Saint Peter
West: Prince of the Apostles, First Pope East: Pre-eminent Apostle
Born	Bethsaida
Died	~64, Rome, by crucifixion
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Anglican Communion
Major shrine	St. Peter's Basilica
Feast	January 16 (Chains of St. Bethsaida (/bɛθseɪ'ida/ Βηθσαΐδά Bēthsaidá Bet'shayid “ house of fishing” Bethsaida Julias A city east of the Jordan River, in Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches A shrine, from the Latin scrinium (‘box’ also used as a desk like the French bureau) was originally a container usually made of precious materials used The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Peter) February 22 (Chair) June 29 (Martyrdom, together with St. Paul) November 18 (Dedication)
Attributes	Keys of Heaven, pallium, Papal vestments, man crucified head downwards, vested as an Apostle, holding a book or scroll. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Christianity has used symbols from its very beginnings Each Saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life In Ecclesiastical heraldry, the Papal coat of arms contain the keys of the office of St This article refers to the religious garment called a "pallium" Papal Regalia and Insignia are the official items of attire and decoration proper to the Pope in his capacity as the head of the Roman Catholic Iconographically, he is depicted with a bushy white beard and white hair
Patronage	See St. Peter's Patronage
Saints Portal

The Apostle Peter, also known as Saint Peter (from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock"), Shimon "Keipha" Ben-Yonah/Bar-Yonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Keipha (Keipha and Cephas also mean rock)—original name Shimon or Simeon (Hebrew: שמעון‎) ( (Acts 15:14)—was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. His life is prominently featured in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. Peter was a Galilean fisherman assigned a leadership role by Jesus (Matthew 16:18; John 21:15–16). "Galil" redirects here For the weapon see IMI Galil. Galilee (הגליל ha-Galil, lit the province, A fisherman or fisher is someone who gathers Fish, Shellfish, or other animals from a body of water Many within the early Church, such as St. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Irenaeus^[1], assert his primacy among the apostles. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France

The 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. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Church (disambiguation Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian association of people and a Place of worship History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The historical accuracy of the accounts of his role in Rome is a matter of ongoing debate. ^[2][3][4]

Some who recognize his office as Bishop of Antioch and, later, as Bishop of Rome or Pope, hold that his episcopacy held a primacy only of honor, as a first among equals. The Patriarch of Antioch is one of the original Patriarchs of Early Christianity, who presided over the Bishops of Syria Palestine Armenia and The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Episcopal polity is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a Bishop (Greek Some propose that his primacy was not intended to pass to his successors.

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. The Roman Martyrology is the official Martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and 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 A. The Annuario Pontificio ( Italian for Pontifical Yearbook) is the annual directory of the Holy See. D. 64 or A. Year 64 was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. D. 67. Year 67 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Some scholars believe that he died on October 13 A. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees D. 64. Year 64 was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. It is traditionally believed that the Roman authorities sentenced him to death by crucifixion. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from According to a tradition recorded or perhaps initiated in the apocryphal Acts of Peter, he was crucified head down. The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the Apocryphal acts of the apostles Tradition also locates his burial place where the Basilica of Saint Peter was later built, directly beneath the Basilica's high altar. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St In art, he is often depicted holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven (interpreted by Roman Catholics as the sign of his primacy over the Church), a reference to Matthew 16:19. The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel

New Testament account

Peter's life story relies on the New Testament, since there are few other first-century accounts of his life and death.

Background

According to the Gospel of John, Peter was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44). Bethsaida (/bɛθseɪ'ida/ Βηθσαΐδά Bēthsaidá Bet'shayid “ house of fishing” Bethsaida Julias A city east of the Jordan River, in His father's name is given as 'Jonah' (John 1:42, Matthew 16:17), although some manuscripts of John give his father's name as John. The synoptic gospels all recount 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) which, coupled with 1 Corinthians 9:5, implies that Peter was married. The synoptic gospels are the first three Gospels of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. According to the canonical Gospels Jesus worked many Miracles in the course of his ministry, which may be categorized into cures Exorcisms

According to the synoptic gospels, before becoming a disciple of Jesus, Simon (that is, Peter whose name was in fact originally Simon) was a fisherman along with his brother Andrew. The synoptic gospels are the first three Gospels of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. The Gospel of John also depicts Peter fishing, but only after the resurrection in the story of the Catch of 153 fish. The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon

Ruins of ancient Capernaum on north side of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee, also Sea of Genneseret, Lake Kinneret or Lake Tiberias (Hebrew ים כנרת) (Arabic بحيرة طبريا) An Orthodox church is built on top of traditional site of Saint Peter's house.

Matthew and Mark report that while fishing in the Lake of Gennesaret, Simon and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus 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). The Sea of Galilee, also Sea of Genneseret, Lake Kinneret or Lake Tiberias (Hebrew ים כנרת) (Arabic بحيرة طبريا) 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 (Andrew is not mentioned) 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 Gospel of John gives a slightly different, though compatible account (John 1:35–42). Andrew, we are told, was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Along with one other disciple, Andrew heard John the Baptist describe Jesus as the "Lamb of God," whereupon he followed Jesus. Lamb of God ( Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian He then went and fetched his brother Simon, said, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions Jesus then gave Simon the name "Cephas," meaning 'rock', in Aramaic. Aramaic is a Semitic language with 'Petros', a masculine form of the feminine 'petra' (rock) is the Greek equivalent of this. It had not previously been used as a name, but in the Greek-speaking world it became a popular Christian name after the tradition of Peter's prominence in the early Christian church had been established.

Position among the apostles

Peter is always mentioned first in the lists of the Twelve. He is also frequently mentioned in the Gospels as forming with James the Elder and John a special group within the Twelve Apostles, present at incidents to which the others were not party, such as at the Transfiguration of Jesus. For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (,)

Peter is also often depicted in the Gospels as spokesman of all the apostles, and as one to whom Jesus gave special authority. In contrast, Jewish Christians are said to have argued that James the Just was the leader of the group. Jewish Christians (sometimes called also "Hebrew Christians" or "Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings a historical one and a Saint James the Just ( Hebrew: יעקב or Jacob ( Greek Iάκωβος (died 62AD also known as James of Jerusalem, James Adelphotheos ^[5] Some argue James was the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and that this position at times gave him privilege in some (but not all) situations.

Washing of feet

According to John, Peter initially refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious Rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. When Jesus responded "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me," Peter replied "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head" (John 13:7–9). This action is often repeated at mass on Holy Thursday in the Roman Catholic Church.

Walking on water

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Peter (alone out of all the disciples) was able to walk on water after seeing Jesus do the same thing, but he later fell in because he lost faith. Walking on water is one of the Miracles that the Gospels attribute to Jesus. Jesus caught him and scolded him for losing faith. (Matthew 14:22–32). (Mark and John also describe Jesus walking on water, but do not mention Peter doing so).

Arrest of Jesus

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. The ear is the sense organ that detects Sounds The Vertebrate ear shows a common biology from Fish to Humans with variations The Sword of Saint Peter (Miecz świętego Piotra is allegedly the Sword with which the Apostle Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant The Arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the Canonical Gospels, in which Jesus is arrested (John 18:10) John names the servant as Malchus. There was also another Malchus a Byzantine historian who wrote a history from Constantine to Anastasius I in 7 books In the Gospel of John in the The synoptic gospels also mention this incident, but do not specifically identify Peter as the swordsman or Malchus as the victim. The synoptic gospels are the first three Gospels of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. According to Matthew, Luke and John, Jesus rebuked this act of violence, Luke adding the detail that Jesus touched the ear and healed it.

Denial of Jesus

St Peter Denying Christ, by Gustave Doré

All four canonical gospels recount that, during the Last Supper, Jesus foretold that Peter would deny association with him three times that same night. In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his In Matthew's account, this is reported as:

Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock^[6] crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. A rooster (also called a cock or chanticleer) is a male Chicken ( Gallus gallus) the female being called a Hen. "^[7]

and that Peter did so, while Jesus was on trial before the high priest. The three Synoptics describe the three denials as follows:

1. A denial when a female servant of the high priest spots Simon Peter, saying that he had been with Jesus.
2. A denial when Simon Peter had gone out to the gateway, away from the firelight, but the same servant girl or another told the bystanders he was a follower of Jesus.
3. A denial came when recognition of Peter as a Galilean was taken as proof that he was indeed a disciple of Jesus. Matthew adds that it was his accent that gave him away as coming from Galilee. In Linguistics, an accent is a manner of Pronunciation of a language Luke deviates slightly from this by stating that, rather than a crowd accusing Simon Peter, it was a third individual.

