The Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
Chief Apostles, martyrs at Rome
- Feast day
- June 29
- Lived
- 1st century
- Patronage
- The Church's mission; preachers and pastors
The Apostles Peter and Paul are commemorated together on June 29 at the end of the Apostles' Fast, and are shown in Orthodox icons embracing — the fisherman and the persecutor, both martyred in Rome.
Peter
Simon, son of Jonah, a fisherman of Bethsaida, was named Cephas — rock — by Christ after confessing Him as the Son of the living God. He denied the Lord three times and wept bitterly, and was restored three times by the sea of Tiberias. He preached at Pentecost, opened the Church to the gentiles at the house of Cornelius, and was crucified in Rome under Nero, head downward at his own request.
Paul
Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and a persecutor who held the coats at the stoning of Stephen, was struck down on the road to Damascus and became the apostle to the gentiles. His three missionary journeys planted churches across the Mediterranean, and his fourteen epistles form the largest body of teaching in the New Testament. As a Roman citizen he was beheaded rather than crucified, outside Rome.
The Apostles' Fast
The fast preceding this feast begins on the Monday after All Saints Sunday and therefore varies in length with the date of Pascha, from a few days to six weeks. The day after, June 30, is the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles.