How Did The Apostle Peter Die?
Question: How did the apostle Peter die? Did Peter meet Jesus before his upside-down crucifixion in Rome?
Answer: In the Bible there is no explicit evidence that tell us how the apostle Peter died. The most commonly accepted church tradition is that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome. Tradition says that, when Peter was put to death, he requested to be crucified on an inverted cross. The reason for his request was that, because he had denied his Lord, he did not consider himself worthy to die as Jesus had (see Matthew 26:33–35, 69–75). Again, this is only a tradition, and the Bible doesn’t directly confirm or deny the story.
But we have implicit evidence of Peter’s death from Jesus’ prophecy in John 21:18–19, “‘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.” He acknowledged this prophecy regarding his death in the last epistle he wrote (2 Peter 1:14).
In other words, Jesus was telling Peter the apostle, his will was strong enough to take him where he wanted to by denying the Lord three time apart from God's will when he was young and immature in the Lord, but when he grows in the Lord and will become a mature apostle and a man of God in his old age, he will strech out his hand to die on the cross and someone else will control his life, which points to God living through his life and will take him to a place of martyrdom which he will not want even at that time in his life, which indicated apostle Peter will die as martyr for Jesus and will glorify God.
"Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome . . ." (Foxe's Book of Martyrs).
"The time and manner of (Peter's) martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he suffered at or about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67, 68. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master . . ." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, article entitled "Peter").
So according to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar. It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus.
According to the Romish apocryphal Acts of Peter, as Peter fled the city, it was here that he encountered the risen Christ. Peter saw Jesus walking in the opposite direction going back toward the city of Rome. Peter – astonished – asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus responded, “I am going back to Rome to be crucified again.”
Peter believed that the divine life of Christ actually lived within him and within all believers as he himself as told in his book in the New Testament, "Christ has given us...his precious and very great promises, so that through them you...may become participants of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:2-4).
So by the time he realized his first mistake of going his own way instead of God's way, this time Peter had given up his own life to live the life of Christ – to let Christ live through him after that vision which he must have understood to be the will of the Lord for his life according to the previous prophecy that Jesus had already revealed to him.
Because of this previous prophecy (John 21:18–19), Peter therefore knew that Jesus was telling him to go back to Rome where, as a participant in the divine nature of Christ, he would be crucified. Peter would not be alone on that cross. Jesus was with him – living through him – crucified again. Peter was a participant in the divine nature of Jesus, as are all those who desire Christ and let Him live through them (1 Cor 6:17; John 17:21; Acts 17:28; Col 2:9-10).
Thus Peter obeyed. He returned, was arrested, and crucified upside down on a cross.
Much Blessings....
Answer: In the Bible there is no explicit evidence that tell us how the apostle Peter died. The most commonly accepted church tradition is that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome. Tradition says that, when Peter was put to death, he requested to be crucified on an inverted cross. The reason for his request was that, because he had denied his Lord, he did not consider himself worthy to die as Jesus had (see Matthew 26:33–35, 69–75). Again, this is only a tradition, and the Bible doesn’t directly confirm or deny the story.
But we have implicit evidence of Peter’s death from Jesus’ prophecy in John 21:18–19, “‘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.” He acknowledged this prophecy regarding his death in the last epistle he wrote (2 Peter 1:14).
In other words, Jesus was telling Peter the apostle, his will was strong enough to take him where he wanted to by denying the Lord three time apart from God's will when he was young and immature in the Lord, but when he grows in the Lord and will become a mature apostle and a man of God in his old age, he will strech out his hand to die on the cross and someone else will control his life, which points to God living through his life and will take him to a place of martyrdom which he will not want even at that time in his life, which indicated apostle Peter will die as martyr for Jesus and will glorify God.
"Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome . . ." (Foxe's Book of Martyrs).
"The time and manner of (Peter's) martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he suffered at or about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67, 68. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master . . ." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, article entitled "Peter").
So according to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar. It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus.
According to the Romish apocryphal Acts of Peter, as Peter fled the city, it was here that he encountered the risen Christ. Peter saw Jesus walking in the opposite direction going back toward the city of Rome. Peter – astonished – asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus responded, “I am going back to Rome to be crucified again.”
Peter believed that the divine life of Christ actually lived within him and within all believers as he himself as told in his book in the New Testament, "Christ has given us...his precious and very great promises, so that through them you...may become participants of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:2-4).
So by the time he realized his first mistake of going his own way instead of God's way, this time Peter had given up his own life to live the life of Christ – to let Christ live through him after that vision which he must have understood to be the will of the Lord for his life according to the previous prophecy that Jesus had already revealed to him.
Because of this previous prophecy (John 21:18–19), Peter therefore knew that Jesus was telling him to go back to Rome where, as a participant in the divine nature of Christ, he would be crucified. Peter would not be alone on that cross. Jesus was with him – living through him – crucified again. Peter was a participant in the divine nature of Jesus, as are all those who desire Christ and let Him live through them (1 Cor 6:17; John 17:21; Acts 17:28; Col 2:9-10).
Thus Peter obeyed. He returned, was arrested, and crucified upside down on a cross.
Much Blessings....
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