The Gospel of John places the second denial while Peter was still warming himself at the fire, and gives as the occasion of the third denial a claim by someone to have seen him in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested. Gethsemane ( Greek ΓεσΘημανι Gesthēmani ' Hebrew: גת שמנים, from Aramaic גת שמנא Gat Šmānê, lit The Arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the Canonical Gospels, in which Jesus is arrested Since Peter does not reappear in Matthew's gospel after his denial of Jesus, a small but notable number of scholars (for instance?) have suggested the theory that Matthew might have viewed Peter as an apostate, and was actually criticising Peter and the groups that looked to him as founder. The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial is coupled with a prediction that all the apostles ("you," plural) would be "sifted like wheat," but that it would be Peter's task ("you," singular), when he had turned again, to strengthen his brethren.

Empty tomb

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). None of the four Gospels gives an inclusive or definitive account of the Resurrection of Jesus or of his appearances The phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts In Luke's account, the women's report of the empty tomb is dismissed by the apostles and Peter is the only one who goes to check for himself. After seeing the graveclothes he goes home, apparently without informing the other disciples (Luke 24:1–12).

Church of the Primacy of St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee, also Sea of Genneseret, Lake Kinneret or Lake Tiberias (Hebrew ים כנרת) (Arabic بحيرة طبريا) Traditional site where Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and, according to Catholic tradition, established Peter's supreme jurisdiction over the Christian church. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

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). The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. The major Resurrection appearances of Jesus are reported in the New Testament to have occurred after his death and burial and prior to his Ascension ^[8] An appearance to "Simon" is also reported in Luke 24:34. In the final chapter of the Gospel of John, Peter, in one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus, three times affirmed his love for Jesus, balancing his threefold denial, and Jesus reconfirmed Peter's position (John 21:15–17). The chapter John 21 in the Bible contains an account of the post- Resurrection appearance in Galilee, which the text describes as the third time The major Resurrection appearances of Jesus are reported in the New Testament to have occurred after his death and burial and prior to his Ascension Almost all Christians consider the final chapter of the Gospel of John to be canonical, though some scholars hypothesize that it was added later to bolster Peter's status. ^[9]

In the early Greek versions of this exchange between the risen Jesus and Peter, Jesus asks whether Peter loves him unconditionally (ἀγάπος). Peter responds that he considers Jesus a friend (φίλος). The third time, Jesus asks whether Peter considers Jesus a friend (φίλος), and Peter responds that he considers Jesus a friend (φίλος). One interpretation of this is that Peter actually denies Jesus two more time (i. e. , denies Jesus the unconditional love (ἀγάπος) that Jesus requests); Jesus "comes down" to Peter's level with the final request of mere friendship (φίλος). (^[10]

Statue of St. Peter on the south door of St Mary's Church in Aylesbury, United Kingdom

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, with Peter delivering a significant open-air sermon during Pentecost. See also Aylesbury Urban Area Aylesbury is the County town of Buckinghamshire in south east England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. Open air preaching or street preaching is the act of publicly proclaiming a religious message to crowds of people in open places Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the According to the same book, Peter took the lead in selecting a replacement for Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15). Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles He was twice arraigned, with John, before the Sanhedrin and directly defied them (Acts 4:7–22, Acts 5:18–42). The Sanhedrin (סנהדרין συνέδριον ''synedrion'', "sitting together" hence " assembly " or "council" was an assembly He undertook a missionary journey to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea (Acts 9:32–10:2), becoming instrumental in the decision to evangelise the Gentiles (Acts 10). Lod (לוֹד اَلْلُدّْ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin Lydda) is a mixed Arab - Jewish city about 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv in Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Caesarea Maritima (Greek παράλιος Καισάρεια called Caesarea Palaestina from 133 CE onwards was a city and Harbor built by Herod the Great The term Gentile (from Latin, gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe refers to non- Israelite tribes or nations in the Bible. He was present at the Council of Jerusalem, where Paul further argued the case for accepting Gentiles into the Christian community without circumcision. Council of Jerusalem (or Apostolic Conference) is a name applied subsequently to a meeting described in Acts of the Apostles chapter and probably referred to Male circumcision is the removal of some or all of the Foreskin (prepuce from the Penis.

