The apostles Peter and Paul are especially revered as disciples of Jesus Christ, who, after the death and resurrection of Christ, began to preach and spread the teaching of the Gospel throughout the world.
Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Feast of SS). Peter and Paul, celebrated on 29 June, was first introduced in Rome, whose bishops are considered by the teachings of the Western Church to be the successors of the Apostle Peter, and later spread to other Christian countries. In a number of countries it is a public holiday.
Peter (original name Simon) was a fisherman and was called by Jesus Christ to the apostles along with his brother Andrew. Peter receives the purpose of becoming the « foundation of the Church of Christ; he is awarded the keys of the heavenly kingdom. According to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, this adverb (and especially the words about the « keys to the Kingdom of Heaven») indicates that Peter was given real power and legal authority, and that these powers — due to the fact that the church will exist until the end of time, — should be transferred to his successors. Peter was the first of the apostles to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection. After the death of Christ, Peter was engaged in preaching activities.
In the Catholic Church, according to the position of Peter as the «head of the apostles» and successor of Christ, there is a doctrine of the primacy of the Pope as the single head of the church.
Paul (before Saul's baptism), the first of the Christian writers whose writings have reached us, and the most authoritative figure in the history of Christian thought. His views played a huge role in the formation of Christianity as an independent religion.
Paul was born in the Asia Minor city of Tarsus into a Pharisee family. A zealot of Jewish law, Saul cruelly persecuted Christians, believing that it was a harmful heretical teaching. Having experienced a miraculous vision on his way to Damascus, Saul is baptized and becomes a devout preacher of Christianity among the pagans. Paul is revered by the church as the apostle primatial. The church attributes to him 14 epistles included in the New Testament.
Both apostles were martyred for their faith in Christ on one day (67 AD) in Rome. Paul, as a Roman citizen, is «truncated with the sword» (that is, beheaded), Peter is crucified. Since he believed that he was unworthy to be crucified on the cross, like the Savior, he, at his own request, was crucified «stromhead» (that is, upside down). He was buried on Vatican Hill, and the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica is currently located above his burial site.
The Orthodox Church honors the apostles Peter and Paul on July 12.