Was Saint Peter ever in Rome?

[admin]

Just curious if we have proof?

[JW Insider]

No proof. But evidence for a tomb supposedly belonging to to the apostle Peter is very old, reaching back to the century after Peter lived. (Some archaeologists also believe they have found physical evidence for such a tomb.)

There is no direct Biblical evidence that Peter was ever in Rome. But the early 'church' found it very important to control the location of the bones of martyrs. (There was an early superstition that touching or interacting somehow with the bones, grave or objects owned by martyrs could pass along some of the 'spirit' or miraculous power of that martyr.) The more famous the martyr, the more important it was for the 'church' to control the location of those bones and the tomb. So although the reasons for keeping or moving Peter's tomb to Rome might be very un-Biblical, it doesn't mean that it didn't happen.

[admin]

Thank you. I'm watching a documentary on Amazon about the history of the Catholic Church and they were discussing it.

I figured one of you might know more about it. 

Thanks..

So it is possible that he was actually "in person" walking out of Rome when Jesus told him basically to return to Rome according to the show. I think he supposedly sent his secretary back to Rome instead.

[JW Insider]

5 minutes ago, admin said:

So it is possible that he was actually "in person" walking out of Rome when Jesus told him basically to return to Rome according to the show. I think he supposedly sent his secretary back to Rome instead.

There is nothing in the Bible itself about that. There are a few traditions about Peter and Rome, but they are mostly from a couple hundred years after the events would have taken place. And these traditions are often contradictory. The Bible is much more consistent and was written almost completely in the same century when Peter lived.

Some of those traditions had the Gospel writer Mark as his secretary, but the Bible does not speak of either of them in Rome. The closest is this verse:

(1 Peter 5:13, 14) 13 She who is in Babylon, a chosen one like you, sends you her greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.. . .

Since Peter was married, the "she" here is often thought of as referring to his wife, and Babylon is sometimes thought of as a pseudonym for Rome. But we also know that there was still a thriving Jewish population in the actual area of Babylon, so a pseudonym for Rome is not a definite explanation here.