About halfway through, the Acts of the Apostles turns its attention away from Peter and to the activities of Paul, and the Bible is fairly silent on what occurred to Peter afterwards. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. A fleeting mention of Peter visiting Antioch is made in the Epistle to the Galatians (Galatians 2:11) where Paul confronted him. Antioch on the Orontes (Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ Μεγάλη Antiochia ad Orontem also The Epistle to the Galatians is a book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of early Christian communities in the Roman province of The Liber Pontificalis mentions Peter as having served as bishop of Antioch before his journey to Rome. The Liber Pontificalis ( Latin for Book of the Popes) is a book of biographies of Popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century ^[11] Historians have furnished other evidence of Peter's sojourn in Antioch. ^[12] Subsequent tradition held that Peter had been the first Patriarch of Antioch. Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. Some scholars also interpret Paul's brief mention of Peter in 1 Corinthians as evidence that Peter had visited Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12). The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek Κόρινθος ( is a city in Greece. 1 Peter 5:13 may imply that he wrote that epistle in Babylon, Egypt, Rome or Jerusalem. ^[13]

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. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from ' 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

Georgian Orthodox Icon of Saints Peter and Paul

Two sayings are attributed to Peter in the Gospel of Thomas. Christianity in ancient and feudal Georgia According to tradition when the Apostles were sent out to preach the Gospel to the nations of the world the Apostle The Gospel According to Thomas ( Coptic: ⲡⲉ̅ⲩ̅ⲁ̅ⲅⲅ̅ⲉⲗ̅ⲓⲟⲛ̅ ⲡⲕ̅ⲁ̅ⲧⲁ ⲑ̅ⲱ̅ⲙⲁⲥ also known as The Gospel In the first, Peter compares Jesus to a "just messenger. "^[14] In the second, Peter asks Jesus to "make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life,"^[15] although the verse containing the second is regarded as a dubious, later addition by most scholars.

In the Apocalypse of Peter, Peter holds a dialogue with Jesus about the parable of the fig tree and the fate of sinners. For the plant genus see Ficus. The Fig Tree and its fruit the Fig is mentioned several times in the New Testament, and Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation ^[16]

In the Gospel of Mary, Peter appears to be jealous of "Mary" (probably Mary Magdalene). The Gospel of Mary is an apocryphal book discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century Papyrus Codex. Saint Mary Magdalen or Mary Magdalene is described both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted He says to the other disciples "Did He 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?"^[17] In reply to this, Levi says "Peter, you have always been hot tempered. Matthew the Evangelist (מתי/מתתיהו "Gift of Yahweh " Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay or Mattithyahu "^[18]

Other noncanonical texts that attribute sayings to Peter include the Secret Book of James and the Acts of Peter. The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the Apocryphal acts of the apostles

Denial of Jesus

In the Fayyum Fragment Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times before the cock crows at dawn in an account similar to that of the canonical gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark. The Fayyum Fragment is a Papyrus fragment containing text that could be from part of the New Testament, and consists of only about 100 Greek letters Content Authorship The gospel itself is anonymous but as early as Papias in the early 2nd century a text was attributed to Mark, a cousin

After the death of Jesus

The fragmentary Gospel of Peter, attributed to Peter, contains an account of the death of Jesus differing significantly from the canonical gospels. The Gospel of Peter was a prominent passion narrative in the early History of Christianity, but over time passed out of common usage It contains 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. None of the four Gospels gives an inclusive or definitive account of the Resurrection of Jesus or of his appearances " ^[19]

Death of Peter

Caravaggio's depiction of the crucifixion of Saint Peter. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, usually just known as Caravaggio, (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610 was an Italian Artist active in Rome

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. According to the historian Tacitus, the Great Fire of Rome started on the night of 18 July in the year AD 64, among the shops clustered around the Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called

Clement of Rome, in his Letter to the Corinthians (Chapter 5), written c. Saint 80-98, speaks of Peter's martyrdom in the following terms: "Let us take the noble examples of our own generation. Year 80 was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 98 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 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. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) (ca 35-110 was the third Bishop and Patriarch of Antioch and possibly a student of the Apostle John 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. Saint Dionysius Bishop of Corinth lived about the year 171 His Feast day is commemorated on April 8. 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. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (ca 69 – ca 155 was a second century Bishop of Smyrna. Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. 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. Events By Place Roman Empire Marcus Aurelius suppresses a revolt of the legate Avidius Cassius in Syria Events By place Roman Empire Pertinax quells the mutiny of the British Roman legions Perennis his family On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work 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 because he did not wish to be equated with Jesus. The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the Apocryphal acts of the apostles Acts of Peter is also thought to be the source for the tradition about the famous phrase "Quo vadis, Domine?" (or "Pou Hupageis, Kurios?" which means, "Whither goest Thou, Master?"), 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. Annibale Carracci ( November 3, 1560 - July 15, 1609) was an Italian Baroque painter. 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. Chiesa di Santa Maria in Palmis, better known as Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis is a small church southeast of Rome The first Burial galleries to be referred to as catacombs lie beneath San Sebastiano fuori le mura, in Rome. An ex-voto is a Votive offering to a Saint or Divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term short for ex voto suscepto A pilgrim is one who undertakes a Pilgrimage, literally 'far afield' San Sebastiano fuori le mura (Saint Sebastian outside the walls or San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas (Saint Sebastian at the Catacombs is a Basilica in

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. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus 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. The Mamertine Prison (also referred to as the Tullianum) was a prison ( carcer) located in the Forum Romanum in Ancient Rome.

