The Life of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The marvelous witness, miraculous work and deed, is the signification of the disciples afore they departure later an astonishing fight and struggle for the Love of the Lord. The apostles were the closest one to talk, walk, share food and whose feet are even washed by His Holy Hands.
We celebrate 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 5th day of the Hamele, Ethiopian calendar. Then, it is so vital to commemorate their hagiography.
Saint Peter
One of the Pillar of the Church, whom our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appointed as “The Rock of the Church,” is a great apostle. He is known by three names: Simon the son of Jonah, Cephas, and Peter. He was a fisherman with his brother Andrew in Bethsaida. The Lord chose him on the second day of His baptism after He chose Andrew his brother. Simon began his acquaintance with Christ by way of his brother Andrew. It was mentioned in the gospel of John about Andrew: “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: “We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said: “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas [which is translated Peter, A Stone] (John 1: 40-42). We note that the three names came in a single verse.
Simon Peter became the first name among the twelve (Matthew 10:2). Rather he became one of three who were very near to the Lord Christ. They are Peter, James, and John, whom He took to the mount of the Transfiguration, and “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17: 1,2); and they saw with Him Moses and Elijah talking to Him.
The Lord took these three with Him in the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus from death. The gospel of Mark says about that: “And He permitted no one to follow Him except` Peter, James, and John the brother of James.” (Mark 5:37)
These three are also those whom He took with Him to the garden of Gethsemane, in His agony before the crucifixion. The gospel of Matthew says about that: “And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee….” (Matthew 26:37)
Hence, Peter, James and John had a certain familiarity by Christ. Therefore, the Apostle Paul considers Peter to be one of the three pillars of the church in the days of the apostles. He says: “and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision.” (Galatians. 2:9)
Faith, Zeal and Love
Saint Peter had fervent faith and strong zeal. When the Lord asked His disciples: “Who do men say that I am?” So they answered, “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.” (Matthew 16:13-20)
The apostle Saint Peter loved the Lord Christ very much. He loved His words and His instruction. Accordingly when some disciples returned back; and the Lord said to the twelve: “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6: 66-68).
His love for Him was manifested in his words on the Great Thursday night. When the Lord said to His disciples: “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night”, Peter with his well-known impulsiveness answered and said to Him: “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble ……. Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26: 31-35). “I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33)
A Weak Moment
Verily, Saint Peter denied Christ during His Trial, three times. This was out of weakness, and not out of lack of love. A proof of this is that when the rooster crew, “he went out and wept bitterly” (Matt. 26:75). Another proof is that he answered the Lord after the resurrection: “You know that I love you” (John 21: 17). The Lord accepted his repentance, and established him in his apostleship and said to him: “Feed My lambs”, “Tend My sheep.” (John 21: 15,16)
His Preaching
After he received the grace of the Holy Spirit, he went around in the world preaching of the crucified Christ, and he converted many to the faith. God wrought great and innumerable signs and wonders by his hands. He wrote two catholic Epistles to the believers.
God wrought by the hands of Peter many great signs and wonders, that they even carried the sick out into the streets … that as Peter came by … his shadow might fall on them … and they were all healed. (Acts 5:15)
The first chapters of the book of the Acts of the Apostles are nearly centered about the two apostles Peter and John; and narrate to us what they did in the building of the first Church, before the appearance of the apostle Paul.
The strength of the apostle Peter in exhortation is evident from his sermon on the day of the Pentecost, which drew to faith nearly three thousand men who “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37), and were baptized; and likewise his sermon after the healing of the lame (Acts 3); and his courageous standing before all the chiefs and the priests of the Jews; and his unrestricted manifestation of his faith.
Filled with the Bible’s Spirit
It is evident that he could recall from memory the psalms and the verses of the Bible. He mentioned them in his profound interpretations. For example, what he said about Judas (Acts 1: 16-20); what he said on the day of the Pentecost; his quotation of what came in the book of the prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16-21); other quotations from the book of the Psalms (Acts :24-30) ….. all this in consequent verses. Add to this what he said on the day of the healing of the lame, and his quotation of the sayings of the prophets (Acts 3: 21-25).
Similarly, in his two epistles which he wrote. It is the style of a man who filled with the spirit of the Bible, and with the soundness of the explanation of the words. He said: “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). It was he who said: “I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets….” (2 Peter 3: 1-2).
