PETER
747
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 there is 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 the 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 why 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.