In 1950, human bones were found buried underneath the altar of St. Peter's Basilica. The bones have been claimed by many to have been those of Peter. ^[20] An attempt to contradict these claims was made in 1953 by the excavation of what some believe to be St Peter's tomb in Jerusalem. Saint Peter's tomb is a site believed by Roman Catholics to be the burial place of Saint Peter, beneath the high altar of St ^[21] However along with supposed tomb of Peter bearing his previous name Simon, tombs bearing the names of Jesus, Mary, James, John, and the rest of the apostles were also found at the same excavation. All these names were extremely common in Palestine at this time in history and it is unlikely that it is anything more than an ordinary village burial site. ^[22]

In 1968 further excavations were made beneath St Peters Basilica, and the bones of a male person were located. A forensic examination found them to be a male of about 61 years of age from the first century. This caused Pope Paul VI to announce them most likely to be the relics of Saint Peter. ^[23]

Children

At one point (1 Pet 5:13) the author of the First Epistle of Peter refers to Mark as his son, although this is generally considered to not be literal. "Saint Mark" redirects here For other uses see Saint Mark (disambiguation.

Religious interpretations

Roman Catholic Church

Peter
Birth name	Simon/Simeon
Papacy began	30 AD?
Papacy ended	64 AD
Predecessor	Jesus
Successor	Linus
Born	Bethsaida (traditional)
Died	Circa 64 AD 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

Main articles: Primacy of Simon Peter and Primacy of the Roman Pontiff

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. Year 30 was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 64 was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Saint Linus (d ca79 was the first bishop of Rome according to Irenaeus, Jerome, Eusebius Bethsaida (/bɛθseɪ'ida/ Βηθσαΐδά Bēthsaidá Bet'shayid “ house of fishing” Bethsaida Julias A city east of the Jordan River, in Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" Year 64 was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the A number of Christian denominations and scholars hold that Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles, favored by Jesus of Nazareth with the first The primacy of the Roman Pontiff is the apostolic authority of the Pope ( Bishop of Rome) from the Holy See, over the several churches History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight The pope is seen as the successor of Peter as bishop of Rome by all the ancient Christian Churches. The Bishop of Rome is the bishop of the Holy See, more often referred to in the Catholic tradition as the Pope. Some Protestants question this belief on the grounds of alleged lack of contemporary evidence. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

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. Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq " (1 Pet 5:13). Though the word "Babylon" refers literally to a city in Mesopotamia, it could be used cryptically to indicate Rome, as some argue the term is used in Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5-6, and in the works of various Jewish seers. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου "Babylon" could also simply be a reference to the present age, so the reference to a specific place is not conclusive.

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. Ring of the Fisherman, also known as the Piscatory Ring and the Pescatorio (in Italian) is an official part of the regalia worn by the 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. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Furthermore, since Jesus presumably spoke to Peter in their native Aramaic language, he would have used kepha in both instances. Aramaic is a Semitic language with ^[24] The Peshitta Text and the Old Syriac text use the word "kepha" for both "Peter" and "rock" in Matthew 16:18. ^[25] John 1:42 says Jesus called Simon "Cephas", as does Paul in some letters. The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon The traditional Catholic interpretation has therefore been that Jesus told Peter (Rock) that he would build his Church on this Peter (Rock). Many Protestants agree with this interpretation, but dispute the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, thus questioning the authority of the popes without questioning the authority of Peter himself.

