St. Peter: The Life and Legacy of Jesus Christ's Most Important Disciple

by Gustavo Vázquez Lozano

*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts and Scripture passages *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents “And Jesus suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter and James and John.” – Mark 5:37 Apart from Jesus, there is no character more vividly presented in the gospels than Peter. To talk of Saint Peter is to talk about a man of action. There is a good reason why he is the apostle with the most mentions in the Gospels, and the most referred to in the New Testament (a total of 195 times). In comparison, John, the next most popular disciple, barely reaches 29 references. It is at decisive moments which require a categorical reaction where the leader of the Twelve shines; it is then that Peter —born as Simon Bar-Jonah— has no rival in the inner circle of disciples that followed Jesus of Nazareth. At the same time, during periods of uncertainty and inaction he hesitates, collapses, and shows his all-too human side. With all his virtues and shortcomings, he became Jesus's man of confidence, and over time, the leader of the nascent Church. Reconstructing the biography of Simon the Galilean requires throwing the nets over the waters of the many traditions of the leader of the Twelve, the man who is always present at the turning points of the story of Jesus. It has rightly been said that the Gospel of Mark (and thus the gospels of Matthew and Luke) is written from his point of view. It is he whom Jesus calls first when he is working on the seashore; it is Peter who proclaims with blind enthusiasm that his teacher is the Messiah, who confronts him about the consequences and meaning of that title, who cries bitterly for his cowardice, who enters the house of the high priest where the rabbi is held prisoner, and who, after the crucifixion, throws himself into the dark waters, before the sunrise, when he sees him again standing on the shore of the lake. Peter was already a married man with a permanent job in Capernaum when Jesus passed by and said, "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men." Although the four canonical gospels tend to have disagreements, they all agree on one crucial Peter's preeminence. Peter was the spokesman and the chief apostle, the trustworthy disciple of the Lord and, ironically, the one who failed him again and again through his incomprehension, his hesitation, and impulsiveness. For example, he drew the sword to kill at a time of danger, when his teacher was clearly against violence. However, according to several independent sources, the risen Jesus went to appear to Peter first, as if to comfort him and confirm him on his commission to "feed the sheep." Considering all this, it is strange that few details about his later life are known. That Simon Bar-Jonah "Cephas," the man from Galilee, was a historical figure is a fact that no one - not even those who doubt the existence of Jesus - would put in doubt. The textual evidence is traced back to the years he lived in Jerusalem, and at least one contemporary person mentions an encounter with him. But the details are scarce. Ironically, most of the reliable information is in the writings of another Christian leader with whom he had Paul. Traditions and legends about the life of Saint Peter are many, not to mention several writings attributed to him. Some may contain historical memories, and others are parables, but it is not a legend that while he was alive, and even 2,000 years later, Peter has been the center of heated controversies. If indeed he was the leader of the apostles, then do his successors (the bishops of Rome) have preeminence over all of Christendom? To say that this question defined the history and the map of the Christian world for many centuries is an under

Genres: History

56 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2017

Reviews

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una muy interesante introducción a la vida de la piedra sobre la cual Jesús fundaría su iglesia. Gustavo Vázquez hace un recorrido por lo que se conoce de la vida y legado de San Pedro y le permite al lector conocer lo esencial sobre el hombre y el personaje para dar el brinco a libros que profundizan más en su obra. Los claroscuros del hombre conocido como "Cefas" (piedra) nos muestran a un humano en toda la extensión de la palabra. No es un "personaje" creado para encajar con una historia, pero al final, él mismo se convertirá en un símbolo de lo que es la iglesia. Como todos los hombres, no es perfecto, a lo mejor ni siquiera tan inteligente como Pablo, quien es realmente la mente que estructuró y extendió la palabra a los gentiles, pero son precisamente todas esas carencias lo que lo convierten en una figura tan importante. Fue el primero y único en reconocer quién era Jesús, pero también el primero en negarlo (tres veces). Fue también el hombre que agarró al toro por los cuernos para impedir que el legado de su maestro muriera y se perdiera, un hombre de acción asaltado por las dudas y los miedos, pero que cuando tomaba una decisión, nada ni nadie lo detenía. Pedro no es solo la piedra sobre la que se fundará la iglesia, sino que es una metáfora de la iglesia misma, una institución formada por humanos, con errores y pecados, pero con una misión que no debe detenerse.
Creo que la tradición nos habla del momento culminante en que Pedro toma una vez más al toro por los cuernos y realiza el sacrificio definitivo que confirmará al cristianismo frente al mundo, cuando sale de Roma en secreto para no ser apresado y en el camino de salida se topa frente a un hombre que solo él logra reconocer:
—¿Quo vadis, domine? (¿A donde vas, señor?) —pregunta Pedro al hombre que le pasa de lado.
Y el hombre contesta:
—Voy a Roma, a que me crucifiquen de nuevo.
Pedro se da cuenta de que no puede irse de la ciudad. Debe estar al lado de su gente en los momentos más difíciles aunque esta sea una sentencia segura de Muerte. Esta vez, Pedro no negará a su maestro. Regresa y muere crucificado al revés, pero ese sacrificio cimentará la fe de todo el cristianismo.

[Michael A. Simmons, Sr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting synopsis of Peter's life

A brief overview of one of Christianity's most important Apostles. Encourages one to explore his life in greater depth. I look forward to doing so.

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant precis

This is an excellent short work about the life and legacy of St Peter. It's about the right length for a precis of the main facts, but contains a bibliography for those wishing to pursue the subject further.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave some good background on the area where Peter lived and his probable lifestyle based on his profession and conditions. Sometimes I felt that the author tried to straddle between being believing and being secular. I'm not sure he always did that well.

[Dan Rodden · Rating 4 out of 5]

good conversational read

Recognizing that a lot about Peter is not known the author tried to fit together the information we do have with society at the time