Antiquitates christianæ, or, The history of the life and death of the holy Jesus as also the lives acts and martyrdoms of his Apostles : in two parts.

[illustration]

S. PETER.

He was crucified at Rome with his head downwards, and Buried in the Vatican there. S. Hierom. after he had planted a Christian Church first at Antioch and afterwards at Rome.

[illustration]

S. Peter's Martyrdom.

Ioh. 21. 18. 19. Verily verily I say unto thee when thou wast young thou girdedst thy self & walkedst whither thou wouldst but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands & another shall gird thee & carry thee whither thou wouldst not. This spake he signifying by what death he should glorify God

SECT. I. Of S. Peter from his Birth till his First coming to Christ.

Bethsaida S. Peter's Birth-place: Its dignity of old, and fate at this day. The time of his Birth enquired into. Some Errors noted concerning it. His names; Cephas, the im∣posing of it notes no Superiority over the rest of the Apostles. The custom of Popes assuming a new Name at their Election to the Papacy, whence. His kindred and relations; whe∣ther He or Andrew the elder Brother. His Trade and way of life what, before his coming to Christ. The Sea of Galilee, and the conveniency of it. The meanness and obscurity of his Trade. The remarkable appearances of the Divine Providence in propagating Christi∣anity in the World by mean and unlikely Instruments.

THE Land of Palestine was, at and before, the coming of our Blessed Saviour, distinguished into three several Provinces, Judaea, Samaria, and Galilee. This last was divided into the Upper, and the Lower. In the Upper, cal∣led also Galilee of the Gentiles, within the division anciently belonging to the Tribe of Nephthali, stood Bethsaida, formerly an obscure and inconsiderable Vil∣lage, till lately reedified and enlarged by * 1.1 Philip the Tetrarch, by him advanced to

the place and title of a City, replenished with inhabitants, and fortified with power and strength; and in honour of Julia the daughter of Augustus Caesar, by him styled Ju∣lias. Situate it was upon the banks of the Sea of Galilee, and had a Wilderness on the other side, thence called the Desart of Bethsaida, whither our Saviour used often to re∣tire, the privacies and solitudes of the place advantageously ministring to Divine con∣templations. But Bethsaida was not so remarkable for this adjoyning Wilderness, as it self was memorable for a worse sort of Barrenness, Ingratitude and Unprofitable∣ness under the influences of Christ's Sermons and Miracles, thence severely upbraided by him, and threatned with one of his deepest woes, Woe unto thee Chorazin, woe unto* 1.2 thee Bethsaida, &c. A woe that it seems stuck close to it, for whatever it was at this time, * 1.3 one who surveyed it in the last Age tells us, that it was shrunk again into a very mean and small Village, consisting only of a few cottages of Moores and wild Arabs; and later travellers have since assured us, that even these are dwindled away into one poor cottage at this day. So fatally does sin undermine the greatest, the goodliest places; so certainly does God's Word take place, and not one lot a either of his promises or threatnings fall to the ground. Next to the honour that was done it by our Saviour's presence, who living most in these parts frequently resorted hither, it had nothing greater to recommend it to the notice of posterity, than that (besides some other of the Apostles) it was the Birth-place of S. Peter; a person how inconsiderable soever in his private fortunes, yet of great note and eminency, as one of the prime Em∣bassadors of the Son of God, to whom both Sacred and Ecclesiastical stories give, though not a superiority, a precedency in the Colledge of Apostles.

2. THE particular time of his Birth cannot be recovered, no probable footsteps or intimations being left of it: in the general we may conclude him at least Ten years elder than his Master; his married condition, and setled course of life at his first coming to Christ, and that authority and respect which the gravity of his person procured him amongst the rest of the Apostles, can speak him no less: but for any thing more parti∣cular and positive in this matter, I see no reason to affirm. Indeed might we trust the account, which one (who pretends to calculate his Nativity with ostentation enough) has given of it, we are told that he was born three years before the Blessed Virgin, and just XVII. before the Incarnation of our Saviour. But let us view his account.

Nat. est Ann.