Some Protestant scholars disagree with this interpretation on the basis of the difference between the Greek words. 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. Biblical inerrancy is the conservative evangelical doctrinal position that in its original form the Bible is totally without error and free from all contradiction

Christ Handing the Keys to St Peter, by Pietro Perugino (1481-82)

Counter-arguments are presented not only by Catholic apologists like Karl Keating^[24] but also by scholars of other Christian churches, such as the Evangelical Christian D. Pietro Perugino (1446–1524 was the leading painter of the Umbrian school who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance 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 no distinction in meaning between petros and petra. Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in 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. Sophocles (ˈsɒfəkliːz Ancient Greek, sopʰoklɛ̂ːs circa Oedipus at Colonus (also Oedipus Coloneus, and in Greek Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ Oidipous epi Kolōnō) is one of the 1595, where petros refers to a boulder used as a landmark, obviously something more than a pebble. In any case, a petros/petra distinction is irrelevant considering the Aramaic language in which the phrase might well have been spoken. 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. ^[24]

By analyzing the Greek, it is also believed Jesus meant to single out Peter as the very rock which he will build upon. Matthew uses the demonstrative pronoun taute, which allegedly means "this very" or this same, when he refers to the rock on which Jesus' church will be built. He also uses the Greek word for "and", kai. It is alleged that when a demonstrative pronoun is used with kai, the pronoun refers back to the preceding noun. The second rock Jesus refers to must then be the same rock as the first one; and if Peter is the first rock he must also be the second. ^[26][27][28]

Both Latin and Greek writers in the early church (such as St. John Chrysostom) considered the "foundation rock" as applying to both Peter personally and his confession of faith (or the faith of his confession) symbolically, as well as seeing Christ's promise to apply more generally to his twelve apostles and the Church at large. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. ^[29] This "double meaning" interpretation is present in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the twenty-two ^[30]

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). Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman 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. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St

Feast days

Looking down into the confessio containing Relics of Saint-Peter, Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome. The confession of one's Sins is a religious practice important to many faiths e A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2

• January 18, Feast of the Chair of St. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor 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 Roman 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. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or properly the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a feast commemorating the Martyrdom at Rome of the Apostles Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia Peter held his first service with Christians in Rome [1]. This feast was suppressed as part of the simplification of the calendar in the 1960s.

Eastern Orthodox

Icon of St. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Peter (15th century, Russian State Museum, Saint Petersburg). The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River

The Eastern Orthodox Church regards Saint Peter, together with Saint Paul, as "Preeminent Apostles". The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Another title used for Peter is Coryphaeus, which could be translated as "Choir-director", or lead singer. ^[31] The church recognizes Saint Peter's leadership role in the early church, especially in the very early days at Jerusalem, but does not consider him to have had any "princely" role over his fellow Apostles. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c The New Testament is not seen by the Orthodox as supporting any extraordinary authority for Peter with regard to faith or morals. The Orthodox also hold that Peter did not act as leader at the Council of Jerusalem, but as merely one of a number who spoke. Council of Jerusalem (or Apostolic Conference) is a name applied subsequently to a meeting described in Acts of the Apostles chapter and probably referred to The final decision regarding the non-necessity of circumcision (and certain prohibitions) was spelled out by James, the Brother of the Lord (though Catholics hold James merely reiterated and fleshed out what Peter had said, regarding the latter's earlier divine revelation regarding the inclusion of Gentiles). Male circumcision is the removal of some or all of the Foreskin (prepuce from the Penis. Saint James the Just ( Hebrew: יעקב or Jacob ( Greek Iάκωβος (died 62AD also known as James of Jerusalem, James Adelphotheos

With regard to Jesus' words to Peter, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church", the Orthodox hold Christ is referring to the confession of faith, not the person of Peter as that upon which he will build the church. This is allegedly shown by the fact that the original Greek uses the feminine demonstrative pronoun when he says "upon this rock" (ταύτι τή πέτρα); whereas, grammatically, if he had been referring to Peter, he would allegedly have used the masculine. ^[32] This "gender distinction" argument is also held by some Protestants.

Feast days

In the Orthodox Daily Office every Thursday throughout the year is dedicated to the Holy Apostles, including St. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round Peter. There are also two feast days in the year which are dedicated to him:

• June 29, Feast of Saints Peter and Paul—This is a major feast day and is preceded by a period of Lenten fasting known as the Apostles' Fast
• January 16, Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter—commemorating both the chains which Acts 12:1-11 says miraculously fell from him, and the chains in which he was held before his martyrdom by Nero

Evangelical Protestant and Seventh-day Adventist

Evangelical Protestants, Seventh Day Adventists and others contend that the idea of Peter being the first Pope is based on a misinterpretation. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or properly the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a feast commemorating the Martyrdom at Rome of the Apostles Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (see the discussions above about the words "petros" and "petra" in Attic and Koine Greek, and as a translation from the Aramaic).

They argue in addition 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:

1. In Matthew 14:28–31 Peter went out to walk on water, but then sank because of doubt.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. John 21:7 Peter jumping into the water to meet his Lord.

