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Saint Peter

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

(Matthew 16:18)
Painting of the Icon of St. Peter at St. Mary and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church

The Story In Summary

Saint Peter - The Faith Rock

St. Peter was born in Bethsaida about the year 13 B.C. He was the brother of Andrew and they worked as fishermen. The Lord Christ has called them to follow him saying:

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”

(Matthew 4:19)

They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Peter then became one of the twelve disciples. When the Lord asked his disciples saying,

“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” they said “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

(Matthew 16:13-18)

Peter was asked by those who received the temple tax: “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax? He said “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying,

“Go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you"

(Matthew 17:27).

Accompanying The Lord Jesus

St. Peter was one of the three disciples who witnessed the miracle of raising the daughter of Jarius, the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, and was also one of the two disciples who went to prepare the Passover meal on Holy Thursday.

St. Peter also witnessed the Lord Jesus Christ’s Prayer in Gethsemane and was the one who cut the ear of the servant of the high priest there. St. Peter was one of the four disciples who heard the Lord Jesus Christ’s prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.

St. Peter was the first to confess the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, he denied the Lord Jesus Christ three times before servants and slaves. St. Peter repented and the Lord Jesus Christ returned him once again to his apostolicity and said to him:

"Feed My sheep"

(John 21:15-17).

His Sermon on The Day of Pentecost

When the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples and the multitude were amazed from what they had witnessed, Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and exhorted those who were present with words inspired by the Holy Spirit.

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' "

(Acts 2:37-38)

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them”

(Acts 2:41)

His Two Epistles in The Bible

St. Peter wrote two epistles in the Bible. The first epistle was written to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia in Asia Minor. (1 Pet. 1:1)

Purpose of the first epistle:

1. To encourage the believers to accept suffering. This epistle is considered to be an excellent source of comfort, and every chapter is filled with a comforting message.
2. It reveals the practical, holy mutual relationships in the family, society, and the Church through faith in the Crucified Lord Jesus.

The second epistle was directed to the Christians of Asia Minor. He wrote, “I now write to you this second epistle…” (2 Peter 3:1)

Purpose of the second epistle:

1. Since the Lord had declared to St. Peter his departure from this world, he wanted to send his children his final commandments to tell them about the precious yearning of his heart which is “The Kingdom of Heaven and the Second Coming of the Lord.”

2. Waiting for the Heavenly Kingdom drives the believer to a life of holiness and rejecting heresies.

Preaching The Gospel and Performing Miracles

After the day of Pentecost, he preached among the Jews in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The Lord did many miracles through him such as healing of a lame man (Acts 3), healing of Aeneas, and raising of Tabitha from death (Acts 9).

He began preaching to Gentiles starting with Cornelius and his house after seeing a vision (Acts 10). He preached in Antioch, Galatia, Pontus, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.

His Martyrdom

At the end of his life he went to Rome where Nero ordered to seize him. He ordered to crucify him; however, because of his extreme humility he refused to be crucified as his Master and asked to be crucified head down. Thus he received the crown of martyrdom.

His Feast - The Feast of The Apostles

The Coptic Orthodox church celebrates the feast of our fathers the pure apostles on the day of the commemoration of the martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul which is July 12th - the 5th day of the Coptic month of Epep.

Hear the Story

The Apostles Feast Story In Powtoon

References

Synaxarium- Coptic Reader App

Suscopts

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