Apostle living at the time of the New Testament
Peter, also known as Simon, Cephas, or Simon Bar-Jonah, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and a prominent leader in the early Christian church.
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Also known as he · Simon · Simeon · Cephas · Bar-Jonah · son of Jonah · Bar-Jona
Peter, originally named Simon, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and played a crucial role in the early Christian church. He was the son of Jonah (or John) and the brother of Andrew, who introduced him to Jesus (Jhn.1.40-42). Jesus gave him the name Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), which means "rock" (Jhn.1.42, Mat.16.18).
Peter was a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee (Jhn.1.44) and was married (Mat.8.14; 1Co.9.5). He became one of Jesus' closest disciples, known for his bold faith and leadership. He was part of Jesus' inner circle, witnessing key events such as the Transfiguration (Mat.17.1-9) and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane (Mrk.14.32-42).
Despite his devotion, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times during Jesus' trial (Luk.22.54-62). After Jesus' resurrection, Peter was restored and commissioned to lead the church (Jhn.21.15-19). On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached powerfully, and about 3,000 people were baptized (Act.2.14-41).
Peter was instrumental in spreading the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. He performed miracles (Act.3.1-10; 9.32-43) and defended the inclusion of Gentiles in the church (Acts 10-11; Act.15.7-11). He wrote two epistles, 1 and 2 Peter, to encourage and instruct believers facing persecution.
Tradition holds that Peter was martyred in Rome during Nero's reign, crucified upside down at his request, as he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Part of: Paul's Circle · The Herods · John the Baptist's Circle · Bethany and the Women Around Jesus · The Jerusalem Church · The High-Priestly Family · Roman Officials · The Twelve Apostles
After his release from prison, Peter went to the house of Mary, mother of John who was called Mark, where many were praying. Peter closes 1 Peter calling Mark his son, which suggests a long association.
Sources: Scripture
A tradition reported by Eusebius from Papias (citing "the elder") says Mark, as Peter's interpreter, wrote down accurately what Peter taught, though not in order. Modern scholars weigh how far the Gospel of Mark reflects Peter's preaching.
Sources: Eusebius, Church History 3.39 (citing Papias)
Silas is widely identified with the Silvanus of Paul's letters, who joins Paul and Timothy in greeting the Thessalonians and whom Peter names as his scribe. This would tie Peter and Paul through one co-worker.
Sources: Scripture
Herod Agrippa I executed James, the brother of John, and imprisoned Peter at Passover before an angel freed him. Acts then records his death in Caesarea in Acts 12:20-23.
Sources: Scripture
Andrew is the brother of Simon Peter, both sons of John (or Jonah) and fishermen. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
Sources: Scripture
John says Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Yet Mark places Simon's house in Capernaum, so the family may have moved. Andrew and Philip later bring Greeks to Jesus together.
Sources: Scripture
John records Mary Magdalene finding the tomb empty, running to Peter and the other disciple, then seeing the risen Jesus. Mark 16:9 also says he appeared first to her.
Sources: Scripture
Paul calls James, Cephas, and John "pillars" at Jerusalem, and lists James first. James presides at the Jerusalem Council. Peter tells the church to "tell James" after escaping from prison.
Read more: Grokipedia: James, brother of Jesus (AI-written, unreviewed) ↗
Sources: Scripture
Luke calls James and John partners of Simon in the fishing business, and Mark says Zebedee had hired servants. Peter and John then appear together in Acts 3-4 and 8:14 and as two of the three "pillars".
Sources: Scripture
The Jerusalem house where disciples prayed for Peter had a servant named Rhoda, who recognized Peter's voice and ran inside in joy. The house was large enough for a gathering and had a gate, suggesting wealth.
Sources: Scripture
Right after Barnabas sold a field and laid the money at the apostles' feet, Ananias and Sapphira sold property and kept back part. Peter confronts each, and both die. The two accounts are set side by side in Acts.