• ab Orbe Cond. 4034
• à Diluvio 2378
• V. G. 734
• ...
  Ann.
  • Oct. August. 8
  • à 10 ejus consul. 24
  • à pugna Actiac. 12
• ...
  An.
  • Herodis Reg. 20
  • ante B. Virg. 3 * 1.4
  • ante Chr. nat. 17

When I met with such a pompous train of Epocha's, the least I expected was truth and certainty. This computation he grounds upon the date of S. Peter's death, placed (as * 1.5 elsewhere he tells us) by Bellarmine in the LXXXVI. year of his Age; so that re∣counting from the year of Christ LXIX. when Peter is commonly said to have suffered, he runs up his Age to his Birth, and spreads it out into so many several dates. But alas, all is built upon a sandy bottom. For besides his mistake about the year of the World, few of his dates hold due correspondence. But the worst of it is, that after all this, * 1.6 Bellarmine (upon whose single testimony all this fine fabrick is erected) says no such thing, but only supposes, merely for arguments sake, that S. Peter might very well be LXXXVI. ('tis erroneously printed LXXVI.) years old at the time of his Martyr∣dom. So far will confidence, or ignorance, or both carry men aside, if it could be a mistake, and not rather a bold imposing upon the World. But of this enough, and perhaps more than it deserves.

3. BEING circumcised according to the Rites of the Mosaic Law, the name given him at his circumcision was Simon or Symeon, a name common amongst the Jews, especi∣ally in their latter times. This was afterwards by our Saviour not abolished, but addi∣tioned with the title of Cephas, which in Syriack (the vulgar Language of the Jéws at that time) signifying a stone or rock, was thence derived into the Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and by us, Peter: so far was * 1.7 Hesychius out, when rendring 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an Expounder or Interpreter, probably deriving it from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies to explain and interpret. By this new imposition our Lord seemed to denote the firmness and constancy of his Faith, and his vigorous activity in building up the Church, as a spiri∣tual house upon the the true rock, the living and corner-stone, chosen of God and precious, as S. Peter himself expresses it. Nor can our Saviour be understood to have hereby* 1.8 conferred upon him any peculiar Supremacy or Sovereignty above, much less over the rest of the Apostles; for in respect of the great trusts committed to them, and their

being sent to plant Christianity in the World, they are all equally stiled Foundations:* 1.9 nor is it accountable either to Scripture, or reason to suppose, that by this Name our Lord should design the person of Peter to be that very rock, upon which his Church was to be built. In a fond imitation * 1.10 of this new name given to S. Peter, those who pretend to be his Successors in the See of Rome, usually lay by their own, and assume a new name upon their advancement to the Apostolick Chair, it being one of the first que∣stions ‖ 1.11 which the Cardinals put to the new-elected Pope, by what name he will please to be called. This custome first began about the Year 844, when Peter di Bocca-Porco (or Swines-mouth) being chosen Pope, changed his name into Sergins the Second: pro∣bably not so much to avoid the uncomeliness of his own name, as if unbefitting the dignity of his place (for this being but his Paternal name would after have been no part of his Pontifical stile and title) as out of a mighty reverence to S. Peter, accounting himself not worthy to bear his name; though it was his own baptismal name. Certain it is that none of the Bishops of that See ever assumed S. Peter's name, and some who have had it as their Christian name before, have laid it aside upon their election to the Papacy. But to return to our Apostle.

