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Commemoration of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles PETER and PAUL
Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero in the year 67. Peter was crucified head down, at his own request, and Paul, in his quality of Roman citizen, was beheaded. The Church unites them in a common celebration and gives them identical honor. Peter, a brother of Andrew the First-Called, was from Bethsaida. They were the sons of Jonas, of the tribe of Simeon. They lived by the work of their hands. At the time when John the Baptist was in prison, Jesus came to the Lake of Genesareth, and, finding Peter and Andrew mending their nets, lie called them and they followed Him without hesitation. Peter preached the Gospel in Judea, founded the Church of Antioch and finally came to Rome. Paul, a Pharisee, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. He was born in Tarrus of Asia Minor. At first, he persecuted the Church with great zeal and violence, imprisoning and killing the Christians. But Christ appeared to him on the way to Damascus and changed his heart, lie was baptized in Damascus by Ananias. He was to become one of the greatest exponents of Christ's teachings, which he explained in his letters or epistles. Troparion Tone 4 Leaders of the Apostles and teachers of the world,/ pray to the Master of all to grant peace to the world/ and great mercy to our souls. Kontakion Tone 2 Thou hast taken the firm and divinely inspired Preachers, O Lord,/ the leading Apostles, for the enjoyment of Thy blessings and for repose./ For Thou hast accepted their labours and death/ as above every burnt offering,/ O Thou Who alone knowest the secrets of our hearts. The Cult of SS. Peter and Paul Because of the great significance of these Apostles for holy Church, their cult began from the very moment of their death. Their tombs in Rome were well known and all Christians revered them. St. Jerome (120) wrote: "When I was still a young man studying In Rome, I would go with my companions to the tombs of the Apostles and Martyrs." In the fourth century, their cult became universal in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. In Constantinople, Constantine the Great (337) built a magnificent church in honor of the Twelve Apostles; he himself was later buried there. The oldest church calendars already had the feast of these Apostles. Originally, not all the Churches observed their memory at the same time. The Calendar of Furius Philocalus, from the middle of the fourth century, has the commemoration of Peter and Paul on the 29th of June. The Syriac Calendar of the year 411, on the day of the 28th of December notes: "Peter and Paul, the Major Apostles." The Georgian Menology also places their feast on the 28th of December. The Calendar of Polemlus Silvius (455), Bishop of the city of Sitten in northern Italy, gives February 22, as the day of the death of Peter and Paul. The Antiochian menology of the fourth century places the feast of St. Peter on June 28 and that of St. Paul on June 29. The Nestorlans celebrate the memory of both Apostles on the second Friday after the feast of the Theophany. We learn from a sermon of St. Sophronius of Jerusalem on Saints Peter and Paul that the fourth day after the Nativity of Christ in Jerusalem was dedicated to the two Apostles. Their feast in Rome in the fifth century, according to the testimony of Pope Leo I (461), even had an eighth day post-feast. Such distinguished Fathers of the Church as St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose and others left us many beautiful sermons in honor of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. St. John Chrysostom composed the largest number of sermons given in their honor.
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