Sources: Scripture
Philip preached in Samaria and Simon the sorcerer believed. Peter and John came down to lay hands on the converts, and Simon offered money for the same power and was rebuked.
Sources: Scripture
After debate, Peter and James spoke, and the letter was carried to Antioch by Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, with Paul and Barnabas.
Sources: Scripture
Paul visited Peter for fifteen days, later opposed Peter at Antioch over table fellowship after men from James arrived, and even Barnabas was led astray.
Sources: Scripture
Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas) in Joppa and stayed many days with Simon, a tanner, whose house by the sea is where he received the vision before meeting Cornelius.
Sources: Scripture
Acts 4 names Annas, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander with "all who were of the high-priestly family" as the court that questioned Peter and John.
Sources: Scripture
Only John names the servant whose ear Peter cut off as Malchus, and only John names Peter as the swordsman. Luke says Jesus healed the ear.
Sources: Scripture
John says another disciple, known to the high priest, got Peter into the courtyard. Is he John the apostle, the Beloved Disciple, or someone else?
Sources: Scripture
In the council Gamaliel, a Pharisee and respected teacher, recommends leaving the apostles alone, reasoning that it will fail if merely human but cannot be stopped if from God.
Sources: Scripture
Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort at Caesarea, was told by an angel to send to Simon the tanner's house in Joppa for Peter. The first Gentiles received the Spirit there.
Sources: Scripture
Jesus selected twelve from his wider group of disciples and named them apostles. The four lists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts) agree on twelve names with one variation in the tenth to twelfth positions (Thaddaeus or Judas of James).
Sources: Matthew 10:2-4 · Mark 3:13-19 · Luke 6:12-16 · Acts 1:13
Matthew calls Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, and John says Andrew found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. TIPNR records both as sons of a man called John.
Sources: Matthew 4:18 · John 1:40-42
Jesus addresses Peter as "Simon son of John" in John's Gospel, and as "Simon Bar-Jonah" in Matthew; the two forms are usually understood as variants of one name. Andrew is thus also a son of this man.
Sources: John 1:42 · Matthew 16:17
Luke calls James and John "partners" of Simon in the fishing trade, and Mark shows the two sets of brothers called at the same shore, one pair mending nets and the other casting them, with Zebedee's hired men present.
Sources: Luke 5:1-11 · Mark 1:16-20
Four of the Twelve are two sets of brothers, named together in the lists and called in adjacent scenes: Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John.
Sources: Matthew 4:18-22 · Mark 3:16-18
On three occasions Jesus takes only Peter, James and John: the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and Gethsemane.
Sources: Mark 5:37 · Mark 9:2 · Mark 14:33
John says Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Peter and Andrew later have a house in Capernaum.
Sources: John 1:44 · John 12:21
The apostles are addressed as "men of Galilee", and Peter was identified by his speech. Many of the individual apostles are placed in Galilee by the Gospels.
Sources: Acts 1:11 · Acts 2:7
Matthew's list arranges the Twelve in six apparent pairs, and Mark says Jesus sent them out two by two. Some see these as mission pairs; the texts do not say the list order gives partners.
Sources: Matthew 10:2-4 · Mark 6:7
One proposal is that most of the Twelve were kin, neighbours or business contacts around the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels attest two brother pairs, a partnership, a shared home town for three and an invitation between two; the wider network is a pattern suggested by those links, not a stated fact.
Sources: Luke 5:10 · John 1:44
Paul names James, Cephas and John as the "pillars" of the church in Jerusalem. In Galatians 1 he met Peter and saw also James the Lord's brother.
Sources: Galatians 1:18-19 · Galatians 2:9
Paul met James the Lord's brother in Jerusalem, and Acts shows James speaking authoritatively at the council. Paul also lists a separate resurrection appearance to James.
