Icon with the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul – embroidered, framed, 27x33cm
The Holy Apostle Peter, who before his apostleship was named Simon, was of Jewish descent, from the borders of Galilee in Palestine, from a small and insignificant city called Bethsaida. He was the son of Jonah, from the tribe of Simeon, and brother of the Holy Apostle Andrew, the first called.
The Holy Apostle Paul, who before his apostleship was named Saul, was of Jewish descent from the tribe of Benjamin. He was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, from honorable parents who previously lived in Rome, then moved to Tarsus of Cilicia.
The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul are celebrated every year on June 29. They are celebrated together because they died on the same day, June 29, in the year 67 AD. However, the two apostles suffered martyrdom in different ways: Paul, because he was a Roman citizen, was killed by beheading, and Peter was crucified with his head downward.
When does Peter become an apostle of Christ?
Saint Peter learns that Jesus is the Messiah from his brother, Andrew. The Savior changes his name from Simon to Cephas ("rock" in Aramaic), hence the name Peter in Greek and Latin.
The Evangelist Luke reveals to us that Peter becomes a disciple of Christ after experiencing a miraculous catch of fish (although he had toiled all night and caught nothing, at Jesus' command, he cast the nets into the water and filled the boat with fish). This is the moment when Peter forsakes all he had and follows Christ.
From the Holy Apostle Peter, we have eight speeches preserved in the Acts of the Apostles and two epistles bearing his name.
Peter confesses the divinity of Christ in Caesarea Philippi: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," when Jesus asked the disciples who they believed He was.
Although he is praised by Christ for this answer: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-19), he denies Him three times during the Passion.
He receives forgiveness for this denial after the Resurrection of the Lord, when he is asked if he loves Him. Because of his repentance, he is worthy of such divine power that the sick were healed even when they were placed in his shadow.
The Apostle Peter was present at the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, at the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, in the Garden of Gethsemane he drew his sword to defend Jesus, he was among the first disciples who came to the Lord's tomb after the Myrrhbearers had announced His resurrection; he preached on the day of Pentecost, and as a result of his preaching, three thousand people were baptized, and he preached the Gospel in Judea, Antioch, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, and Rome. He was martyred in Rome, alongside Saint Paul, during the persecution of Nero. According to his own desire, he was crucified upside down and was buried on Vatican Hill.
Paul did not meet the Savior during His earthly ministry. He witnessed the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, guarding the clothes of those who stoned him.
When does Paul become an apostle of Christ?
Paul becomes one of the most ardent defenders of Mosaic law. He joined with great zeal those who had begun to persecute Christians. On his way to Damascus, where he was going to arrest the Christians there and bring them to Jerusalem to be judged, Christ appears to him, enveloped in a bright light, drawing his attention to the fact that those persecuted are not just Christians, but He Himself. Paul was striking Christians, but Christ was suffering. He was striking the body and shouting at its head - Christ. Thus, Paul comes to speak of the Church of Christ as being one body, whose head is He. Following this revelation, his transformation takes place - from persecutor he becomes a witness of Christianity. He is baptized by Ananias, the bishop of Damascus, and his name is changed from Saul to Paul.
The Holy Apostle Paul was captured by the Jews in Jerusalem in the year 58. He was imprisoned for two years in Caesarea of Palestine. Because he was a Roman citizen, he was taken to Rome to be judged by the emperor. In Rome, he spent two years in a rented house, guarded by a Roman soldier. He was released in the year 63. He was martyred in the year 67, during the reign of Emperor Nero, by beheading, at the same time as Peter.
From the Holy Apostle Paul, we have 14 Epistles: The First Epistle to the Thessalonians (Corinth, 52); The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians (Corinth, 52); The Epistle to the Galatians (Ephesus, 54); The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Ephesus, 56); The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Macedonia, 57); The Epistle to the Romans (Corinth, 58); The Epistle to the Ephesians (Rome, 62-63); The Epistle to the Philippians (Rome, 62-63); The Epistle to the Colossians (Rome, 62-63); The Epistle to Philemon (Rome, 62-63); The Epistle to the Hebrews (Rome, 63); The First Epistle to Timothy (Macedonia, 63); The Epistle to Titus (Macedonia, 65); The Second Epistle to Timothy (Rome, 66), considered as the "spiritual testament" of St. Apostle Paul.
The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, patrons of penitentiaries
In 1993 and 1997, two protocols were signed between the Romanian Patriarchate and the Ministry of Justice regarding the provision of religious assistance in the Romanian penitentiary system. According to these protocols, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul were declared the patrons of the penitentiaries in Romania.
