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