Let God be True and Every Man a Liar (Romans 3:4)

There is no doubt the Roman Catholic Church is the oldest organized Christian church, sanctioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the early 4^th Century, and has the largest following~ “1.3 billion members, followed by Protestantism with around 900 million adherents. Other significant denominations include Eastern Orthodoxy with about 270 million and Anglicanism with around 85 million members.” Wikipedia (In comparison, Muslims are estimated 2 billion worldwide and Jews merely 15.8 Million. Yet, all three claim to be the true religion of God and the Patriarch Abraham and Israel.)

The following addresses the conflict between all three. The Jews still haven’t recognized the Christ as the Messianic fulfillment of the Covenant. Christians are split between Unitarian and Trinitarians. And the both issues of dissent are why Mohammad denounced the Jews, declared Christianity an idolatrous religion, and created Islam.

Jews and so-called Unitarians abhor the Christian ‘divine’ nature of Jesus and Islam hates both the Jews denying Christ to be a ‘prophet’ and the Trinity Doctrine, creating a cycle of unending violence. That is why I compiled this article from various sources.

Thank you for reading it through and checking your own resources, even though it might test your faith.

LAD

“May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus” (2 Timothy 1:16–18)

So, Paul was imprisoned in Rome prior to his martyrdom at or about 67 AD. Visits to Rome by Luke, Mark, and Timothy are also recorded in the bible.

Where was Peter?

Little was written concerning Peter’s later years. He was last known to be with Paul in Antioch. Peter and Paul had issues, Peter being sensitive about being seen with the gentiles and still promoting they follow Mosaic dietary and circumcision law to follow Christ.

From Bibleref.com:  When Cephas came to Antioch, Paul opposed him (Galatians 2:11), because Cephas had stopped engaging with Gentiles out of fear of the Jewish leaders (Galatians 2:12). He had been eating with the Gentile believers, but when a contingency of Jews arrived from Jerusalem, Peter withdrew from the Gentile crowd. Many of the Jews in the region, along with Barnabas, fell into that error, following Peter’s example. Paul branded that as hypocrisy (Galatians 2:13). Seeing that this segregation was not consistent with the gospel, Paul rebuked Peter openly, saying, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (Galatians 2:14).

Was Peter martyred in Rome?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-these-the-bones-of-saint-peter-180947833/

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/02/st-peter-forgotten-tomb-vatican-240779

The second hyperlink is to an article criticizing the unscientific conclusion of Peter’s bones interred in the mausoleum. There is an alternate, more likely explanation that it was another ‘Peter,’ from another century. While ‘relics’ are valued to add holiness to a claimed sacred site or church, there is no substantive basis that St. Peter was ever in Rome, let alone martyred or buried there.

By referring to early Christian texts, maps of the catacombs, a fourth-century marble sepulchral inscription of “Petri” and the orientation of the above ground basilica and mausoleum Constantine had built for his mother, St. Helena, the researchers claim “the last catacomb that has housed, or may still house today, St. Peter’s remains … is definitely that of the Sts. Marcellinus and Peter,” located on the ancient Via Labicana. St. Marcellinus was a priest and St. Peter was an exorcist, who both died in 304 during the Diocletianic persecution.

When we study the lives of Jesus’ inner circle of 12 apostles, we learn that all but two were put to death for their faith in Him (martyred). John died of natural causes and Judas ended his own life, but what about the other apostles? Most notably, what happened to Peter who was so close to Jesus, and so influential in the early church? Is the tradition of him being crucified upside down in Rome plausible? And what was it about Peter that led to his martyrdom? It helps to take a closer look at the life of Peter–a man radically changed by his love for Jesus–before we consider how he may have died.

When Jesus called Peter to become one of his students/disciples, he was a simple fisherman on the Sea of Galilee along with his brother Andrew. Then, because of his repentance and his great faith in Jesus, he became part of Jesus’ inner circle. When Peter was the one who made the bold claim that Jesus was the Son of God (showing his belief in everything Jesus said and did), Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter (meaning rock). Jesus then told the disciples that “upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). The Lord was foretelling that Peter would be instrumental in launching His kingdom on earth.

Yet at the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus also foretold that Peter would deny that he knew Jesus when Jesus was arrested by those who were going to kill him. That’s exactly what happened when Jesus was taken by the Roman officials to be tried and crucified. As he loitered in the courtyard of the high priest during Jesus’ first trial, Peter was asked three times if he was one of His disciples, and soundly denied knowing Him all three times.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He forgave and restored Peter to his role of apostle. Later, on the Day of Pentecost, when the promised Holy Spirit filled the disciples and others, Peter went out in the streets boldly proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah; nearly 3,000 people were baptized that day. And that was just the beginning of his ministry to preach the good news of Jesus Christ until his last breath.  [Supra copied from an Internet article without attribution.]

What Does the Bible Say about Peter’s Death?

There is great argument about where Peter went on his missionary journeys and where his last days were spent. Tradition claims that he was martyred in Rome, but nothing is mentioned in the Bible of his traveling to Rome or dying there. In fact, it speaks little of his death; all we have is a hint of his impending demise in his second letter:

“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things” (2 Peter 1:12-15).

What is evident in the Bible is that Peter was willing to be martyred for his faith. The apostles were in constant danger wherever they traveled because of the message they carried. They were despised by many Jews who refused to believe in Jesus as Messiah (often influenced by the religious elite). They were also persecuted by the Roman Empire that extended from Great Britain in the west, North Africa, the Middle East, and other countries along the Mediterranean. Each day they knew could be their last because of the great persecution against them and the gospel.

What Did Jesus Prophesy about Peter’s Martyrdom?

