Simon / Peter

THE NAMES SIMON, PETER, AND SIMON PETER

In the New Testament, Simon the brother of Andrew, Peter, and Simon Peter are usually taken to be the same person. However is that warranted?

(For the identification of Peter and Cephas see article Cephas / Peter.)

Evidence from the Gospel of Mark

Mark 1:16 records a disciple Simon, the brother of Andrew. He is mentioned again in 1:29, 30, and 36. In 3:16 Mark refers to him as 'Simon (to whom he [Jesus] gave the name Peter)' (NRSV). Verse 3:18 records a 'Simon the Cananaean' and verse 6:3 records a 'Simon' who is stated to be a brother of Jesus, but these appear to be different individual. From then on we hear no more about any Simon. A Peter appears in 8:29 and all further references are to this name.

The point should be made that without the identification made in 3:16, or later tradition, we would have good reason to assume we were dealing with two separate disciples, a Simon and a Peter.

Apart form 3:13-19, Mark shows little interest in the matter of the disciples, which is to be expected. In Mark's theological world only he and his community know the 'truth' about Jesus and the disciples never understand what Jesus says.

Lines 3:13-19 sit uneasily in the text. Mark has already mentioned the disciples in 2:23 and 3:7, so we would logically expect the statement of who they were to be placed earlier. However, be that as it may, it is clear that there is a conflict between Mark who has no interest in the apostolic succession and later redactors who do.

There are many difficulties with the texts that has come down to us and the critical Greek texts in use today are not cast in stone. The phrase 'to whom he gave the name Peter' could be an interpolation, a well-intentioned effort to impose what a redactor saw as clarity. (Although that does not mean it is necessarily incorrect!)

Another alternative is that Mark was aware that he was dealing with two Simons. If the latter of the two was also known by the pseudonym Peter, that would explain Mark 3:16 'Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter)', and provide a reason why the name Peter is used from then on.

The latter has the advantages that it explains the text without resorting to hypothetical interpolations.

Evidence from the Gospel of Mathew

Mathew follows a similar pattern to Mark, except that the identification that Simon and Peter are identical is made earlier.

In Mathew the first mention of a 'Simon' (Mt 10:2) refers to him as 'Simon, also known as Peter' (NRSV). 'Simon the Cananaean' is mentioned on the same verse, and verse 13:55 records 'Simon' the brother of Jesus. In 14:28 the name Peter appears and is used from then on.

Evidence from the Gospel of Luke

Simon is first mentioned in 5:3. He is referred to by this name several times in the remainder of chapter 5, except in 5:8 where he is referred to as Simon Peter.

In the following chapters the names alternate somewhat arbitrarily. Simon is mentioned again in 7:40, but Peter appears in 9:20. Simon reappears in 22:31 where he is addressed by Jesus as Simon, however in 22:34 (in the same context) he is addressed as Peter. The name Peter is used from then on.

Summary: Luke follows Mark with references to both a Simon and a Peter, except there is no specific identification of the two as there is in Mark 3:16. The name Simon Peter only appears once (5:8), and there is one anomaly in chapter 22 where the disciple is addressed both as Simon and as Peter.

Evidence from the Gospel of John

The first occurrence is in John 1:40.

(40) One of the two who heard John [the Baptist] speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. (41) He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). (42) He brought Simon [Greek: him] to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). (NRSV)

The disciple is next referred to in 6:8. Here and throughout the remainder of the Gospel he is referred to as Simon Peter but is invariably addressed by Jesus as Simon.

John is probably one of the latest of the Gospels, if not the latest. He is believed to have known at least the Gospel of Mark, and therefore would know the tradition that Simon was also called Peter. It is possible to suppose that John removed what he would have seen as the discrepancies in Mark (and the other Gospels) where sometimes Simon is mentioned and sometimes Peter, and opted to use the double name Simon Peter throughout.

For the reference to Cephas see article Cephas / Peter.

Conclusions

In Mark we appear to read about two different individuals, Simon and Peter. Simon is a disciple of no particular significance, just one of the many disciples that only interest the authors of the Synoptic Gospels in so much as they become vehicles for asking questions or creating misunderstandings which gives the evangelist opportunites to introduce sayings or parables into the narrative. Clearly there is a historical undercurrent - Simon for instance has a brother Andrew - but the authors of the Synoptics are not greatly interested in the minutiae of history, their interest is theological and pastoral.

With Peter it is another matter. He is very much an individual, too big a character to ignore. In Mark all references to him except 8:29 take place in last days of the ministry in Jerusalem - his sitz im leben.

Interestingly Peter is portrayed as a weak character and something of a trimmer. At Gethsemane he falls asleep while Jesus prays, and he denies that he knows Jesus after Jesus has been arrested. (If we accept Peter's identity with the Pauline 'Cephas', this characterization is enhanced. Cephas infuriates Paul when he changes his attitude towards Gentiles under pressure from the men who came 'from James' - Galatians 2:12.)

Whatever we may make of the Gospel portrayal, it distinguishes Peter as an individual rather than a mere cypher like the other disciples.

The conflation of these two individuals came later, and by the time John was writing the identification was widely accepted. John tidies up the loose ends and uses the double name Simon Peter throughout.

Summary

Peter

Peter is a distinct individual. The traditions about him stem mainly from the last days of the ministry in Jerusalem. It is possible that his actual name was Simon, and this could have lead to the erroneous identification that he was Simon the brother of Andrew.

For the origins of the name Peter see article Cephas / Peter.

Simon the brother of Andrew

The traditions about this Simon are located in the Galilee and surrounding area, not Jerusalem. It is extremely unlikely he was the same person as Peter.