4. HIS Father was Jonah, probably a Fisherman of Bethsaida, for the sacred story takes no further notice of him, than by the bare mention of his Name; and I believe there had been no great danger of mistake, though * 1.12 Metaphrastes had not told us, that it was not Jonas the Prophet, who came out of the Belly of the Whale. Brother he was to S. Andrew the Apostle, and some question there is amongst the Ancients which was the elder Brother. ‖ 1.13 Epiphanius (probably from some Tradition current in his time) clearly adjudges it to S. Andrew, herein universally followed by those of the Church of Rome, that the precedency given to S. Peter may not seem to be put upon the account of his Seniority. But to him we may oppose the authority of * 1.14 S. Chryso∣stome, a Person equal both in time and credit, who expresly says, that though Andrew came later into life than Peter, yet he first brought him to the knowledge of the Go∣spel: which Baronius against all pretence of reason would understand of his entring into eternal life. Besides (a) 1.15 S. Hierom, (b) 1.16 Cassian, (c) 1.17 Bede, and others, are for S. Peter being elder Brother, expresly ascribing it to his Age, that he rather than any other, was President of the Colledge of Apostles. However it was, it sounds not a little to the honour of their Father, (as of Zebedee also in the like case) that of but twelve Apo∣stles two of his Sons were taken into the number. In his Youth he was brought up to Fishing, which we may guess to have been the staple-trade of Bethsaida, (which hence probably borrowed its name, signifying an house or habitation of Fishing, though o∣thers render it by Hunting; the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 equally bearing either) much advantaged herein by the Neighbourhood of the Lake of Gennesareth (on whose banks it stood) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 also the Sea of Galilee, and the Sea of Tiberias, according to the mode of the Hebrew language, wherein all greater confluences of Waters are called Seas. Of this Lake the Jews have a saying, * 1.18that of all the seven Seas which God created, he made choice of none but the Sea of Gennesareth: which however intended by them, is true only in this respect, that our blessed Saviour made choice of it, to honour it with the frequency of his presence, and the power of his miraculous operations. In length it was an hundred furlongs,‖ 1.19 and about XI over; the Water of it pure and clear, sweet and most fit to drink; stored it was with several sorts of Fish, and those different both in kind and taste from those in other places. Here it was that Peter closely followed the exercise of his calling; from whence it seems he afterwards removed to Capernaum, (probably upon* 1.20 his marriage, at least frequently resided there) for there we meet with his House, and there we find him paying Tribute: an House, over which * 1.21 Nicephorus tells us, that Helen the Mother of Constantine erected a beautiful Church to the honour of S. Peter. This place was equally advantageous for the managery of his Trade, standing upon the Influx of Jordan into the Sea of Galilee, and where he might as well reap the fruits of an honest and industrious diligence. A mean, I confess, it was, and a more servile course of life, as which besides the great pains and labour it required, exposed him to all the injuries of wind and weather, to the storms of the Sea, the darkness and tempe∣stousness of the Night, and all to make a very small return. An imployment, whose restless troubles, constant hardships, frequent dangers, and amazing horrours are (for the satisfaction of the learned Reader) thus elegantly described by one, whose Poems may be justly stiled Golden Verses, receiving from the Emperour Antoninus a piece of Gold for every Verse.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉* 1.22 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

But meanness is no bar in God's way, the poor, if virtuous, are as dear to Heaven, as the wealthy and the honourable, equally alike to him, with whom there is no respect of persons. Nay our Lord seemed to cast a peculiar honour upon this profession, when afterwards calling him and some others of the same Trade from catching of Fish, to be (as he told them) Fishers of men.

5. AND here we may justly reflect upon the wise and admirable methods of the Di∣vine providence, which in planting and propagating the Christian Religion in the World, made choice of such mean and unlikely instruments, that he should hide these things from the wise and prudent, and reveal them unto babes, men that had not been educated in the Academy, and the Schools of Learning, but brought up to a Trade, to catch Fish, and mend Nets; most of the Apostles being taken from the meanest Trades, and all of them (S. Paul excepted) unfurnished of all arts of learning, and the advan∣tages of liberal and ingenuous education: and yet these were the men that were de∣signed to run down the World, and to overturn the learning of the prudent. Certainly had humane wisdome been to manage the business, it would have taken quite other measures, and chosen out the profoundest Rabbins, the acutest Philosophers, the smooth∣est Orators, such as would have been most likely by strength of reason and arts of rhe∣torick to have triumph'd over the minds of men, to grapple with the stubberness of the Jews, and baffle the finer notions and speculations of the Greeks. We find that those Sects of Philosophy that gain'd most credit in the Heathen-world, did it this way, by their eminency in some Arts and Sciences, whereby they recommended themselves to the acceptance of the wiser and more ingenious part of man∣kind. * 1.23 Julian the Apostate thinks it a reasonable exception against the Jewish Prophets, that they were incompetent mes∣sengers and interpreters of the Divine will, because they had not their minds cleared and purged, by passing through the Circle of polite arts and learning. Why, now this is the wonder of it, that the first Preachers of the Gospel should be such rude unlearned men, and yet so suddainly, so powerfully prevail over the learned World, and conquer so many, who had the great∣est parts and abilities, and the strongest prejudices against it, to the simplicity of the Gospel. When Celsus objected that the Apostles were but a company of mean and illite∣rate persons, sorry Mariners and Fishermen, * 1.24 Origen quickly returns upon him with this answer,

