its superior origin, all the churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world, and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition.
The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric. This man, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes. Nor was he alone [in this], for there were many still remaining who had received instructions from the apostles. In the time of this Clement, no small dissension having occurred among the brethren at Corinth, the Church in Rome dispatched a most powerful letter to the Corinthians, exhorting them to peace, renewing their faith, and declaring the tradition which it had lately received from the apostles…
Tertullian also writes: "But if you are near Italy, you have Rome, where authority is at hand for us too. What a happy church that is, on which the apostles poured out their whole doctrine with their blood; where Peter had a passion like that of the Lord, where Paul was crowned with the death of John [the Baptist, by being beheaded]"
Traditions originating in or recorded in the apocryphal Acts of Peter, say that the Romans crucified Peter upside down at his request, due to his wishing not to be equated with Jesus. Acts of Peter is also thought to be the source for the tradition about the famous phrase "Quo Vadis" (Where are you going?), a question that, according to this tradition, Peter, fleeing Rome to avoid execution, asked a vision of Jesus, and to which Jesus responded that he was "going to Rome, to be crucified again," causing Peter to decide to return to the city and accept martyrdom. 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.
The ancient historian Josephus describes how Roman soldiers would amuse themselves by crucifying criminals in different positions, and it is likely that this would have been known to the author of the Acts of Peter. The position attributed to Peter's crucifixion is thus plausible, either as having happened historically or as being an invention by the author of the Acts of Peter. Death, after crucifixion head down, is unlikely to be caused by suffocation, the usual cause of death in ordinary crucifixion.
A medieval misconception was that the Mamertine Prison in Rome is the place where Peter was imprisoned before his execution.
Recently, these traditional views concerning Peter's death have come into question, because of a 1953 excavation of what appears to be Peter's Tomb in Jerusalem.[10] This discovery seems to clarify Paul's confrontation in Antioch (ca 51 C.E.) with "Cephas" (Galatians 2:1–8), as being Peter. Also there is an apocryphal text entitled "Martyrdom of Paul," in which Peter is absent of Paul's death at Rome, stating Paul's only companions to be Luke and Titus (2 Timothy, Paul says "only Luke is with me.") As excavations and research continue, it will hopefully shed light upon seeming contradictions between oral and written tradition.
Children
Late legends said that Peter had a daughter, who was sometimes identified with the virgin martyr Petronilla.[11] At one point Peter refers to Mark as his son, although this is generally considered to not be literal.
Religious interpretations
Catholic Church
| Peter | |
|---|---|
| 200px | |
| Birth name | Simon/Simeon |
| Papacy began | 30 C.E.? |
| Papacy ended | 64 C.E. |
| Predecessor | None (seat created) |
| Successor | Linus |
| Born | Bethsaida (traditional) |
| Died | Circa 64/67 C.E. City of Rome, present day Italy 
|
| Styles of Pope Peter | |
| |
| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | Saint |
In Catholic tradition, Peter's leadership role among the Apostles, referred to above lies at the root of the leadership role of the pope among the bishops of the Church. The pope is seen as the successor of Peter as bishop of Rome by all the ancient Christian Churches. While some Protestants question this belief on the grounds of lack of contemporary evidence, the quotations given above from writers like Clement, Ignatius and Tertullian show that by the end of the first century the tradition that Peter went to Rome and was martyred there was already well established. In addition, the first Epistle of Peter ends with "The church that is in Babylon, chosen together with you, salutes you, and so does my son, Mark." (1 Pet 5:13). Though the word "Babylon" refers literally to a city in Mesopotamia, it was used cryptically to indicate Rome, as in Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5, 6, and in the works of various Jewish seers.
In reference to Peter's occupation before becoming an Apostle, the popes wear the Fisherman's Ring, which bears an image of the saint casting his nets from a fishing boat. The keys used as a symbol of the Pope's authority refer to the "keys of the kingdom of Heaven" promised to Peter (Matthew 16:18–19). The terminology of this "commission" of Peter is unmistakably parallel to the commissioning of Eliakim ben Hilkiah in Isaiah 22:15 and Isaiah 22:19–23.
Peter is therefore often depicted in both Western and Eastern Christian art holding a key or a set of keys.
In the same passage of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells Peter: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church." In the original Greek the word translated as "Peter" is Πέτρος (Petros) and that translated as "rock" is πέτρα (petra), two words that, while not identical, give an impression of a play on words. Furthermore, since Jesus presumably spoke to Peter in their native Aramaic language, the actual words used would allegedly have been identical [citation needed]. The traditional Catholic interpretation has therefore been that Jesus told Peter (Rock) that he would build his Church on this Peter (Rock).
On the basis of the difference between the Greek words, some Protestant scholars disagree with this interpretation. In classical Attic Greek petros generally meant "pebble," while petra meant "boulder" or "cliff." Accordingly, taking Peter's name to mean "pebble," they argue that the "rock" in question cannot have been Peter, but something else, either Jesus himself, or the faith in Jesus that Peter had just professed. In appealing to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, these scholars claim that speculation regarding the original language/word choice of the event recorded in Matthew is irrelevant because the account in Greek is without error, and thus there must be significance to the different words chosen by the author.
