Peter the Apostle

Peter, whose original name was Simon, was a fisherman from Bethsaida who worked on the Sea of Galilee with his brother Andrew. The Gospels describe him as one of the first disciples called by Jesus, who gave him the name Cephas or Peter, meaning rock. He is shown as the spokesman of the Twelve, confessing Jesus as the Christ, but also denying him three times on the night of his arrest. After the resurrection he became a leader of the church in Jerusalem; the Acts of the Apostles describes his preaching at Pentecost and his baptism of the Roman centurion Cornelius, which opened the church to non-Jews. Two New Testament letters bear his name. Early Christian writers from Clement of Rome onward speak of his martyrdom, and later tradition, recorded by Eusebius, places his death in Rome under Nero and his tomb beneath St. Peter's Basilica. The Catholic Church regards him as the first pope; Orthodox and Protestant churches honour him as an apostle but differ over that claim. His two New Testament letters encourage believers suffering for Christ.

Faith: A Jewish fisherman called to be a disciple of Jesus. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

See also: Paul the Apostle