*Includes pictures
*Includes ancient accounts and Scripture passages
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
"And Jesus suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter and James and John." - Mark 5:37
Apart from Jesus, there is no character more vividly presented in the gospels than Peter. To talk of Saint Peter is to talk about a man of action. There is a good reason why he is the apostle with the most mentions in the Gospels, and the most referred to in the New Testament (a total of 195 times). In comparison, John, the next most popular disciple, barely reaches 29 references. It is at decisive moments which require a categorical reaction where the leader of the Twelve shines; it is then that Peter -born as Simon Bar-Jonah- has no rival in the inner circle of disciples that followed Jesus of Nazareth. At the same time, during periods of uncertainty and inaction he hesitates, collapses, and shows his all-too human side. With all his virtues and shortcomings, he became Jesus's man of confidence, and over time, the leader of the nascent Church.
Reconstructing the biography of Simon the Galilean requires throwing the nets over the waters of the many traditions of the leader of the Twelve, the man who is always present at the turning points of the story of Jesus. It has rightly been said that the Gospel of Mark (and thus the gospels of Matthew and Luke) is written from his point of view. It is he whom Jesus calls first when he is working on the seashore; it is Peter who proclaims with blind enthusiasm that his teacher is the Messiah, who confronts him about the consequences and meaning of that title, who cries bitterly for his cowardice, who enters the house of the high priest where the rabbi is held prisoner, and who, after the crucifixion, throws himself into the dark waters, before the sunrise, when he sees him again standing on the shore of the lake.
Peter was already a married man with a permanent job in Capernaum when Jesus passed by and said, "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men." Although the four canonical gospels tend to have disagreements, they all agree on one crucial aspect: Peter's preeminence. Peter was the spokesman and the chief apostle, the trustworthy disciple of the Lord and, ironically, the one who failed him again and again through his incomprehension, his hesitation, and impulsiveness. For example, he drew the sword to kill at a time of danger, when his teacher was clearly against violence. However, according to several independent sources, the risen Jesus went to appear to Peter first, as if to comfort him and confirm him on his commission to "feed the sheep."
Considering all this, it is strange that few details about his later life are known. That Simon Bar-Jonah "Cephas," the man from Galilee, was a historical figure is a fact that no one - not even those who doubt the existence of Jesus - would put in doubt. The textual evidence is traced back to the years he lived in Jerusalem, and at least one contemporary person mentions an encounter with him. But the details are scarce. Ironically, most of the reliable information is in the writings of another Christian leader with whom he had disputes: Paul.
Traditions and legends about the life of Saint Peter are many, not to mention several writings attributed to him. Some may contain historical memories, and others are parables, but it is not a legend that while he was alive, and even 2,000 years later, Peter has been the center of heated controversies. If indeed he was the leader of the apostles, then do his successors (the bishops of Rome) have preeminence over all of Christendom? To say that this question defined the history and the map of the Christian world for many centuries is an understatement. Saint Peter is, therefore, one of the most important people in history.