Counter-arguments are presented not only by Catholic apologists like Karl Keating (see [2]) but also by scholars of other Christian Churches, such as the Evangelical Christian D. A. Carson in The Expositor's Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984]). They point out that the Gospel of Matthew was written, not in the classical Attic form of Greek, but in the Hellenistic Koine dialect, in which there is not the same distinction in meaning between petros and petra. Moreover, even in Attic Greek, in which the regular meaning of petros was a smallish "stone," there are instances of its use to refer to larger rocks, as in Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus v. 1595, where petros refers to a boulder used as a landmark, obviously something more than a pebble. In any case, in the Aramaic language in which the phrase might well have been spoken, the petros/petra distinction is allegedly inexistent [citation needed]. In Greek, of any period, the feminine noun petra could not be used as the given name of a male, which may explain the use of Petros as the Greek word with which to translate Aramaic Kepha.
When, in the early fourth century, the Emperor Constantine I decided to honour Peter with a large basilica, the precise location of Peter's burial was so firmly fixed in the belief of the Christians of Rome that the building had to be erected on a site that involved considerable difficulties, both physical (excavating the slope of the Vatican Hill, while the great church could much more easily have been built on level ground only slightly to the south) and moral and legal (demolishing a cemetery). The focal point of St. Peter's Basilica, both in its original form and in its later complete reconstruction, is the altar placed over what is held to be the exact place where Peter was buried.
Feast days
- January 18, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome (see below for explanation)
- March 19, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Antioch (see below for explanation)
- June 29, Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
- August 1, St. Peter in Chains calendar prior to 1965
- November 18, Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul
The Catholic Encyclopedia states that from very early times in the history of the Christian community in Rome, January 18 was the date on which celebrated the memory of the day St. Peter held his first service with Christians in Rome [3]. This feast was suppressed as part of the simplification of the calendar in the 1960s.[citation needed]
Seventh-Day Adventist
Seventh Day Adventists contend that the idea of Peter being the first Pope is based on a misinterpretation.[citation needed] Evidence is as follows:
Matthew 7:24 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"
In this passage, the Greek word for rock is 'petra', which means a large foundation type rock on which a house would be built. The foundation symbolizes the sayings of Jesus.
This controversial discussion between Jesus and Peter is found in Matthew 16:13–19.
Jesus asks his disciples what people where saying about him, and when he asked their personal opinion, Peter said: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answering, said: "And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church"
The Greek word for Peter is 'petros', which means a small stone, such as are used in the construction of buildings, such as a church. A 'petros' is a stone that can be moved around in contrast to an immovable foundation stone (petra). The word, 'petra', is again used here in the phrase: "upon this rock."
This contrast points out that Peter was in need of a firm foundation to gain a sense of stability, as Peter was noted for his great zeal, but instability:
- In Matthew 14:28–31Peter went out to walk on water, but then sank because of doubt.
- In Matthew 26:35 and Matthew 26:74 Peter dramatically swears that he will not deny his Lord even on pain of death, but he denied Jesus with cursing and swearing.
- Matthew 15:15, Matthew 16:16, Matthew 17:4 Matthew 18:21, Matthew 19:27 are a few examples of Peter being the first to answer.
- John 21:7 Peter jumping into the water to meet his Lord.
The statement: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" represents the testimony of Jesus, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. This is the stone foundation (petra) upon which Jesus built His church. Not Peter, but the testimony that Peter gave.
Peter's acts are recorded in all of the gospels, and the book of Acts, and his writings where included in the bible, and are used by Christians today. In this sense Peter was used in the building of the Lord's church, as a small stone (petros) would be used.
Furthermore, the idea of making a single man the whole foundation of the church would go against the principle taught in Matthew 23:8–12, and the ability to loose and bind is given to every disciple of Christ. (Matthew 18:18)
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church, who believes in the re-established Apostle ministry, sees Peter as the first Chief Apostle.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or "Mormons") along with other sects of the Latter Day Saint movement believe that Peter was the first leader of the early Christian church, but reject papal succession. In interpreting Matt. 16: 13–19 the church has stated, "The words then addressed to him, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,' have been made the foundation of the papal claims. But it is the Godhead of Christ, which Peter had just confessed, that is the true keystone of the Church."[12] As part of the restoration, Peter, James and John came from heaven and conferred the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829, near Harmony, Pennsylvania.[13]
Writings
New Testament
The New Testament includes two letters (epistles) ascribed to Peter. Both demonstrate a high quality of cultured and urban Greek, at odds with the linguistic skill that would ordinarily be expected of an Aramaic-speaking fisherman, who would have learned Greek as a second or third language. However, the author of the first epistle explicitly claims to be using a secretary (see below), and this explanation would allow for discrepancies in style without entailing a different source. The textual features of these two epistles are such that a majority of scholars doubt that they were written by the same hand. This means at the most that Peter could not have authored both, or at the least that he used a different secretary for each letter. Some scholars argue that theological differences imply different sources, and point to the lack of references to 2 Peter among the early Church Fathers.