That hence 'twas plainly evident, that they taught Christianity by a Di∣vine power, when such persons were able with such an uncontrouled success to sub∣due men to the obedience of the Word; for that they had no eloquent tongues, no subtle and discursive heads, none of the refin'd and rhetorical Arts of Greece to con∣quer the minds of men. For my part (says he ‖ 1.25 in another place) I verily believe that the Holy Jesus purposely made use of such Preachers of his Doctrine, that there might be no suspicion, that they came instructed with Arts of Sophistry, but that it might be clearly manifest to all the World, that there was no crafty design in it, and that they had a Divine power going along with them, which was more efficacious, than the greatest volubility of expression, or ornaments of speech, or the artifices which were used in the Graecian compositions.

Had it not been for this Divine power that upheld it (as he * 1.26 elsewhere argues) the Christian Religion, must needs have sunk un∣der those weighty pressures that lay upon it, having not only to contend with the po∣tent opposition of the Senate, Emperors, People, and the whole power of the Roman Em∣pire, but to conflict with those home-bred wants and necessities, wherewith its own professors were oppressed and burdened.

6. IT could not but greatly vindicate the Apostles from all suspicion of forgery and imposture in the thoughts of sober and unbyassed persons, to see their Doctrine readily entertained by men of the most discerning and inquisitive minds. Had they dealt only with the rude and the simple, the idiot and the unlearned, there might have been some pretence to suspect, that they lay in wait to deceive, and designed to impose upon the World by crafty and insinuative arts and methods. But alas they had other persons to deal with, men of the acutest wits, and most profound abilities, the wisest Philosophers, and most subtle disputants, able to weigh an argument with the greatest accuracy, and to decline the force of the strongest reasonings, and who had their parts edg'd with the keenest prejudices of education, and a mighty veneration for the Religion of their Coun∣try, a Religion that for so many Ages had governed the World, and taken firm possession of the minds of men. And yet notwithstanding all these disadvantages these plain men conquered the wise and the learned, and brought them over to that Doctrine that was despised and scorned, opposed and persecuted, and that had nothing but its own native excellency to recommend it: A clear evidence that there was something in it beyond the craft and power of men. Is not this (says an elegant * 1.27 Apologist, making his address to the Heathens) enough to make you believe and entertain it, to consider that in so short a time it has diffused it self over the whole World, civilized the most barbarous Nations, softned the roughest and most intractable tempers, that the greatest Wits and Scholars, Orators, Gram∣marians, Rhetoricians, Lawyers, Physicians, and Philosophers have quitted their formerly dear and beloved sentiments, and heartily embraced the Precepts and Doctrines of the Gospel? Upon this account ‖ 1.28 Theodoret does with no less truth than elegancy insult and triumph over the Heathens: He tells them that whoever would be at the pains to compare the best Law-makers either amongst the Greeks or Romans, with our Fishermen and Publi∣cans, would soon perceive what a Divine vertue and efficacy there was in them above all others, whereby they did not only conquer their neighbours, not only the Greeks and Romans, but brought over the most barbarous Nations to a compliance with the Laws of the Gospel, and that not by force of Arms, not by numerous bands of Souldi∣ers,* 1.29 not by methods of torture and cruelty, but by meek perswasives, and a convincing the World of the excellency and usefulness of those Laws which they propounded to them. A thing which the wisest and best men of the Heathen-world could never do, to make their dogmata and institutions universally obtain, nay that Plato himself could* 1.30 never by all his plausible and insinuative arts make his Laws to be entertained by his own dear Athenians. He farther shews them, that the Laws published by our Fishermen* 1.31 and Tentmakers could never be abolished (like those made by the best amongst them) by the policies of Caius, the power of Claudius, the cruelties of Nero, or any of the succe∣ding Emperors, but still they went on conquering and to conquer, and made Millions both* 1.32 of Men and Women willing to embrace flames, and to encounter Death in its most horrid shapes, rather than dis-own and forsake them: whereof he calls to witness those many Churches and Monuments every where erected to the memory of Christian Mar∣tyrs, no less to the honour than advantage of those Cities and Countries, and in some sence to all Mankind.

