Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/815

 PETER

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PETER

and the obbgation and libertyof the Apostles to preach the Gospel (ibid., iv, 5-21). When Ananias and Sap- pliira attempt to deceive the Apostles and the people, Peter appears as judge of their action, and God exe- cutes the sentence of punishment passed by the Apos- tle by causing the sudden death of the two guilty parties (ibid., v, 1-11). By numerous miracles God confirms the Apostolic activity of Christ's confessors, and here also tliereis special mention of Peter, since it is recorded that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and neighbouring towns carried their sick in their beds into the streets so that the shadow of Peter might fall on them and they might be thereby healed (ibid., v, 12-16). The ever-increasing number of the faithful caused the Jewish supreme council to adopt new meas- ures against the Apostles, but "Peter and the Apos- tles" answer that they ' ' ought to obey God rather than men" (ibid., v, 29 sqq.). Not only in Jerusalem itself did Peter labour in fulfilling the mission entrusted to him by his Master. He also retained connexion with the other Christian com- munities in Palestine, and preached the Gospel both there and in the lands sit- uated farther north. When Philip the Deacon had won a large number of believers in Samaria, Peter and John were deputed to proceed thither from Jerusalem to or- ganize the community and to invoke the Holy Ghost to descend upon the faithful. Peter appears a second time as judge, in the case of the magician Simon, who had wished to purchase from the Apostles the power that he also could invoke the Holv Ghost (ibid., viii, 14-2.5). On their way back to Je- rusalem, the two Apostles preached the joyous tidings of the Kingdom of God. Subsequently, after Paul's departure from Jerusalem and conversion before Da- mascus, the Christian com- munities in Palestine were left at peace by the Jewish St.^tue of

council. St. Pete

Peter now undertook an extensive missionary tour, which brought him to tlie maritime cities, Lydda, Joppe, and Ca'sarea. In Lydda he cured the palsied Kneas; in Joppe he raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead; and at C^sarca, instructed by a vi.sion which he had in Joppe, he baptized and received into the Church the first non-Jewish Christians, the centurion Cornelius and his kin.smen (ibid., ix, 31-x, 48). On Peter's return to Jerusalem a little later, the strict Jewish Christians, who regarded the complete observ- ance of the Jewish law as binding on all, asked him wliy he had entered and eaten in the house of the iincircumcised. Peter tells of his \-ision and defends his action, which was ratified by the Apostles and the faithful in Jerusalem (ibid., xi, 1-18).

A confirmation of the position accorded to Peter by Luke, in the Acts, is afforded by the testimony of St. Paul (Gal., i, 18-20). After his conversion and three years' residence in Arabia, Paul came to Jerusalem "to see Peter". Here the Apostle of the Gentiles clearly designates Peter as the authorized head of the Apostles and of the early Christian Church. Peter's long residence in Jerusalem and Palestine soon came to an end. Herod .\grippa I began (a. d. 42-44) a new

persecution of the Church in Jerusalem; after the execution of James, the son of Zebedee, this ruler had Peter cast into prison, intending to have him also ex- ecuted after the Jewish Pasch was over. Peter, how- ever, was freed in a miraculous manner, and, proceed- ing to the house of the motluT of John Mark, where many of the faithful were assenililed for prayer, in- formed them of his liberation from the hands of Herod, commissioned them to communicate the fact to James and the bretliren, and then left Jerusalem to go to "another place" (Acts, xii, 1-18). Concerning St. Peter's subsequent activity we receive no further connected information from the extant sources, al- though we possess short notices of certain individual episodes of his later life.

HI. Missionary Journeys in the East; Council OP THE Apostles. — St. Luke does not tell us whither Peter went after his liberation from the prison in Jeru- salem. From incidental statements we know that 1m' subsequently made ex- irii..iive missionary tours in 'III' East, although we are L;n-en no clue to the ehronol- I'L'v of his journeys. It is riTtain that he remained fur a time at Antioch; he may even have returned thither several times. The Christian community of An- tioch was founded by Christianized Jews who had been driven from Jerusalem by the persecution (ibid., xi, 19 sqq.). Peter's residence
 * i rnong them is proved by the

I'jiisode concerning the ob- .-icrvance of the Jewish cere- monial law even by Chris- tianized pagans, related by St. Paul (Gal., ii, 11-21). The chief Apostles in Jeru- salem — the "pillars", Peter, James, and John — had un- reservedly approved St. Paul's ApostoJate to the Gentiles, while they them- selves intended to labour principally among the Jews. While Paul was dwelling in Antioch (the date cannot be St. Peter accurately determined), St.

's, Rome Peter came thither and

mingled freely with the non-Jewish Christians of the community, frequenting their houses and sharing their meals. But when the Christianized Jews arrived in Jerusalem, Peter, fearing lest these rigid observers of the Jewish ceremonial law should be scandalized thereat, and his influence with the Jewish Chris- tians be imperilled, avoided thenceforth eating with the uncircumcised.

His conduct made a great impression on the other Jewish Christians at Antioch, so that even Barnabas, St. Paul's companion, now avoided eating with the Christianized pagans. As this action was entirely op- posed to the principles and practice of Paul, and might lead to confusion among the converted pagans, this Apostle addressed a public reproach to St. Peter, be- cause his conduct seemed to indicate a wish to compel the pagan converts to become Jews and accept circum- cision and the Jewish law. The whole incident is another proof of the authoritative position of St. Peter in the early Church, since his example and con- duct was regarded as decisive. But Paid, who rightly saw the inconsisti'iir\- in tin- romliirt of I'l'tc-r and the Jewish Christians, dul mil lirsilad- In .Irlmil the im- munity of cunvntcil jiagaiis fnnii the Jeui.sli Law.