Saint Peter

==Biographical information==
[[File:Ancient capernum is.JPG|thumb|[[St. Peter's Church, Capernaum]] on north side of the [[Sea of Galilee]]; a Franciscan church is built upon the traditional site of Apostle Peter's house.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2000/3/Capernaum-%20The%20Church%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Peter |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507211858/https://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2000/3/Capernaum-%20The%20Church%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Peter |archive-date=7 May 2009 |title=The Church of the House of Peter |language=en |website=mfa.gov.il}}</ref>]]

===Sources===
The sources used to reconstruct the life of Peter can be divided in three groups:

* the [[New Testament]] writings, such as the [[Pauline epistles|Pauline Epistles]] (where [[Paul the Apostle]] calls him "Cephas" and "Peter"), the [[Petrine epistles|Petrine Epistles]] (traditionally attributed to him, but their authorship is disputed), the [[Canonical gospels|Canonical Gospels]] and the [[Acts of the Apostles]];
* the [[New Testament apocrypha]] attributed to him, such as the [[Gospel of Peter]], the [[Preaching of Peter]], the [[Acts of Peter]], the [[Acts of Peter and Andrew]], the [[Acts of Peter and the Twelve]], the [[Acts of Peter and Paul]], the [[Letter of Peter to Philip]], the Letter of Peter to James the Just, the [[Apocalypse of Peter]] and the [[Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter|Coptic Apocalypse of Peter]]. Scholars agree that these are late [[pseudepigrapha]] with little historical value, though they may contain some historical kernel;
* the writing of the Apostolic Fathers and the Church Fathers, such as [[Papias of Hierapolis]], [[Pope Clement I]], [[Polycarp]], [[Ignatius of Antioch]] and [[Irenaeus|Ireneus]].

In the [[New Testament]], he is among the first{{refn|group=note|The narrative of Jesus' calling of his first disciples varies throughout all four gospels. In Mark 1:16,<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|1:16|NRSV}}</ref> "Simon and his brother Andrew" are the first to be called; in Matthew 4:18,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|4:18|NRSV}}</ref> "Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother" are also the first to be called; and in Luke 5:1–11,<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|5:1–11|NRSV}}</ref> Simon Peter, alongside "James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon", are the first to be called. The narrative in the Gospel of John deviates from the narrative in the three Synoptic Gospels; in John 1:40–42,<ref>{{bibleverse|John|1:40–42|NRSV}}</ref> Andrew is the first disciple, and later brings Simon to Jesus, who names him Cephas (translated as Peter).}} of the disciples called during Jesus' ministry. Peter became the first listed [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostle]] ordained by Jesus in the early Church.<ref name="ODCC Peter">"Peter, St" by F. L. Cross, ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'', Oxford University Press, 2005</ref>

===Accounts===
Peter was a Jewish fisherman in [[Bethsaida]] ([[John 1]]:44).<ref>{{bibleverse|John|1:44}}</ref> He was named Simon, the son of a man named Jonah or John.{{refn|group=note|His father's name is given as 'Jonah' ([[John 1]]:42,<ref name="bibleverse|John|1:42">{{bibleverse|John|1:42}}</ref> [[Matthew 16]]:17),<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|16:17}}</ref> although some manuscripts of John give his father's name as 'John'.}} The three [[Synoptic Gospels]] recount how Peter's mother-in-law [[Healing the mother of Peter's wife|was healed by Jesus]] at their home in [[Capernaum]] ([[Matthew 8]]:14–17,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|8:14–17}}</ref> [[Mark 1]]:29–31,<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|1:29–31}}</ref> [[Luke 4]]:38);<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|4:38}}</ref> this passage clearly depicts Peter as being married or widowed. [[1 Corinthians 9]]:5<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|9:5}}</ref> has also been taken to imply that he was married.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwZWAgAAQBAJ&q=%22Peter's+wife%22+Corinthians&pg=PA92|title=Accompanied by a Believing Wife: Ministry and Celibacy in the Earliest Christian Communities|first=Raymond F.|last=Collins|date=22 November 2013|publisher=Liturgical Press|via=Google Books|isbn=978-0-8146-8238-8}}</ref>

[[File:Duccio di Buoninsegna 036.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|''The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew'' (from the ''Maestà''), {{c.|1308–1311}}]]

In the Synoptic Gospels, Peter (then Simon) was a fisherman along with his brother, [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]], and the sons of [[Zebedee]], [[James the Great|
James]] and [[John the Apostle|
John]]. The [[Gospel of John]] also depicts Peter fishing, even after the resurrection of Jesus, in the story of the [[Miraculous Draught of Fish|Catch of 153 fish]]. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus called Simon and his brother Andrew to be "[[fishers of men]]" ([[Matthew 4:18]]–[[Matthew 4:19|19]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|4:18–19}}</ref> [[Mark 1]]:16–17).<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|1:16–17}}</ref>

In the [[Confession of Peter]] he proclaims Jesus to be the [[Christ]] ([[Jewish Messiah]]), as described in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 16:13–20,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|16:13–20}}</ref> Mark 8:27–30<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|8:27–30}}</ref> and Luke 9:18–21.<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|9:18–21}}</ref> It is there, in the area of [[Caesarea Philippi]], that he receives from Jesus the name Cephas (Aramaic {{transliteration|arc|Kepha}}), or Peter (Greek {{transliteration|grc|Petros}}).

