Simon Peter or Cephas, the first pope, Prince of the Apostles, and founder, with St. Paul, of the see of Rome.
Peter was a native of Bethsaida, near Lake Tiberias, the son of John,
and worked, like his brother St. Andrew, as a fisherman on Lake
Genesareth. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, and
Christ called Peter to become adisciple. In
Luke is recounted the story that Peter caught so large an amount of fish that he fell down before the feet of
Jesus and was told by the Lord, “Do not be afraid; from now on you
will be catching men”.
Jesus also gave Simon a new name: Cephas, or the rock. Becoming a
disciple of Jesus, Peter acknowledged him as "... the Messiah, the son of the living God”.
Christ responded by saying: "... you are Peter and upon this rock I
will build my church.... He added: “I
will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven”. Peter was always listed as the first of the
Apostles in all of the
New Testament accounts and was a member of the inner circle of Jesus, with
James
and John. He is recorded more than any other disciple, and was at
Jesus’ side at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and
the Agony of the Garden of Gethsemane. He helped organize the Last
Supper and played a major role in the events of the Passion. When the
Master was arrested, he cut off the
right ear of a slave of the high
priest Malchus and then denied
Christ three times as the
Lord predicted. Peter then “went out and began to weep bitterly”. After the Resurrection, Peter went to the
tomb with the “other disciple” after being told of the event by the women. The first appearance of the Risen
Christ was before Peter, ahead of the other disciples, and when the
Lord
came before the disciples at Tiberias, he gave to Peter the famous
command to “Feed my lambs.... Tend my sheep.... Feed my sheep”. In the
time
immediately after the Ascension, Peter stood as the unquestionable head
of the Apostles, his position made evident in the Acts. He appointed
the replacement of Judas Iscariot; he spoke first to the crowds that had
assembled after the descent of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost; he was the first
Apostle
to perform miracles in the name of the Lord; and he rendered judgment
upon the deceitful Ananias and Sapphira. Peter was instrumental in
bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. He baptized the Roman
pagan Cornelius, and at the Council of
Jerusalem he gave his support to preaching to Gentiles, thereby permitting the new Church to become universal. Imprisoned by King
Herod Agrippa, he was aided in an escape by an angel. He then resumed his apostolate in
Jerusalem and his missionary efforts included travels to such cities of the
pagan
world as Antioch, Corinth, and eventually Rome. He made reference to
the Eternal City in his first Epistle by noting that he writes from
Babylon . It is certain that Peter died in
Rome
and that his martyrdom came during the reign of Emperor Nero, probably
in 64. Testimony of his martyrdom is extensive, including Origen,
Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Clement I of Rome, St. Ignatius, and St.
Irenaeus. According to rich tradition, Peter was crucified on the
Vatican Hill upside down because he declared himself unworthy to die in
the same manner as the Lord. He was then buried on Vatican Hill, and
excavations under St. Peter’s
Basilica have unearthed his probable tomb, and his
relics are now enshrined under the
high altar of St. Peter’s. From the earliest days of the Church, Peter was recognized as the Prince of the
Apostles and the first Supreme Pontiff; his see, Rome, has thus enjoyed the position of
primacy over the entire
Catholic Church. While Peter’s chief
feast day is June 29, he is also honored on February 22 and November 18. In liturgical art, he is depicted as an elderly
man holding a key and a book. His symbols include an inverted cross, a boat, and the cock.