Of the two epistles, the first epistle is considered the earlier, and hence more likely to be genuine. A number of scholars have argued that the textual discrepancies with what would be expected of the biblical Peter are due to it having been written with the help of a secretary or as an amanuensis. Indeed in the first epistle the use of a secretary is clearly described: "By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand" (1 Peter 5:15). Thus, in regards to at least the first epistle, the claims that Peter would have written Greek poorly seem irrelevant. The references to persecution of Christians, which only began under Nero, cause most scholars to date the text to at least 80, which would require Peter to have survived to an age that was, at that time, extremely old, and almost never reached, particularly by common fishermen. However, the Roman historian Tacitus and the biographer Suetonius both record that Nero's persecution of Christians began immediately after the fire that burned Rome in 64. Such a date, which is in accord with Christian tradition, especially Eusebius (History book 2, 24.1), would not have Peter at an improbable age upon his death. On the other hand, many scholars consider this in reference to the persecution of Christians in Asia Minor during the reign of the emperor Domitian (81-96).
The Second Epistle of Peter, on the other hand, appears to have been copied, in part, from the Epistle of Jude, and some modern scholars date its composition as late as c. 150. Some scholars argue the opposite, that the Epistle of Jude copied 2 Peter, while others contend an early date for Jude and thus observe that an early date is not incompatible with the text. Many scholars have noted the similarities between the apocryphal second pseudo-Epistle of Clement (2nd century) and 2 Peter. Second Peter may be earlier than 150, there are a few possible references to it that date back to the first century or early second century, eg 1 Clement written in c 96 C.E., and the later church historian Eusebius claimed that Origen had made reference to the epistle before 250. Even in early times there was controversy over its authorship, and 2 Peter was often not included in the Biblical Canon; it was only in the 4th century that it gained a firm foothold in the New Testament, in a series of synods. In the east the Syriac Church still did not admit it into the canon until the 6th century.
Traditionally, the Gospel of Mark was said to have been written by a person named John Mark, and that this person was an assistant to Peter, hence its content was traditionally seen as the closest to Peter's viewpoint. According to Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, Papias recorded this belief from John the Presbyter:
- Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a normal or chronological narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictional into the statements.—Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.39.14–16
Also Irenaeus wrote about this tradition:
- After their (Peter and Paul's) passing, Mark also, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, transmitted to us in writing the things preached by Peter. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III. 1.2.; quoted by Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History, book 5, 7.6)
Based on these quotes, and on the Christian tradition, the information in Mark's Gospel about St. Peter would be based on eyewitness material. It should be observed, however, that some scholars (for differing reasons) dispute the attribution of the Gospel of Mark to its traditional author. The gospel itself is anonymous, and the above passages are the oldest surviving written testimony to its authorship.
Pseudepigrapha and apocrypha
There are also a number of other apocryphal writings that have been either attributed to or written about St. Peter. They were from antiquity regarded as pseudepigrapha. These include:
- Gospel of Peter, a Docetic narrative that has survived in part
- Acts of St Peter
- A Letter of St Peter to Philip, which was preserved in the Nag Hammadi library
- Apocalypse of St.Peter, which was considered as genuine by many Christians as late as the fourth century
- The Epistula Petri, the introductory letter ascribed to St Peter that appears at the beginning of at least one version of the Clementine literature
Popular culture
Over the years "St. Peter" has evolved into a stock character that is now widely used in jokes, cartoons, comedies, dramas, and plays. Such caricatures almost all play upon Peter's role as the "keeper of the keys of the kingdom of heaven" in Matthew 16:19[4], on the basis of which he is often depicted as an elderly, bearded man who sits at the pearly gates that serve as heaven's main entrance, and acting as a sort of hotel-style doorman / bouncer who personally interviews prospective entrants into Heaven, often from behind a desk.
Patronage
In Roman Catholic religious doctrine and tradition, Saint Peter is the patron saint of the following categories
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Notes
- ↑ 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, 1,59:1.
- ↑ Adversus Haereses 3:3:20.
- ↑ 1 Corithians 15:3–7
- ↑ Gospel of Thomas 13
- ↑ Gospel of Thomas 114
- ↑ Apocalypse of Peter
- ↑ Gospel of Mary 9:4
- ↑ http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm Gospel of Mary 9:6
- ↑ Gospel of Peter 14:3
- ↑ Finegan, The Archeology of the New Testament, pp. 368–370. A more popular account of this tomb.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ LDS Bible Dictionary—Peter
- ↑ Doctrine & Covenants 27: 12–13
See also
- New Apostolic Church
- St Peter's Basilica
- St Peter's Square
- The Big Fisherman
- San Pietro in Vincoli
- Saint Peter's tomb
- Saint Peter (disambiguation)
- Quo Vadis
| Saints Portal |
External links
- stpetersbasilica.org Books on Peter in Rome
- Etymology of Peter
- The Jewish St Peter
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Simon Cephas
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St Peter, Prince of the Apostles
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Epistles of St Peter
| Preceded by: none |
Bishop of Antioch 37–53 |
Succeeded by: Evodius |
| Preceded by: none |
Pope (according to Roman Catholic dogma) 30–64 or 67 |
Succeeded by: Linus |
| |||||
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