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For the first part of his life, he was a small fish in a big pond. A member of a disadvantaged minority, he lived in the obscurity of a backwater province in the mighty Roman Empire. But when he started following a traveling rabbi, he was projected far beyond his little world—not just into the pages of history, but into the hearts of all who have also become disciples of Jesus Christ.
The story of the man who began life as “Simon, son of John” and ended it as Peter “the Rock” is rich with dramatic contrasts. Even today, the ruins of the Galilean fishing villages that he once called home seem light years away from the magnificence of St. Peter’s Basilica, which was built to honor the site of his martyrdom and, as archaeological findings seem to confirm, of his burial.
Simon the Fisherman. St. Peter began life as Simeon, or Simon in Greek, growing up in the village of Bethsaida on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16; John 1:44). His father’s name was John (his mother’s is unknown), and though he may have had numerous siblings, we know only about his brother Andrew.
Since Bethsaida had a mixed population of Jews and non-Jews,…
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