In [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], Simon Peter owns the [[Boat of Saint Peter|boat]] that Jesus uses to preach to the multitudes who were pressing on him at the shore of [[Sea of Galilee|Lake Gennesaret]] ([[Luke 5]]:3).<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|5:3}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|5:4–11}}</ref> The [[Gospel of John]] gives a comparable account of "The First Disciples" ([[John 1]]:35–42).<ref>{{bibleverse|John|1:35–42}}</ref> In John, the readers are told that it was two disciples of [[John the Baptist]] (Andrew and an unnamed disciple) who heard John the Baptist announce Jesus as the "[[Lamb of God]]" and then followed Jesus. Andrew then went to his brother Simon, saying, "We have found the [[Messiah]]", and then brought Simon to Jesus, who immediately, at the first sight of him, named him as "Cephas". ([[John 1]]:42).<ref name="bibleverse|John|1:42"/>

[[File:Cavalier d'Arpino - Christ Taken Prisoner - WGA04690.jpg|thumb|right|Apostle Peter striking the [[High Priest]]s' servant [[Malchus]] with a sword in the [[Garden of Gethsemane]], by [[Giuseppe Cesari]], {{c.|1597}}]]

Three of the four gospels—Matthew, Mark and John—recount the story of [[Jesus walking on water]]. Matthew additionally describes Peter walking on water for a moment but beginning to sink when his faith wavers ([[Matthew 14]]:28–31).<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|14:28–31}}</ref>

At the beginning of the [[Last Supper]], Jesus washed His disciples' feet. Peter initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet, but when Jesus told him: "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]]:2–11).<ref>{{bibleverse|John|13:2–11}}</ref> The [[Maundy (foot washing)|washing of feet]] is often repeated in the [[service of worship]] on [[Maundy Thursday]] by some [[Christian denominations]].

The three [[Synoptic Gospels]] all mention that, when Jesus was arrested, one of his companions cut off the ear of a servant of the [[High Priest of Israel]] ([[Matthew 26]]:51,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|26:51}}</ref> [[Mark 14]]:47,<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|14:47}}</ref> [[Luke 22]]:50).<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|22:50}}</ref> The Gospel of John also includes this event and names Peter as the swordsman and [[Malchus]] as the victim ([[John 18]]:10).<ref>{{bibleverse|John|18:10}}</ref> Luke adds that Jesus touched the ear and miraculously healed it ([[Luke 22]]:49–51).<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|22:49–51}}</ref> This healing of the servant's ear is the last of the [[Miracles of Jesus|37 miracles attributed to Jesus]] in the Bible.

Simon Peter was twice [[arraigned]], with John, before the [[Sanhedrin]] and directly defied them ([[Acts 4]]:7–22,<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|4:7–22}}</ref> [[Acts 5]]:18–42).<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|5:18–42}}</ref> After receiving a [[Peter's vision of a sheet with animals|vision]] from God that allowed for the eating of previously unclean animals, Peter takes a missionary journey to [[Lod|Lydda]], [[Jaffa, Israel|Joppa]] and [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]] ([[Acts 9]]:32–[[Acts 10]]:2),<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|9:32–10:2}}</ref> becoming instrumental in the decision to evangelise the [[Gentile]]s ([[Acts 10]]).<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|10}}</ref> Simon Peter applied the message of the vision on clean animals to the gentiles and follows his meeting with [[Cornelius the Centurion]] by claiming that "God shows no partiality".

According to the [[Acts of the Apostles]], Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to [[Samaria]] ([[Acts 8]]:14).<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|8:14}}</ref> Peter/Cephas is mentioned briefly in the opening chapter of one of the [[Pauline epistles]], [[Epistle to the Galatians]], which mentions a trip by [[Paul the Apostle]] to [[Jerusalem]] where he meets Peter ([[Galatians 1]]:18).<ref>{{bibleverse|Galatians|1:18}}</ref> Peter features again in Galatians, fourteen years later, when Paul (now with [[Barnabas]] and [[Saint Titus|Titus]]) returned to Jerusalem ([[Galatians 2]]:7–9).<ref>{{bibleverse|Galatians|2:7–9}}</ref> When Peter came to [[Antioch]], Paul opposed Peter to his face "because he [Peter] was in the wrong" ([[Galatians 2]]:11).<ref>{{bibleverse|Galatians|2:11}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|See [[Incident at Antioch]]; see also the section below headed "Road to Rome: Antioch and Corinth".}}
[[File:Apostle Peter Released from Prison, Jacopo di Cione, 1370-1371 (Philadelphia Museum of Art).jpg|left|thumb|''Apostle Peter Released from Prison'', [[Jacopo di Cione]], 1370–1371 ([[Philadelphia Museum of Art]])]]
[[Acts 12]] narrates how Peter, who was in Jerusalem, was put into prison by [[Agrippa I]] (AD 42–44) but was [[liberation of Saint Peter|rescued by an angel]]. After his liberation Peter left Jerusalem to go to "another place" (Acts 12:1–18).<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|12:1–18}}</ref> Concerning Peter's subsequent activity there is no further connected information from the extant sources, although there are short notices of certain individual episodes of his later life.<ref name="newadvent"/>

===Peter's wife===
Synoptic Gospels mention that Peter had a mother-in-law at the time he joined Jesus, and this mother-in-law was healed by Him.<ref>Luke 4:38-40</ref> However, the Gospels give no information about his wife. [[Clement of Alexandria]] claimed his wife was executed for her faith by the Roman authorities but does not specify any date or location.<ref>Stromata, book 7, ch. 11. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (eds.), ''Ante-Nicene Christian Library: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to AD 325'', vol. 12, p. 451</ref> Another opinion states that Peter's wife was no longer alive at the time he met Jesus, so he was a widower.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-was-up-with-st-peters-wife|title=What Was Up with St. Peter's Wife?|website=Catholic Answers}}</ref>