His Martyrdom
When he came to the city of Rome, he found there St. Paul the Apostle. Through their preaching, most of the people of Rome believed, so Nero seized Peter and commanded to crucify him. Peter asked them to crucify him head downwards, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of the Lord.
Coptic Synaxarium:
On Hamele 5th, Saint Peter was martyred. Peter was from Bethsaida, and he was a fisherman. The Lord chose him on the second day of His baptism after He chose Andrew his brother. He had fervent faith and strong zeal. When the Lord asked His disciples: “Who do men say that I am?” So they answered, “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.” (Matthew 16:13-20) After he received the grace of the Holy Spirit, he went around in the world preaching of the crucified Christ, and he converted many to the faith. God wrought great and innumerable signs and wonders by his hands. He wrote two Epistles to the believers. When he came to the city of Rome, he found there St. Paul the Apostle. Through their preaching, most of the people of Rome believed, so Nero seized Peter and commanded to crucify him. Peter asked them to crucify him head downwards, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of the Lord.
Saint Paul – Saul of Tarsus
Saint Paul the apostle was born in the year 5 A.D. in Tarsus in Asia Minor to Jewish parents. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. His Hebrew name was Saul and his Roman name was Paul.
His father was a Pharisee, so he was brought up as a zealous Pharisee. He received his religious education at the hand of Gamaliel, a teacher of the law. Prior to his conversion, he harshly persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem.
Saul Persecutes Christians
Saul was zealous for the Law, thus setting out to mercilessly persecute Christians, beginning with those in Jerusalem. “He consented to the stoning of St. Stephen,” and witnessed his death. Then, he proceeded to wreak havoc on the church by entering every house and dragging out men and women to prison. He became dissatisfied with persecuting Christians in Jerusalem, so he took letters from the chief of priests to the synagogues of Damascus to persecute Christians there too (Acts 8).
The Lord Jesus Christ Appears to Saul of Tarsus
As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
(Acts 9:3-5)
Then He ordered him to go to Ananias in Damascus, who baptized him. He was filled by the grace of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Afterward, he went to the Arabian Desert, which is east of Damascus, where he lived for three years in seclusion. It was a time for contemplation, prayers, and studying the Old Testament with the spirit of the New Testament.
His Ministry
He started his ministry around the year 40 A.D. with three main missionary journeys. He preached in Seleucia, Cyprus, Asia Minor (present day Turkey) and Greece. The Jews seized him in Jerusalem and the commander sent him to Caesarea, where he spent two years in prison awaiting his trial. Finally, he went to Rome and appealed to Caesar. He remained in Rome for two years in his own rented house, where he received all who came to him preaching to them the kingdom of God and all things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. When he was released from his confinement, he returned to his ministry.
However, soon after, he was arrested again. He returned to Rome a prisoner in the year 66 A.D. From his prison in Rome, he wrote his last Epistle which was his Second Epistle to his disciple Timothy in which he wrote, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6)
Saint Paul wrote fourteen Epistles out of the 27 books of the New Testament.
Through the Power of the Holy Spirit
God wrought by the hands of Peter and Paul many great signs and wonders, that they even carried the sick out into the streets that as Peter came by his shadow might fall on them and they were all healed (Acts 5:15).
The handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from Paul’s body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them (Acts 19:12).
His Martyrdom
Finally, Nero seized Saint Paul, tortured him severely and ordered his head to be cut off with the sword. While St. Paul was passing along with the executioner, a young woman who was related to the Emperor Nero heard Saint Paul’s message and believed in Jesus Christ. Weeping, she walked along with Saint Paul to where they carried out his death sentence. He comforted her and asked her for her veil. He wrapped his head with the veil, and asked her to return back. The executioner cut off his head and left it wrapped in the veil of the young girl.
The young girl then met the executioner on his way back to the Emperor, and asked him about Paul and he replied, “He is lying where I left him and his head is wrapped in your veil.” She told him, “You are lying, for he and Peter had just passed by me. They were arrayed in the apparel of kings, and had crowns decorated with jewels on their heads, and they gave me my veil, and here it is.” She showed it to the executioner, and to those who were with him. This took place in the year 67 A.D. They marveled, and believed on the Lord Christ. Thus, Saint Paul received the crown of Martyrdom.
May their intercession and Mediation be with us, Amen!
Sermons on “The Two Saints Peter and Paul” by H.H Pope Shenouda and Coptic Synaxarium, Saint Peter and Saint Andrew Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Reader App, Saint Takla. Org, Coptic Church. Net, Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church)