Saint Peter
Simon bar Yonah was born in Bethsaida, a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee around 1 BC. He worked as a fisherman alongside his brother Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, James and John. The Synoptic Gospels recount how Jesus called Simon and Andrew to become "fishers of men" while they were casting nets into the water. Peter's mother-in-law lived with him in Capernaum, where Jesus healed her during an early ministry stop. This detail suggests Peter was either married or widowed at the time he joined Jesus' movement. The Gospel of Mark is traditionally thought to show the influence of Peter's own preaching and eyewitness accounts. His original name was Simon, though some passages spell it Simeon. Jesus later gave him the Aramaic name Cephas, meaning rock or stone.
During the Last Supper, Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed twice. A female servant of the high priest spotted Simon Peter warming himself by a fire and claimed he had been with Jesus. Peter denied knowing the man, and the rooster crowed once according to Mark's account. When another servant girl or a man accused him again near the gateway, Peter swore he did not know Jesus. A third accusation came when someone noted his Galilean accent as proof of his discipleship. Matthew adds that it was his accent that gave him away as coming from Galilee. Luke deviates slightly by stating that a third individual made the accusation rather than a crowd. Afterward, Peter wept bitterly over his failure. In John's gospel, Peter affirmed three times that he loved Jesus, balancing his threefold denial. This event restored his position among the apostles after the resurrection appearances.
Peter appeared repeatedly in all four New Testament gospels and the Acts of the Apostles as one of the Twelve Apostles. He is always listed first among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. Along with James the Elder and John, he formed an informal triumvirate within the group. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry. These included the Raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration of Jesus, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Paul called him Cephas in First Corinthians and mentioned him in the Epistle to the Galatians. Peter took a missionary journey to Lydda, Joppa, and Caesarea where he healed Aeneas and raised Tabitha. At Joppa, Peter had a vision given to him from God which allowed the eating of previously unclean animals. This vision led early believers to the decision to evangelize the Gentiles. He met Cornelius the Centurion and claimed that "God shows no partiality" regarding salvation for non-Jews.
Early Church Fathers including Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, Lactantius, and Eusebius attest that Peter spent his closing years in Rome. Caius testified in AD 198 that monuments of Peter were located at the Vatican. The Liber Pontificalis mentions Peter served as bishop of Antioch for seven years before leaving for Rome. Origen stated that Peter went away to Rome preaching the Gospel after presiding over the church in Antioch. Jerome wrote that Peter went to Rome in the second year of Claudius to overthrow Simon Magus. He held the sacerdotal chair there for twenty-five years until the fourteenth year of Nero. Paul's Epistle to the Romans written about AD 57 greets some fifty people by name but not Peter whom he knew. There is also no mention of Peter in Rome later during Paul's two-year stay there in Acts 28 around AD 60, 62. Some scholars argue that Babylon mentioned in First Peter refers to Rome as a coded reference since Babylon was a common nickname in Jewish and Christian literature at the time.
Traditional accounts state that Peter died by crucifixion under Emperor Nero during the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. This event took place three months after the disastrous fire that destroyed Rome which Nero wished to blame on Christians. Roman authorities sentenced him to death by crucifixion at Vatican Hill according to apocryphal Acts of Peter. Tradition holds he was crucified head down because he claimed unworthiness to die in the same manner as his Lord. The Cross of St. Peter inverts the Latin cross based on this refusal and claim of being unworthy. Jerome wrote that at Nero's hands Peter received the crown of martyrdom being nailed to the cross with his head towards the ground. Some modern scholars argue for a date between AD 64 and 68 while others suggest intra-community violence caused their deaths. Lactantius noted that while Nero reigned, the Apostle Peter came to Rome and wrought certain miracles through God's power.
Caius related in his Disputation Against Proclus that if you go to the Vatican or Ostian Way you will find the trophies of those who founded the Church. Jerome stated that Peter was buried at Rome in the Vatican near the triumphal way where he is venerated by the whole world. In the early 4th century Emperor Constantine I decided to honor Peter with a large basilica built over what is said to be the point of burial. The slope of the Vatican Hill had to be excavated even though the church could have been built on level ground slightly to the south. Human bones found buried underneath the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in 1950 were claimed by many to be those of Peter. A forensic examination found them to be a male of about 61 years old from the 1st century. Pope Paul VI announced these remains most likely to be the relics of Apostle Peter in 1968. On the 2nd of July 2019 Pope Francis transferred nine bone fragments within a bronze reliquary to Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
Catholic and Orthodox tradition treats Peter as the first bishop of Rome or pope and also as the first bishop of Antioch. Catholic teaching holds that Jesus promised Peter a special position in the Church through Matthew 16:18. Eastern Orthodox Churches believe this passage implies a primacy of honor rather than the right to exercise pastoral authority. Protestant denominations assert that Peter's apostolic work in Rome does not imply a connection between him and the papacy. Oscar Cullmann rejected the Catholic claim that Peter began the papal succession despite believing the Matthew text is valid. Lutheran theologians state that dictionaries list both petros and petra with different meanings though some authorities say no significant difference existed in Koine Greek. The Peshitta Syriac version renders Jesus' words into Aramaic using kepha for both Peter and rock. Most early and medieval Church interpreted the rock as being a reference either to Christ or to Peter's faith not Peter himself.
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Common questions
Where was Simon bar Yonah born and what was his original occupation?
Simon bar Yonah was born in Bethsaida, a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee around 1 BC. He worked as a fisherman alongside his brother Andrew and the sons of Zebedee before Jesus called him to become a fisher of men.
When did Peter die under Emperor Nero during the Great Fire of Rome?
Traditional accounts state that Peter died by crucifixion under Emperor Nero during the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. This event took place three months after the disastrous fire that destroyed Rome which Nero wished to blame on Christians.
What is the significance of the Cross of St. Peter regarding Peter's death?
Tradition holds he was crucified head down because he claimed unworthiness to die in the same manner as his Lord. The Cross of St. Peter inverts the Latin cross based on this refusal and claim of being unworthy.
Who buried Peter at Rome and when was a basilica built over his burial site?
Jerome stated that Peter was buried at Rome in the Vatican near the triumphal way where he is venerated by the whole world. In the early 4th century Emperor Constantine I decided to honor Peter with a large basilica built over what is said to be the point of burial.
Did Pope Paul VI confirm the human bones found underneath the altar of St. Peter's Basilica were Peter's remains?
Pope Paul VI announced these remains most likely to be the relics of Apostle Peter in 1968. A forensic examination found them to be a male of about 61 years old from the 1st century.