They also argue that the statement by Peter: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" ^[33] is the foundation of the Christian faith: not Peter, but the testimony that Peter gave.

They also argue that Peter's acts are recorded in all of the gospels, and the book of Acts, and his writings were included in the bible, and are used by Christians today. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. In this sense Peter was used in the building of the Lord's church, as a small stone (petros) would be used.

They also argue that the idea of making a single man the whole foundation of the church would go against the principle taught in Matthew 23:8–12 although in John 21:15-17 Jesus clearly tells "The Beloved Disciple" to feed and tend his sheep, 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. The New Apostolic Church ( NAC) is a chiliastic church, existing since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands. The Chief Apostle is the highest minister in the New Apostolic Church, and has existed since 1896

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. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon Please see the talk page for this article and the "See also" list before adding content or adding a hyphen to Latter Day Saint 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. "^[34] Latter-day saints believe that 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 Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery ( 3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith Jr For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display Harmony Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. ^[35]

Afro-American syncretism

In the Cuban Santería and Palo Mayombe, he has been syncretized with Ogún. Santería, also known as La Regla de Lukumi (Lukumi's Rule and The Way of the Saints is an Afro-Cuban religious tradition derived from traditional beliefs Palo, or Las Reglas de Congo are a group of closely related denominations or religions of largely Bantu origin developed by slaves from Central Africa in For the Togolese prefecture see Ogou Togo. In Haitian Vodou and Yoruba mythology, Ogun (or Ogoun

Writings

New Testament

A 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. Saint Catherine's Monastery ( Greek:) on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of an inaccessible gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt is one

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. Aramaic is a Semitic language with 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. The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. It has traditionally been held to have been written by Saint Peter the apostle during his time as Bishop 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. Amanuensis əˌmænjuˈɛnsɪs is a Latin word adopted in various languages including English for certain persons performing a function by hand either writing down the words of another 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 5:12). 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. The persecution of Christians refers to the Religious persecution of Christians both historically and in the current era Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Year 80 was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 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. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca 69/75 &ndash after 130 was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. 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). Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death Year 81 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 96 was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar.

In the salutation of the first epistle, the writer refers to the diaspora, which did not occur until 136 a. d. "1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2. who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. "

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. The Second Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Saint Peter, but in modern times widely regarded as The brief Epistle of Jude is the penultimate book in the Christian New Testament canon. 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. The Epistles of Clement ( 1 Clement and 2 Clement) are two letters ascribed to Saint Clement, an Apostolic Father, and the fourth Pope 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, e. g. 1 Clement written in c 96 AD, and the later church historian Eusebius claimed that Origen had made reference to the epistle before 250. The Epistles of Clement ( 1 Clement and 2 Clement) are two letters ascribed to Saint Clement, an Apostolic Father, and the fourth Pope Origen ( Greek: Ōrigénēs, or Origen Adamantius, ca 185–ca 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. A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious In the east the Syriac Church still did not admit it into the canon until the 6th century. The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East with members spread throughout the world

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. Content Authorship The gospel itself is anonymous but as early as Papias in the early 2nd century a text was attributed to Mark, a cousin 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. For the Genus of Grass skipper Butterflies, see Papias (butterfly. For the mythical king see Prester John John the Presbyter is an obscure figure in early Christian tradition who is either distinguished 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.