7. THE summe of the Discourse is, in the Apostles words, that God chose the* 1.33 foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the weak to confound those that are mighty, the base things of the world, things most vitified and despised, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. These were the things, these the Persons, whom God sent upon this errand to silence the Wise, the Scribe, and the* 1.34 Disputer of this World, and to make foolish the wisdome of this world. For though the Jews required a sign, and the Greeks sought after wisdome, though the preaching a cru∣cified Saviour was a scandal to the Jewes, and foolishness to the learned 〈◊〉〈◊〉, yet by this foolishness of preaching God was pleased to save them that believed: and in the event made it appear that the foolishness of God is wiser than* 1.35 men, and the weakness of God stronger than men. That so the honour of all might intirely redound to himself; so the Apostle concludes, that no Flesh should glory in his presence, but that he that glorieth, should glory in the Lord.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Joseph. An∣tiqu. Judaic. lib. 18. cap. 3. p. 618.
• * 1.2

  Matth. 11. 21.
• * 1.3

  J. Co••ovic. Itiner. Hierosol. lib. 3. c. 8. p. 358
• * 1.4

  Surgel. de S. Petro cap. 1.
• * 1.5

  Ib. c. 49.
• * 1.6

  Bellarm. de Rom. Pontif. lib. 2. c. 9. col. 624.
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He∣sych. in voc. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.8

  1 Pet. 2, 4, 5, 6.
• * 1.9

  Rev. 21. 14.
• * 1.10

  Pap Masson. 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉. in 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 4. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 172. p. 2. ex 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Vict.
• ‖ 1.11

  Sac. 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉. Rom. Sect. 1. fol. 18.
• * 1.12

  Com. de Petr. & Paul. apud Sur. ad 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Jun.
• ‖ 1.13

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 51. p. 192.
• * 1.14

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. de 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Andr. quem 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Meta∣phrast. ap. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 potius, 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉. 6. vid. Baron. not. ad Martyrol. Novemb. XXX. p. 737.
• (a) 1.15

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. lib. 1. adv. Jovin. p. 35. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2.
• (b) 1.16

  Cassian. de Incarn. Dom. lib. 3. c. 12. p. 996.
• (c) 1.17

  Bed. Com∣ment. in 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. Joan. Tom. 5.
• * 1.18

  Midr. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. sol. 41. ap. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Cent. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. in Matth. c. 70. p. 131.
• ‖ 1.19

  Joseph. de Bell. Jud. l. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 p. 860.
• * 1.20

  Matth. 8. 14.—17 24.
• * 1.21

  H. Eccl. lib. 8. c. 30. p. 596.
• * 1.22

  Optian. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 d. non longe ab init.
• * 1.23

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Epist. pag. 541. Tom. 1.
• * 1.24

  〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉. lib. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. p. 47, 48.
• ‖ 1.25

  lib. 3. p. 135.
• * 1.26

  lib. 1. p. 6.
• * 1.27

  Arnob. adv. Gent. lib. 2. p. 21.
• ‖ 1.28

  De Curand. Grac. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Serm. 9. de 〈◊〉〈◊〉. p. 123.
• * 1.29

  Ibid. p. 125.
• * 1.30

  Ibid. p. 128.
• * 1.31

  Ibid. p. 126.
• * 1.32

  Ibid. p. 135.
• * 1.33

  1 Cor. 1. 27. 28.
• * 1.34

  vers. 22, 23, 24, 25.
• * 1.35

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 primi vocati sunt, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Dominum 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 & illiterati 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ad pradi∣candum, ne 〈◊〉〈◊〉 credentium non 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉, sed 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 fieri putaretur. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. comm. in Matth. c. 4. Tom. 9. p. 17.