Read more: Grokipedia: James, brother of Jesus (AI-written, unreviewed) ↗
Sources: Galatians 1:19 · Acts 15:13 · 1 Corinthians 15:7
More background: search Wikipedia ↗
Originally called Simon (=Simeon, i.e., “hearing”), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament. He was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His mother is nowhere named in Scripture. He had a younger brother called Andrew, who first brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and was trained to the occupation of a fisher. His father had probably died while he was still young, and he and his brother were brought up under the care of Zebedee and his wife Salome (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). There the four youths, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, spent their boyhood and early manhood in constant fellowship. Simon and his brother doubtless enjoyed all the advantages of a religious training, and were early instructed in an acquaintance with the Scriptures and with the great prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. They did not probably enjoy, however, any special training in the study of the law under any of the rabbis. When Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he looked like an “unlearned man” (Acts 4:13). “Simon was a Galilean, and he was that out and out...The Galileans had a marked character of their own. They had a reputation for an independence and energy which often ran out into turbulence. They were at the same time of a franker and more transparent disposition than their brethren in the south. In all these respects, in bluntness, impetuosity, headiness, and simplicity, Simon was a genuine Galilean. They spoke a peculiar dialect. They had a difficulty with the guttural sounds and some others, and their pronunciation was reckoned harsh in Judea. The Galilean accent stuck to Simon all through his career.…
(a rock or stone). The original name of this disciple was Simon, i.e. “hearer.” He was the son of a man named Jonas, (Matthew 16:17; John 1:42; 21:16) and was brought up in his father’s occupation, that of a fisherman. He and his brother Andrew were partners of John end James, the sons of Zebedee, who had hired servants. Peter did not live, as a mere laboring man, in a hut by the seaside, but first at Bethsaida, and afterward in a house at Capernaum belonging to himself or his mother-in-law, which must have been rather a large one, since he received in it not only our Lord and his fellow disciples, but multitudes who were attracted by the miracles and preaching of Jesus. Peter was probably between thirty and forty pears of age at the date of his call. That call was preceded by a special preparation. Peter and his brother Andrew, together with their partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were disciples of John the Baptist when he was first called by our Lord. The particulars of this are related with graphic minuteness by St. John. It was upon this occasion that Jesus gave Peter the name Cephas, a Syriac word answering to the Greek Peter, and signifying a stone or rock. (John 1:35-42) This first call led to no immediate change in Peter’s external position. He and his fellow disciples looked henceforth upon our Lord as their teacher, but were not commanded to follow him as regular disciples. They returned to Capernaum, where they pursued their usual business, waiting for a further intimation of his will. The second call is recorded by the other three evangelists; the narrative of Luke being apparently supplementary to the brief and, so to speak official accounts given by Matthew and Mark. It took place on the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, where the four disciples…
PE'TER (stone, or rock; Syriac Cephas; Greek Petros), one of the twelve apostles, one of the three favorite disciples (with John and James), and the most active of all in word and deed (except Paul, who did not belong to the twelve). His original name was "Simon" or "Simeon." He was a son of Jonas (John, according to the reading of the best manuscripts), a brother of Andrew, probably a native of Bethsaida in Galilee. He was a fisherman by trade, and resided at Capernaum with his wife and mother-in-law, who was healed by Christ of a fever. See John 1:42; Josh 21:15; Matt 16:18; Luke 5:3-10; Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38. When he forsook all to follow Christ he must have made a considerable sacrifice. His new name "Peter" ("rock-man") was given him when he was called to the apostleship, John 1:42, and was solemnly confirmed when he, in the name of all the other apostles, made that remarkable confession of the divinity of our Lord which is the fundamental creed of Christendom and the immovable foundation of the Christian Church.Matt 16:18. The name "Peter" or "Cephas" was a prophecy of the prominent position which he, as the confessor of Christ, would occupy in the primitive age of the Church. He laid the foundation of the Church among the Jews on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2, and, after a special revelation, among the Gentiles also, in the conversion of Cornelius. Acts 10. He appears throughout in the Gospels and the first part of the Acts as the head and mouthpiece of the twelve. He had an ardent nature, a sanguine, impulsive, hopeful temperament, was frank, open, fresh, enthusiastic, and energetic, and born to take the lead, but apt to overrate his strength and liable to change and inconsistency. He was the first to confess and the first to deny his Lord and…
PE'TER (stone, or rock; Syriac Cephas; Greek Petros), one of the twelve apostles, one of the three favorite disciples (with John and James), and the most active of all in word and deed (except Paul, who did not belong to the twelve). His original name was "Simon" or "Simeon." He was a son of Jonas (John, according to the reading of the best manuscripts), a brother of Andrew, probably a native of Bethsaida in Galilee. He was a fisherman by trade, and resided at Capernaum with his wife and mother-in-law, who was healed by Christ of a fever. See John 1:42; Josh 21:15; Matt 16:18; Luke 5:3-10; Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38. When he forsook all to follow Christ he must have made a considerable sacrifice. His new name "Peter" ("rock-man") was given him when he was called to the apostleship, John 1:42, and was solemnly confirmed when he, in the name of all the other apostles, made that remarkable confession of the divinity of our Lord which is the fundamental creed of Christendom and the immovable foundation of the Christian Church.Matt 16:18. The name "Peter" or "Cephas" was a prophecy of the prominent position which he, as the confessor of Christ, would occupy in the primitive age of the Church. He laid the foundation of the Church among the Jews on the day