Jewish folklore

According to Jewish folklore (Toledot Yeshu narrative), St. Toledot Yeshu (תולדות ישו is the title of two or more similarly themed but otherwise unrelated medieval Jewish manuscripts which tell the story of Jesus Peter (Shimeon Kepha Ha-Tzadik) has a pristine reputation as a greatly learned and holy man who according to the directions of his sage to bring about the end of one hundred years of strife in Israel, established the Sunday Sabbath for God-Fearers (converted from among Gnostic heretics known as The Watchers) instead of Saturday, Noel (as a new year feast but not as Christmas) instead of Hanukkah, the Feast of the Cross instead of Rosh Hashana, Firstfruits instead of Pesach, remembering The Feast of The Jews John 7:2 instead of Sukkot, and the Ascension for them instead of Shavuot. In Christianity, the Sabbath is generally a weekly religious Day of rest as ordained by one of the Ten Commandments (the third by Roman Catholic The term Godfearers (from Greek θεοφοβείς or φοβουμενοι τον θεον and Neo-Persian Tarsàkàn are non-Jews who attached themselves in varying degrees to Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה literally "head of the year" Biblical: ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh Israeli haʃaˈna Yiddish: hɑˈʃɔnə is a Jewish Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish Sukkot ( also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical Pilgrimage The general and most common understanding of the Christian Doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to Heaven in the presence Shavuot (or Shavuos, in Ashkenazi usage Hebrew: שבועות, lit R. Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg, who led Germany's 12th-century Chasidei Ashkenaz, considered him to be a Tzaddik (a Jewish saint or spiritual Master among Hasidim) (Sefer Hasidim). See Judah he-Hasid for other people who used this name Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (12th - 13th centuries also called He-Hasid The Chassidei Ashkenaz (literally "the Pious of Germany " was a Jewish movement in the 12th century and 13th century founded by Rabbi Judah the Pious ( For the Hebrew letter "Tzadik" see Tsade. Tzadik ( צדיק, "righteous one" pl The Hasideans ( Hasidæans or Assideans) were a Jewish religious party which commenced to play an important role in political life only during the time of See Judah he-Hasid for other people who used this name Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (12th - 13th centuries also called He-Hasid The Tosaphist Rabbeinu Tam wrote that he was "a devout and learned Jew who dedicated his life to guiding gentiles along the proper path". R Tam redirects here For the character in Firefly, see River Tam. Tam also passed on the traditions that St Peter was the author of the Sabbath and feast-day Nishmat prayer, which has no other traditional author, and also that he authored a prayer for Yom Kippur in order to prove his commitment to Judaism despite his work amongst Gentiles (R.J.D. Eisenstein). Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Julius (Judah David Eisenstein ( November 12, 1854 – May 17, 1956) ( יהודה דוד אייזענשטיין Legends about Peter and his activities are also mentioned in other medieval works, such as the Mahzor Vitri. Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry, (d 1105 ( Hebrew: שמחה בן שמואל מויטרי) was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries pupil of

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. Pseudepigrapha (from Ancient Greek ψευδής These include:

• Gospel of Peter, a Docetic narrative that has survived in part
• Acts of Peter
• Acts of Peter and Andrew
• Acts of Peter and Paul
• Acts of Peter and the Twelve
• Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
• A Letter of Peter to Philip, which was preserved in the Nag Hammadi library
• Apocalypse of 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. The Gospel of Peter was a prominent passion narrative in the early History of Christianity, but over time passed out of common usage In Christianity, Docetism (from the Greek, "to seem" is the belief that Jesus ' physical body was an illusion as was his Crucifixion The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the Apocryphal acts of the apostles The Acts of Peter and Andrew is a short text from the New Testament apocrypha, not to be confused with either the Acts of Andrew or the Acts of Peter. The Acts of Peter and Paul is a late text from the New Testament apocrypha, thought to date from after the 4th century The Acts of Peter and the Twelve is one of the texts from the New Testament apocrypha which was found in the Nag Hammadi library. The Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, not to be confused with the Apocalypse of Peter, is a text found amongst the Nag Hammadi library, and part of the The Letter of Peter to Philip, found in the cache of texts at Nag Hammadi (bound into Codex VIII contains a brief letter purporting to be from Saint Peter to Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Clementine literature (also called Clementia, Pseudo-Clementine Writings, The Preaching of Peter - Kerygmata Petrou - etc Peter" has evolved into a stock character that is now widely used in jokes, cartoons, comedies, dramas, and plays. A stock character is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality manner of speech and other characteristics See also Mathematics of humor A joke is a short story or ironic depiction of a situation communicated with the intent of being humorous. The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Such caricatures almost all play upon Peter's role as the "keeper of the keys of the kingdom of heaven" in Matthew 16:19 [2], 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. The Pearly gates, in Christian beliefs is an informal name for the gateway to Heaven, inspired by the description of the New Jerusalem in In the South Park episode Fantastic Easter Special they state that Jesus wanted the pope to be a rabbit and that the first pope, who was decided by Jesus was in fact Peter Rabbit

Patronage

In Roman Catholic religious doctrine and tradition, Saint Peter is the patron saint of the following categories

Notes

See also

• St Peter's Basilica
• St Peter's Square
• The Big Fisherman
• San Pietro in Vincoli
• Saint Peter's tomb
• Saint Peter (disambiguation)
• Quo Vadis

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
• Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter Orthodox icon and synaxarion
• The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter icon and synaxarion
• The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter & Paul sermon of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
• Catholic response to Protestant claims that Peter never visited Rome

Saint Peter Papal succession
Religious titles
Preceded by Newly created	Bishop of Antioch 37–53	Succeeded by Evodius
Preceded by Newly created	Pope 30–64	Succeeded by Pope Linus