Peter
c. 1 – c. 64 · Bishop of Rome
Also known as Simon Peter · Cephas · Simon bar Jonah
Feast: 29 June
Chief of the Twelve Apostles. Fisherman from Bethsaida; preached at Pentecost, traveled widely, and traditionally martyred in Rome under Nero. Counted by Roman tradition as first bishop of Rome.
Peter is the apostle who keeps getting it wrong and keeps being put back in charge. He denies Jesus, gets rebuked for trying to keep him from the cross, then preaches the first Christian sermon at Pentecost and presides over the council that decided Gentiles didn't need to become Jews first. Whatever you think 'on this rock I will build my church' means, every later argument about church authority — papal, conciliar, episcopal — runs through Peter. Tradition says he was crucified upside-down in Rome under Nero around AD 64. 1 Peter is short and worth reading: a fisherman writing to scattered, persecuted Christians about hope.
Primary sources
- ·Gospel of Matthew 16:13-19
- ·Acts of the Apostles 1-15
- ·1 Peter 1:1
- ·Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 2.25
- ·Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.2
Book of the day
Confessions
Augustine of HippoA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. The most approachable major Latin Father: autobiography, prayer, memory, sin, grace, and desire.
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