Home/Biblical Encyclopedia/P/Peter the Apostle

Peter the Apostle

Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia

(rock, stone) (John 1:40)—son of Jonah and brother of Andrew. He was a native of Bethsaida and was originally called Simon. The name Cephas, a Syriac word meaning rock, was given to him when he was called to the apostolic ministry (John 1:42; Matt. 16:18). His family lived at Capernaum (Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38), and by occupation he was a fisherman (Luke 5:1–3).

Scripture cited

John 1:40 John 1:42 Matthew 16:18 Matthew 8:14 Mark 1:29 Luke 4:38 Luke 5:1

Related entries

Bethabara (John 1:28) — a locality beyond the Jordan, where a crossing of the river was located, which explains the…
Bethlehem (house of bread) (Gen. 35:19; Micah 5:1 [as given]; Matt. 2:1; Ruth 1:2), also called Bethlehem Ephratah…
Bethsaida (house of fishing) (Matt. 11:21; Mark 6:45; Luke 9:10; John 1:44). Under this designation, two cities in…
Cephas (stone) (John 1:42; Gal 2:9) - the Syriac-Chaldean equivalent of the Greek Peter, meaning rock or stone. The…
Children. This word has a broad meaning in Holy Scripture. Originally it denotes natural kinship, and in this sense is…
Fig Tree and Figs (Isa. 34:4; Deut. 8:8; Matt. 21:19; John 1:48; Rev. 6:13)—a familiar tree and fruit frequently mentioned in…
God — the Creator of heaven and earth and Provider for the universe (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1) has in Holy Scripture…
John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord (Matt 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:60-63; John 1:6) - son of the aged priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth (Luke…
Jordan (flowing or descending) (Gen 13:10; Josh 1:2; Matt 3:5; Mark 1:5, 9; Luke 3:3; John 1:28 and elsewhere) - the…
Ladder (Gen. 28:12)—in Jacob’s dream at Bethel, a stairway or ramp set upon the earth reached to heaven, and angels…

Search the whole Encyclopedia All 4,575 entries, searchable, with every entry linked to the verses it explains.