of Pentecost, Acts 2, and, after a special revelation, among the Gentiles also, in the conversion of Cornelius. Acts 10. He appears throughout in the Gospels and the first part of the Acts as the head and mouthpiece of the twelve. He had an ardent nature, a sanguine, impulsive, hopeful temperament, was frank, open, fresh, enthusiastic, and energetic, and born to take the lead, but apt to overrate his strength and liable to change and inconsistency. He was the first to confess and the first to deny his Lord and…
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
179 verses in 9 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G4074
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
When Jesus arrived at Peterʼs house, He saw Peterʼs mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”
“Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “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 prevail against it.
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”
But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”
“Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”
Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.
He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.
But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.
Simonʼs mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her.
Simon and his companions went to look for Him,
These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter),
And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”
Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”
While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I never will.”
He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour?
Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the officers and warmed himself by the fire.
While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”
But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.”
And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,
Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.
When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesusʼ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”
and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”
Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding and pressing against You.”
When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the childʼs father and mother.
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.
Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesusʼ glory and the two men standing with Him.
As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
“Lord,” said Peter, “are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”
“Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had to follow You.”
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat.
But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
Then they seized Jesus, led Him away, and took Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance.
When those present had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
A short time later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”
“Man, I do not know what you are talking about,” Peter replied. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. And after bending down and seeing only the linen cloths, he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
and saying, “The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”
Andrew, Simon Peterʼs brother, was one of the two who heard Johnʼs testimony and followed Jesus.
He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.
One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peterʼs brother, said to Him,
Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”
“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.
“Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked. Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.”
“Lord,” said Peter, “why canʼt I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.”
Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servantʼs name was Malchus.
“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”
Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Arenʼt you also one of this manʼs disciples?” “I am not,” he answered.
Because it was cold, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.
Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Arenʼt you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
One of the high priestʼs servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didnʼt I see you with Him in the garden?”
Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”
Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb.
The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.
Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.
So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to betray You?”
When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said,
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter.
But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
While the man clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and ran to them in the walkway called Solomonʼs Colonnade.
And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!
When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in Godʼs sight to listen to you rather than God.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?
“Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the price you and your husband got for the land?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.”
“How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peterʼs shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.
“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up,
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to urge him, “Come to us without delay.”
So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter.
The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simonʼs house and approached the gate.
They called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying there.
As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.
But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’
Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message.
All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said,
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:
Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’
He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.
On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herodʼs grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
When she recognized Peterʼs voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
After much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
Simon has told us how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own.
What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,
Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lordʼs brothers and Cephas?
and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
For the One who was at work in Peterʼs apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.
And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be condemned.
When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.