(pee' tehr) Personal name meaning, “Rock.” Four names are used in
the New Testament to refer to Peter: the Hebrew name Simeon (Acts
15:14); the Greek equivalent Simon (nearly fifty times in the
Gospels and Acts); Cephas, most frequently used by Paul (1
Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 3:22; 1 Corinthians 9:5; 1
Corinthians 15:5; Galatians 1:18; Galatians 2:9,Galatians
2:11,Galatians 2:14) and occurring only once outside his writings
(John 1:42). Cephas and Peter both mean rock. Simon is often found
in combination with Peter, reminding the reader that Simon was the
earlier name and that Peter was a name given later by Jesus. The
name Peter dominates the New Testament usage. Family
of Peter The Gospels preserve a surprising amount of information
about Peter and his family. Simon is the son of Jona or John
(Matthew 16:17; John 1:42). He and his brother, Andrew, came from
Bethsaida (John 1:44) and were Galilean fishermen (Mark 1:16; Luke
5:2-3; John 21:3), in partnership with the sons of Zebedee, James
and John (Luke 5:10). Peter was married (Mark 1:29-31; 1 Corinthians
9:5) and maintained a residence in Capernaum (Mark 1:21,Mark 1:29).
Before becoming disciples of Jesus, Peter and Andrew had been
influenced by the teaching of John the Baptist (John 1:35-42).
Role of Peter Among the Disciples Peter is credited with being a
leader of the twelve disciples whom Jesus called. His name always
occurs first in the lists of disciples (Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14;
Matthew 10:2). He frequently served as the spokesman for the
disciples (compare Mark 8:29) and was usually he one who raised the
questions which they all seemed to be asking (Mark 10:28; Mark
11:21; Matthew 15:15; Matthew 18:21; Luke 12:41). Jesus often
singled out Peter for teachings intended for the entire group of
disciples (see especially Mark 8:29-33). As a member of the inner
circle, Peter was present with Jesus at the raising of the synagogue
ruler's daughter (Mark 5:35-41), at the Transfiguration (Mark
9:2-8), and at the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemene (Mark 14:43-50). As
representative disciple, Peter frequently typified the disciple of
little faith. His inconsistent behavior (see Matthew 14:27-31)
reached a climax with his infamous denial scene (Mark 14:66-72).
Peter was, however, rehabilitated in the scene where the resurrected
Jesus restored Peter to his position of prominence (John 21:15-19;
compare Mark 16:7). Peter's Role in the Early Church
Despite Peter's role among the disciples and the promise of his
leadership in the early church (see especially Matthew 16:17-19),
Peter did not emerge as the leader of either form of primitive
Christianity. Though he played an influential role in establishing
the Jerusalem church (see the early chapters of Acts), James, the
brother of Jesus, assumed the leadership role of the Jewish
community. Though Peter was active in the incipient stages of the
Gentile mission (see Acts 10-11), Paul became the “apostle to the
gentiles.” Peter probably sacrificed his chances to be
the leader of either one of these groups because of his commitment
to serve as a bridge in the early church, doing more than any other
to hold together the diverse strands of primitive Christianity.
The Legacy of Peter Tradition holds that Peter died as a martyr in
Rome in the 60s (1 Clem. Acts 5:1-6:1). His legacy, however, lived
on long after his death. Both 1 and 2 Peter in the New Testament are
traditionally attributed to the apostle Peter. Significant also was
the presence of a group of devotees of Peter who produced several
writings in the name of the apostle—the Acts of Peter, the Gospel of
Peter (and some would include 2 Peter). To a great extent,
subsequent generations of the church rely on the
confession, witness, and ministry of Peter, the devoted, but
fallible follower of Christ. (See Peter, Epistles of; Jerusalem
conference; Jerusalem church; Jewish Christianity; Disciples,
Apostles. Mikeal C. Parsons
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