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared at one time to the disciples along the Sea of Galilee. As they were on their boats and He was on the shore, they recognized Him and immediately left their boats. Once onshore, Jesus prepared a meal for them.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “’Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:15-17)

Immediately thereafter, Jesus had very sobering words for Peter about what would happen to him as a follower of Christ.

“‘Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” (John 21:18-19).

Did Jesus say “Follow me!” because He had just said words that would have been unsettling to Peter? Did He want to make sure that Peter was still committed to his ministry even though it would one day cost him his life?

Where and When Did Peter’s Death Take Place?

Arguments for Peter’s Death in Rome

That’s where several theories arise from extra-biblical sources, especially since the Bible doesn’t provide conclusive information for us regarding Peter’s death. In the article “The Apostle Peter in Rome”, Brown University Religious Studies professor Nicola Denzey Lewis writes that the earliest testimony to Peter’s presence in Rome can be found in a 170-180 AD letter from a Christian deacon named Gaius, who said that Peter had established a church in Rome (where St. Peter’s Basilica is now located.)

In his review of the book Simon Peter: From Galilee to Rome by Carsten Thiede, reviewer I. Howard Marshall (writing for The Gospel Coalition) says that Thiede believed that Peter indeed went to Rome. He said that when Peter escaped from Jerusalem (Acts 12:1-19), he became a founding member of the church in Rome. He also said that Peter wrote his two letters sometime between 57 and 67 AD when he was killed in Nero’s persecution of the Christians. Thiede also wrote that the authentic site of his burial is the tomb, which was known to Gaius in the second century and was uncovered by modern archaeologists on Vatican Hill.

This is the foundation of the tradition of Peter in Rome, but neither the bible but any historical records confirm it. The bones of Peter in the Vatican Hill necropolis are actually those of a St. Peter who was a renowned exorcist.

Another tradition speaks of Peter being in Rome and, fearing martyrdom, fleeing the city on the Via Appia. Along the route, he met Jesus who said He was going to Rome to be crucified again. Supposedly, that was Peter’s signal to go back to Rome and face persecution and crucifixion like Jesus did. Some even say that on the road where Peter and Jesus met there appears to be a set of footprints on the ground that belong to Jesus.

Arguments Against Peter’s Death in Rome

In the article “The Apostle Peter in Rome”, Brown University Religious Studies professor Nicola Denzey Lewis writes that the earliest testimony to Peter’s presence in Rome can be found in a 170-180 AD letter from a Christian deacon named Gaius, who said that Peter had established a church in Rome (where St. Peter’s Basilica is now located.)

Denzey Lewis goes on to say that she personally doesn’t believe that Peter ever went to Rome. “There is no early textual evidence for Peter in Rome, so for some people, it’s very hard to believe that he ever traveled there.” Not only would it have been quite a distance to travel, but “Peter was a fisherman who was not very educated and who spoke only Aramaic; he was not the type of person that might travel widely across the Roman Empire to a large city where Latin and Greek were the dominant languages.”  https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/the-apostle-peter-in-rome/

Vatican Hill

The history of the Vatican as a church begins with Constantine, Rome’s first Christian emperor.  When Constantine legitimized Christianity and began his building program, he did so outside the Roman walls. He then had the Constantinian basilica built over the site of Saint Peter’s claimed tomb in 318 AD.

Prior to Constantine, other emperors ordered construction on the hill for gardens and a circus. The tall obelisk prominent in the center of St. Peter’s square was attributed to the Emperor Caligula, who had the monument transported from Egypt.

Is the Vatican Basilica the Only Original Church? It was built in the 4th Century. In addition, the last surviving apostle, John, wrote letters to the seven churches, but the Roman congregation was not mentioned. Why? The Roman churches were held in secret, in private homes. Persecution was horrific for three hundred years. Rev. 1:1-7 An angel appears to John and tells him to send a message from Jesus Christ to the seven churches in the province of Asia.

The Trinity

No doctrine attributed to Christianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church, is as contested as the Trinity and the ‘divine’ nature of Christ. At the time of Constantine and for decades afterwards, the doctrine was contested and voted for, or against, by convention, first in Nicaea.

“In the hope of securing for his throne the support of the growing body of Christians he had shown them considerable favor and it was to his interest to have the church vigorous and united. The Arian controversy was threatening its unity and menacing its strength. He therefore undertook to put an end to the trouble. It was suggested to him, perhaps by the Spanish bishop Hosius, who was influential at court, that if a synod were to meet representing the whole church both east and west, it might be possible to restore harmony.

“Constantine himself of course neither knew nor cared anything about the matter in dispute but he was eager to bring the controversy to a close, and Hosius’ advice appealed to him as sound” (Arthur Cushman McGiffert, A History of Christian Thought, 1954, Vol. 1, p. 258).

Arius, a priest from Alexandria, Egypt, taught that Christ, because He was the Son of God, must have had a beginning and therefore was a special creation of God. Further, if Jesus was the Son, the Father of necessity must be older.
Opposing the teachings of Arius was Athanasius, a deacon also from Alexandria. His view was an early form of Trinitarianism wherein the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were one but at the same time distinct from each other.

The decision as to which view the church council would accept was to a large extent arbitrary. Karen Armstrong explains in A History of God: “When the bishops gathered at Nicaea on May 20, 325, to resolve the crisis, very few would have shared Athanasius’s view of Christ. Most held a position midway between Athanasius and Arius” (p. 110).

As emperor, Constantine was in the unusual position of deciding church doctrine even though he was not really a Christian. (The following year is when he had both his wife and son murdered, as previously mentioned). https://www.ucg.org/learn/bible-study-aids/god-trinity/god-trinity/surprising-origins-trinity-doctrine