St. Peter: Part 1

Today's post is the first of two parts, looking at the Apostle Peter, or St. Peter, one of Jesus' 12 disciples, and an important figure in the New Testament. Given the disagreement between Roman Catholics and some Protestants over whether or not Peter went to Rome, or is the foundation of the Church, understanding Peter is vital. This first part looks at the role of Peter according to the Synoptic Gospels.

image from here.

The followers of Jesus played a crucial role in his ministry, and from this nucleus of apostles grew a faith and religion that would change the course of world history. The 12 that were closest to Jesus have special place in this history - they were the conduit between the universal church and their eternal Lord and Saviour. Outside of these, there could have been no mission, no spread of the Gospel, no church history. Of these 12, Peter stands above the rest in respect, notoriety, and influence. In his well-known book on early Christian Doctrine, Kelly puts forth the view that ‘St. Peter was the starting point and symbol of unity’. This is representative of the strength of views regarding Peter. 

The Roman Catholic church claims its authority and apostolic nature through him, millions venerate him, and he is a role model to thousands, if not millions, more Christians around the world. Peter was present for most of the crucial elements of Jesus’ ministry, and integral to many. Some of his statements and actions have had profound effects on the Church throughout history. In the synoptic Gospels, different emphasis is put on different aspects of Peter, but it is interesting to note that there are some key similarities. Effectively, as Lowe puts it, ‘the Synoptics are, broadly speaking, at one in the place they assign to Peter’. His role, though, is rather more than merely his placement in the synoptics, so a brief study of these Gospels in parallel or harmony will reveal what that role was.

The calling of Peter as one of the very first apostles is of course a pivotal moment in the Gospel narratives regarding the apostles. Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 5 all contain a narrative of this event. Peter and the other disciples are elevated from their humble status as fishermen - the mechanics of the day - to the chosen comrades of the most revolutionary human being the world has ever seen. Calvin echoes the high status of one Apostle, however, writing in his harmony of the Gospels that; 

‘They teach us, that Peter, and the other three, were not only gathered by Christ to be his disciples, but were made apostles, or, at least chosen with a view to the apostleship’

We can see hear the central importance, perhaps, of Peter amongst the followers of Jesus. As one of the first to be called, and the most vocal of the apostles, he is from the outset assigned a special status amongst the twelve. Peter can be seen as being from the very conception of the apostolic ministry of the disciples to have been the leader, or at least the most prominent of the the Twelve. This feeds into his role, as it appears in the synoptic Gospels, as leader of the disciples.

Having begun to paint a clear picture of what Peter was like and how he fitted in to Jesus’ ministry, it is important to consider the way that Jesus interacted with Peter. Jesus rebuked, encouraged and commissioned him. In Mark 8 we see Peter attempting to rebuke Jesus regarding his death, but Jesus is aware of the human weakness of Peter; ‘Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’. According to commentators such as Morna D. Hooker; 

‘Peter acted as the spokesman of all the disciples in v29... he is understood to be so here also’

It is clear that fact that Jesus rebukes Peter is representative of his central role amongst the disciples. Peter can be seen almost as an archetype for man here - with him as the focus of rebuke, which flows from his questioning of Jesus. These are very human traits, there is something of Peter in us all..

Peter is credited in the synoptic Gospels with some crucial sayings - that can be seen to at least partially define his role. For example, in the Gospel of Luke he utters the powerful proclamation; ‘You are the Messiah of God’. That a simple fisherman from Galilee, with no formal training and only a few months following Jesus could make a statement that has eluded many minds, is key to understanding the importance of Peter’s role in the synoptics. His words set the tone for the intended response to Jesus’ public ministry. Within the Synoptics; compared to the Gospel of John which is far more blatant about Jesus’ divinity, Peter stands out as representing a mouthpiece through which the community that produced them can express its convictions. Peter is honored as being the one to make this statement. Little wonder, then, that Cullman sees that, ‘thus according to all three Synoptic Gospels Peter indubitably played the role of spokesman among the twelve disciples’. As first among equals, the effective leader of the apostles, Peter is also the mouthpiece and spokesperson. This is a component of his role.

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Thanks for reading - next week we will have a look at what it meant that Jesus 'commissioned' Peter, and what that might mean for views of apostleship, the apostolic succession, and the foundation of the Roman church...

Brief Bibliography

The Bible (NRSV)

J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, (Continuum, 2000)

John Lowe, St. Peter, (Clarendon Press, 1956)

John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - volume 1, (Baker Books, 2009)

Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel according to St. Mark, (A&C Black, 1993)

Oscar Cullmann, Peter - Disciple, Apostle, Martyr, (SCM Press, 1962)

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