Was Saint Peter Married
St. Matthew recorded in the Gospel, Jesus entered Peters house and found Peters mother-in-law in bed with a fever. He took her by the hand and the fever left her . Note that the passage does not mention St. Peters wife, but only his mother-in-law. The Gospels, however, make no mention of St. Peters wife, living or nonliving. Therefore, St. Peters wife must have died before Jesus called him to be an apostle.
For full disclosure, Clement of Alexandria , said St. Peter was married, had children and witnessed his wifes martyrdom in Rome. These terse points were recorded, citing Clement, in St. Eusebuis The History of the Church. Given the silence of other church fathers about St. Peters wife and children , and the lack of any archaeological evidence of ancient Rome, which holds the burial sites of St. Peter and so many other early martyrs, one would conclude St. Peters wife died before he had been called as an apostle.
What Happened To The Families Of The Disciples
The disciples had indeed left everything to follow Jesus, including their homes, families and lands. Other Gospel texts confirm this point. Similarly, when James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are called by Jesus, they instantly leave their father in the boat to follow after the one who summons them .
The Gospel Of Mark Or Of Peter
There is extremely reliable evidence through church tradition and early church historians that the Gospel of Mark is actually the gospel of Peter. Peter is said to have dictated his discipleship with Jesus to John Mark, who was a companion of his for many of the later years of his life. If you read the Gospel of Mark you can see the extremely fine details of what appears to be an eyewitness from the perspective of Peter. John Mark was not ever a disciple of Jesus and he was not an apostle. There is little doubt that the work of Mark and his gospel is actually the story of Peter who retold the story and then was written down by John Mark. This is testified by the fact that Mark was not present for Jesus ministry and the extremely intimate details that are described in Mark. Some of the events where Peter, John, and James who were often alone with Jesus, like the Transfiguration, are like a first-person retelling of the story.
The next time you read the Gospel of Mark, think about Peter and see if you can not see more clearly the realization that this had to be Peters eyewitness account an account that only Peter could tell.
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Peter The Disciple To The Apostle Peter
A disciple means a follower of and that is what most Christians actually are today. An apostle is one sent forth in the sense of sent forth by God to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. The biblical definition of an apostle and the only ones that are called apostles in the New Testament had to be either with Jesus during His earthly ministry or having seen the risen Christ .
After Christ tells the disciples about the end of the age He gives them the charge or command of the Great Commission . This is the very last thing that Jesus tells them and from that point on the disciples become the apostles . The designation of their being apostles was never used until after the Ascension of Christ because before then, they were still following Jesus. After Christ had ascended to the right hand of the Father and was seated there He sent them forth to go to all ends of the earth to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Peter was the first one to preach on the day of Pentecost after the coming of the Holy Spirit and he was the first one to proclaim Christ to a Gentile. He was one of the boldest apostles of all. He willingly suffered persecution, imprisonment, beatings, and even rejoiced at the fact that he was worthy to suffer disgrace for the Lords sake .
Did Simon Peter Have A Son
Although not found in the Bible, traditionally it is said Peter possibly had a daughter named Petronilla. She is sometimes referred to as Saint Petronilla. Other traditions say she was simply a convert of the disciple, and therefore referred to as a spiritual daughter of Peters, not a biological child of his.
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Dwelling Together According To Knowledge
We must remember that Peters instructions to slaves in chapter 2 and to wives in chapter 3 were not calling for actions radically different from what the culture of that day expected. Slaves were expected to submit to their masters, as wives were expected to submit to their own husbands. The difference was the attitude which motivated this submission and the manner in which this submission was carried out. Wives and slaves might do what they were told, but Peter required something more, a truly submissive spirit which silently accepted suffering for being godly.
When we come to Peters words to husbands, there is little common ground between what society expected from Christian husbands and what God required of them. The command to dwell with their wives should be understood in the light of our Lords teaching:
While the men of Peters day could rather easily ease out of one marriage and into another, the same was not true for women. There was therefore no need for Peter to command wives as he does husbands. The command to dwell with their wivesis but the instruction of our Lord as expressed through His apostles. Although the culture of that day and ours tolerates divorce, Peter instructs Christian husbands to remain in their marriage. Paul agrees, instructing wives not to abandon their marriages and husbands not to divorce:
Most significant is the way Peter uses this term knowledgein his second epistle:
Peters Vision Of The Sheet With Animals
Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles, and he had a huge impact on the spread of Christianity . . . but before Paul started preaching to the Gentiles, God spoke to Peter in a vision, which he understood to mean that the gospel was for the Gentiles, too, not just the Jews.
Peter went to pray on a roof:
He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.
Surely not, Lord! Peter replied. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.
The voice spoke to him a second time, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. Acts 10:1016
Shortly after, Peter was invited to stay with Cornelius the centuriona Gentilewho God had told to find Peter and listen to him. Here, surrounded by a large gathering of Gentiles, Peter explains what was revealed to him through the vision:
You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. Acts 10:2829
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Does Simon Peter Have A Child
We dont hear anything about Peter having children in the New Testament but theres no reason to think that he didnt. We dont know much about Peters activities after the death of Jesus from the New Testament, but a second century apocryphal text called the Acts of Peter attempts to fill in the gaps.02.09.2019
In A Godly Marriage The Wife Is Focused On The Internal And Not The External
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in Gods sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.1 Peter 3:3-5
In this text, Peter begins to expand on the best way to submit to the husband and reverence him. The woman might be tempted to believe that it was all about her beauty and her outward appearance. But Peter teaches that beauty is not the primary way to honor your husband.
Now it should be noted that Peter is not saying that women should not wear jewelry or fine clothes. He is actually speaking about being consumed with it. This is seen by the fact that fine clothes is not in the text. Its added by translators. It literally says do not let your adornment be clothes. Is he saying the woman cant wear clothes? No, that is why the interpreters added fine clothes. He was talking about obsession with the external.
But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but theLORDlooksattheheart .
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in Gods sight .
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Epistles Of Peter Rome As Babylon
Peter’s vision of a sheet with animalsDomenico Fetti
Church tradition ascribes the epistles First and Second Peter to the Apostle Peter, as does the text of Second Peter itself, an attribution rejected by scholarship. First Peter implies the author is in “Babylon”, which has been held to be a coded reference to Rome. Early Church tradition reports that Peter wrote from Rome. Eusebius of Caesarea states:
Clement of Alexandria in the sixth of the Hypotyposeis cites the story, and the bishop of Hierapolis named Papias joins him in testifying that Peter mentions Mark in the first epistle, which they say he composed in Rome herself, and that he indicates this, calling the city more figuratively Babylon by these: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings and so does my son Mark. “
If the reference is to Rome, it is the only biblical reference to Peter being there. Many scholars regard both First and Second Peter as not having been authored by him, partly because other parts of the Acts of the Apostles seem to describe Peter as an illiterate fisherman.
At that time in history, the ancient city of Babylon was no longer of any importance. E.g., Strabo wrote, “The greater part of Babylon is so deserted that one would not hesitate to say … the Great City is a great desert.”
Did Apostle Paul Get Married
Paul may have been widowed or divorced at the time of his writing to the Corinthians, but we can be sure that he was married at one time. Pauls Judaic background would have required it. So this seems to indicate that Paul was married, but that he simply did not take his wife with him in his ministry.
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St Peters Marriage And Priestly Celibacy
Now Simons mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her and she served them.
Luke 18:28-30 And Peter said, Lo, we have left our homes and followed you. And he said to them, Truly, I say to you, there is no man who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.
Matthew 19:27 Then Peter said in reply, Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?
And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her and she served them.
St. Peter referred to leaving everything in order to be Jesus disciple, and Jesus clearly recognizes the propriety of leaving even family in some instances of radical discipleship.
1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.
Secondly, we also see another related passage:
Was Peter Married Is Priestly Celibacy Biblical
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All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
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In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been in force for many centuriesmarried men can be ordained as deacons and priests. This practice has long been considered legitimate
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Celibacy is a sign of this new life of the service of which the Churchs minister is consecrated accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.
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Why Is Mary Magdalene Called Lilith In The Chosen
The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. By noting how Mary is in the Red Quarter, The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. The Bible never suggests Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.08.02.2021
Were Any Apostles Married
Certainly, the majority of the Apostles were married. In this modern age, the Church must observe these things. It has to advance with history. Indeed, while Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the future Pope Francis acknowledged that the celibacy rule is simply one of tradition and is flexible.
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Why The Bible’s Mention Of A Mother
Apparently so, since he had a mother-in-law. Customarily the two go together. Sometimes they even remain together, both staying in a fellows home. This has been the source of many jokes and sad tales, none of which need be recounted here. Instead, lets consider Matthew 8:14-15 and Luke 4:38-39, which say that Peters mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus rebuked the fever. It left her, and she got up and served him and his companions.
What about Peters wife? She is nowhere mentioned. I find this strange. Imagine the scene. There is the mother-in-law, lying in bed. At her side, as one would expect, is her dutiful daughterexcept that Matthew and Luke make no reference to her daughter. Leaving her out of the story is strange. It is not the way a writer would be expected to handle the incident, since a daughter usually is the one most frantic about a mothers condition. The story is tantalizingly brief. Maybe the Evangelists decided to leave out all but the most salient facts. Or maybe it was because Peters wife wasnt thereshe already may have died. I think this is the most likely explanation for her non-appearance.
In short, I think Peter was a widower at the time his mother-in-law was healed.
Did He Write 2 Peter
Peter wouldve had to write this letter before 68 ADwhen most scholars believe he died. In 2 Peter 1, the author clearly refers to his impending death, which would fit with Peter:
I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 2 Peter 1:13-14
It says Peter wrote it. Its in the Bible. For most Christians, that settles it.
However, early Christian writers and modern scholars alike have had a harder time believing Peter wrote 2 Peter. Church leaders disputed this letters place in the Bible for more than a thousand years. In the fourth century, church historian Eusebius wrote:
Of the Disputed Books which are nevertheless known to most are the Epistle called of James, that of Jude, the second Epistle of Peter, and the so-called second and third Epistles of John which may be the work of the evangelist or of some other with the same name.
Disputed Books sounds dubiousbut thats just because were on this side of the Christians nailing down a final list of canonical books. During Eusebiuss day, the Disputed Books were used openly by many in most churches . Everyone agreed that 2 Peter was valuablethey just werent on the same page as to whether or not it belonged in the New Testament.
But more importantly, some folks believe the letter had to have been written after Peter died, for a few reasons:
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Was Peter The First Pope
The Catholic church regards Peter as the first pope, and argues that the Bible supports this position as well as early church writings.
One of the primary arguments for this position come from Jesus own words in the Gospel of Matthew. After Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus says:
Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:1719
For Catholics, the rock Jesus intended to build his church on was Peter, but thats not how Protestants read this declaration. For them, Jesus was merely stating that the church would be built upon the rock of confessing Jesus as Messiah and Lord.
Catholics argue that by saying the keys to the kingdom, Jesus is intentionally echoing Isaiah 22, in which the key to the house of David carries a far greater significance than opening doors. And since Jesus also said on this rock I will build my church, they claim Jesus clearly established Peters primacyhis authority over the whole church. For a very long time, theyve referred to Peter as the pope.
Ultimately, Protestants believe that Peter was clearly not the first pope, and Catholics believe he clearly was.