It was also Peter who manifested the momentary weakness of even the strongest when he denied his Lord (Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:54–61). 7), the “eclipse” of Peter in AD 42–48 (ch. The book seems intended for a broad audience also in the sense that it often suggests rather than assumes the historicity of the New Testament. From then on, Rome's military and bureaucratic might was used to spread Christianity and destroy non-Christian religious sites, such as the pagan sites of the classical world. my earlier review of Hengel’s book in Themelios 37.3). In John’s Gospel the prominence of Peter is challenged in the person of St. John the Apostle, the “Beloved Disciple.” Though Peter receives mention in John 37 times (out of a total of 109 times in the four Gospels), one-third of the references are found in the appendix (chapter 21), and he appears in only nine incidents. Barnett says, “Remarkably Jesus’ words then imply that Simon was yet to be ‘converted’. These gatherings were the first churches. Among the purposes of chapter 21 in emphasizing Peter may well be an attempt to restore the disciple who denied his Lord to the position he enjoyed in the Synoptic Gospels. Word of his teachings spread to Jewish communities across the empire. Although his death is not described in Scripture, numerous writers of the time (or shortly thereafter) described his death as having occurred in Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero in 64 CE. 2). He fastened upon the Christians as most suitable for his diabolical purpose. No specific date is available for the birth of Peter. So Eusebious, the Historian, saw the spread of Christianity all over the world fulfilled this prophecy. The man and his position among the disciples, Incidents important in interpretations of Peter, The position of Peter in the apostolic church, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Peter-the-Apostle, Christian Classics Ethereal Library - Biography of Peter the Apostle, JewishEncyclopedia.com - Biography of Simon Cephas, Peter - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). As both an individual and a representative of the Twelve Apostles, he made a plea for personal preference in the kingdom of heaven as a reward for faithful service (Matthew 19:27, 28). It was Peter who possessed remarkable insight and displayed his depth of faith in the confession of Christ as the Son of God (Matthew 16:15–18; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20), and it was Peter who rebuked, and in turn was rebuked by, Jesus when the Master prophesied that he would suffer and die (Mark 8:32, 33). 1. Though Paul has a distinct preference (8 times out of 10) for the Greek transliteration Kēphas (Latinized as Cephas) of the Aramaic name or title Kepa, meaning “Rock,” the Gospels and Acts use the Greek translation Petros approximately 150 times. From the Synoptic Gospels (Gospel According to Matthew 8:14) and Paul (First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 9:5), there is indirect evidence that Peter was the son of John and was married. Another example is the way in which Peter came to accept Gentiles as equal members of the covenant community. According to tradition, St. Peter was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus Christ. Learn about the history of missionary efforts in each of the three main branches of Christianity. a network of roads and common language used in the region. The Roman Empire was the dominant political and military force during the early days of Christianity, with the city of Rome as its foundation. Author of. In fact, about half of the entire New Testament consists of letters by Paul. The spread of the religion was rapid and was due to many factors. With Christianity the dominant faith in some urban centers, Christians accounted for approximately 10% of the Roman population by 300, according to some estimates. It was his home in Capernaum that Jesus visited when he cured Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14), and it was Peter’s boat that Jesus used when he instructed the crowd (Luke 5:3). 1), followed by a historical exploration of Peter’s geographic, cultural, and linguistic background (ch. 4) prior to his fall and restoration, at which point Barnett makes the unusual assertion that Peter’s return to Jesus after his betrayal was his “conversion” (ch. Barnett’s brief epilogue, however, provides a more explicitly theocentric, and I would add accurate, appreciation of Peter’s life and ministry. Peter at first was opposing Paul’s idea of converting Gentiles until God send Peter a vision—and Paul described the situation between him and Peter as “And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him”(2:13) which criticize Peter’s close-minded disagreement. 5, discussed further below). Overall, Barnett provides a stimulating biography of Peter, combining sound exegetical and historical perspectives with more speculative possibilities, many of which may inspire fresh investigation and discovery. Bede tells the story of a pagan named Alban, who sheltered a priest fleeing the persecution. Early Christianity was primarily an urban faith, establishing itself in the city centers of the Roman Empire. Sydney Missionary and Bible College The Gospel According to John is here, as elsewhere, perhaps more theologically than historically motivated; the author of John wishes to stress that Peter recognized Jesus’ messiahship from the beginning and that Jesus had seen Simon as the “rock” from their first meeting. The idea of monotheism was considered offensive against the polytheistic Roman pantheon, and came into further conflict with the Imperial Cult, in which emperors and some members of their families were worshipped as divine. His family originally came from Bethsaida in Galilee (John 1:44), but during the period of Jesus’ ministry Peter lived in Capernaum, at the northwest end of the Sea of Galilee, where he and his brother St. Andrew were in partnership as fishermen with St. James and St. John, the sons of Zebedee (Gospel According to Luke 5:10). He ordained a disciple there named Evodius to the episcopacy and appointed him the bishop of Antioch. Christian readers buying a popular-level biography of Peter might wonder why the portrait was not informed by the riches of Peter’s second letter, even if critical scholarship has traditionally excluded it. Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As one example, reading of Peter’s “conversion” (p. 30, 33–34) had a jarringly anachronistic ring to it. 14), martyrdom (ch. But British Christians did not escape either. Another vital contribution of Christianity is the high importance given to marriage and the family. He received from Jesus the name Cephas (from Aramaic Kepa [“Rock”]; hence Peter, from Petros, a Greek translation of Kepa). Developments in Asia Minor confirm that early Christians took to heart Jesus’ command: “Go therefore and make … The faith spread as neighbors saw the lives of the believers close-up, on a daily basis. Paul’s contribution to the development of Christianity is in two forms: (1) his preaching, and (2) his writings. The first Christians were Jewish. Peter, a Jewish fisherman, was called to be a disciple of Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The New Testament reports that Peter was unlearned in the sense that he was untrained in the Mosaic Law (Acts 4:13), and it is doubtful that he knew Greek. Peter, a Jewish fisherman, was called to be a disciple of Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The spread of the religion was rapid and was due to many factors. Such a theologically significant assertion, which implicitly throws into question the continuity of covenants, demands far more theological and exegetical support than can be offered by the verb epistrepho, which can simply mean “turn” or “return.”. At solemn moments (Gospel According to John 21:15), he was called “Simon, son of John.” The Gospel According to John prefers Simon (17 times) or the compound, rarely found elsewhere, of Simon Peter. With differing degrees of emphasis, the Synoptic Gospels agree that Peter served as spokesman, the outstanding member of the group, and enjoyed a certain precedence over the other disciples. Early Christians The spread of Christianity was made a lot easier by the efficiency of the Roman Empire, but its principles were sometimes misunderstood and membership of the sect could be dangerous. Although it is not certain whether or not this priority is primarily due to reading back into the Gospel narrative Peter’s importance in the apostolic church, his forceful personality was surely a factor. Barnett in the Preface credits “Martin Hengel’s luminous Saint Peter: The Underestimated Apostle” (p. ix) for sharpening his interest in Peter, and the early chapters in particular share some of Hengel’s troubling interest in matters foreign to the text, and an implied distance between the historical events and that which is recorded in scripture (cf. 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