Peter. [Gr. Petros, "stone," a translation of the Aramaic Kepha, "Cephas," "rock," or "stone." See Jn 1:42.] One of the Twelve, also called Simon (Gr. Simoµn and Sumeoµn, from Heb. Shimon, "Simeon"), a son of Jona (Jn 1:42), or, on the basis of textual evidence, John (see chs 1:42; 21:15-17; RSV). Peter's name appears 1st in all 4 NT lists of the Twelve (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13). Jesus gave Simon his new name, Peter, when Peter's brother, Andrew, first brought him to Christ (Jn 1:40-42). Peter was thus the 1st Christian convert resulting from what might be called a layman's efforts. His eagerness, earnestness, courage, vigour, and organising ability apparently earned him a place of leadership among the disciples from the very beginning. He was pre-eminently a man of action, and his enthusiastic disposition was his outstanding character trait. He was also a man of pronounced extremes, possessing marked virtues and serious defects—seemingly contradictory traits of character that existed side by side. He was usually warm-hearted, generous, bold, and daring, but again he might be selfish, boastful, impulsive, or reckless. In a moment of crisis he might prove to be weak, cowardly, and vacillating, and no one could ever be sure which side of his character and personality would prevail.

Peter was a native of Bethsaida Julias (see Jn 1:44; Jos. Ant. xviii. 2. 1), on the north-eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and was a fisherman by occupation (Mt 4:18). He was married (Mt 8:14; 1 Cor 9:5) and lived with his family at Capernaum, where Jesus, on one occasion, restored Peter's mother-in-law to health (Mt 8:5, 14; Mk 1:29-31; Lk 4:31, 38). Prior to his call by the sea (Lk 5:1-11) Peter had followed Jesus intermittently, returning home from time to time to engage in his former occupation, fishing. He, with James and John, was a member of an inner circle of 3 who were accorded the privilege of accompanying Jesus on special occasions, and in the list of the 3 he is always named 1st. The 3 recorded occasions on which this special favour was granted were the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mk 5:37), the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1), and Jesus' passion in Gethsemane (Mk 14:33). Peter often made himself spokesman for all the disciples (see Mt 15:15; 16:16; 26:35; etc.). At Caesarea Philippi, he was the first openly to confess Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God (Mt 16:16), but was also forward in presuming to criticise Jesus (vs. 22, 23). At the Last Supper, Peter hesitated to have Jesus wash his feet, but when he realised that this act was essential to discipleship he enthusiastically asked for his hands and his head to be washed as well (Jn 13:8, 9). On the night of the betrayal he was foremost in professing loyalty to the Saviour (Mt 26:33), but also the first to deny his Master and confirm his thrice-repeated denial with an oath (vs. 69-74). Realising, too late, what he had done, he "went out, and wept bitterly" (v 75). After the resurrection the first of the 12 to whom Jesus appeared was Peter (Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5), and early one morning when Jesus met with His disciples by the shores of Galilee, Peter was the first ashore to greet his Master (Jn 21:7). Upon this occasion Jesus gave Peter a threefold opportunity to confess his faith and love, and thus to remove any lingering doubt in the minds of his fellow disciples as to his loyalty (vs. 15-17). Thereupon, Jesus foretold Peter's death as a martyr (vs. 18, 19) and a few moments later rebuked his inquisitiveness as to John's fate (vs. 21-24).

At Pentecost, fully converted, Peter delivered the great sermon recorded in the 2nd chapter of Acts (vs. 14-36), an inspired address that led some 3,000 to believe in Jesus as the Messiah (v 41). Together with John, Peter healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful (ch 3:1-11), and later, surrounded by a throng in the Temple, eloquently testified to the death, resurrection, and power of Christ (vs. 12-26). He was arrested for healing the lame man, and when brought before the Sanhedrin for an investigation, he again boldly testified concerning Jesus (ch 4:1-12), and when commanded not to speak further in the name of Jesus, Peter and John declared that they could not "but speak the things" which they had "seen and heard" (vs. 19, 20). Peter played a leading part in the collection and distribution of gifts made by the more prosperous Christian believers for their less fortunate brethren (ch 5:1-11). He became known as one through whom divine power operated for the healing of the sick (vs. 15, 16). Again, Peter and some of the other apostles were imprisoned (vs. 17, 18), only to be released by an angel of the Lord and again commanded to preach and teach in the Temple (vs. 19, 20). Doing so, they were summoned once more before the high priest (vs. 21-27) and reminded of his previous injunction (v 28). As spokesman, Peter declared, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (v 29), and fearlessly witnessed to Christ as the Saviour of Israel (vs. 30-32). Peter is next heard of when, with John, he was sent to Samaria to assist Philip in his successful ministry (Acts 8:14). There he sternly rebuked Simon the sorcerer for proposing to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit for money (vs. 18-24). He seems to have engaged in a rather extensive period of evangelism among the Samaritans (v 25). Later, at Lydda, he healed Aeneas, a paralytic (ch 9:32-35). Going on to Joppa, he raised Dorcas from the dead and took up residence at the home of Simon, a tanner (vs. 36-43).

While Peter was living in Simon's home the Lord instructed him, by a vision, not to "call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:9-17, 28). The simultaneous arrival of messengers from Cornelius led him to understand the import of the vision and to accompany the messengers back to Caesarea, where Cornelius and his family were converted through his ministry (vs. 19-23, 29-48). Summoned by his brethren at Jerusalem to explain his conduct in associating with Gentiles, Peter defended his course of action as in harmony with the counsel and manifest guidance of the Holy Spirit (ch 11:1-18). About this time, Peter was once more imprisoned, but again was miraculously released by an angel (ch 12:1-11). Thereupon he went first to John Mark's home, where the church was praying for his release (vs. 12-17), and then left Jerusalem for Caesarea, where he stayed for some time (v 19). At the Jerusalem Council, called to settle the question referred to it by the Gentile church at Antioch as to whether Gentile believers should be required to observe the ritual Jewish law, Peter, recounting his experience with Cornelius (ch 15:6-9), concluded, "Why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (v 10). When visiting Antioch, Peter, in a moment of overcaution, "withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision" (Gal 2:11, 12), and was openly rebuked by Paul for his inconsistency (vs. 13, 14). Peter laboured primarily for his fellow Jews (ch 2:7, 8), and Paul refers to him as one of the "pillars" in the church at Jerusalem (v 9). When Paul first visited Jerusalem after his conversion, he stayed in Peter's home for 15 days (ch 1:18). Some believe that Peter visited Corinth (see 1 Cor 1:12), and that he laboured extensively in various parts of Asia Minor (1 Pe 1:1). He glorified God by a martyr's death (cf. Jn 21:18, 19). Peter's 1st epistle was written from the city of Rome (see 1 Pe 5:13, where Babylon is undoubtedly used as a cryptic name for Rome), in which he seems to have laboured for a while shortly before his martyrdom, at about the time Paul sealed his testimony with his blood. According to tradition, he was crucified with his head downward, at Rome, about a.d. 67 -- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary.