By Clement Harrold
June 25, 2026
Since at least 258 AD, Ss. Peter and Paul have shared a feast day on June 29.
It’s a reflection of how central these two pillars of sanctity have always been in the life of the Church. Peter is the prince of the apostles and the first pope. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles and the greatest evangelist in history.
But what more do we know about the life and works of these great men?
Background & Conversion
Peter’s original name was Simon, and he was a humble Jewish fisherman from Galilee.
Together with his brother St. Andrew, he hailed from the Galilean city of Bethsaida (see John 1:4), although it appears that he later lived in Capernaum. It is certain that Capernaum was where his mother-in-law lived, and Paul seems to affirm that Peter’s wife was still alive during the early days of the Church (see 1 Cor 9:5).
John’s Gospel informs us that Andrew was a disciple of St. John the Baptist, and it was Andrew who introduced Peter to Jesus (see John 1:40–42).
The exact timeline of events is a little unclear since John’s account is slightly different from what we find in the Synoptic Gospels.
One possibility is that Andrew first met Jesus down south near the Jordan, at the time when John the Baptist was baptizing people there. Andrew then introduced Jesus to Peter, and later he and Peter returned north to Galilee, where they resumed their family fishing business.
It was here that Jesus subsequently approached them and called them to be His disciples after providing them with a miraculous catch of fish (see Luke 5:1–11).
Paul’s story is markedly different.
Born a Jew, he was a highly educated individual who also enjoyed the privileges of Roman citizenship. In the Acts of the Apostles he gives a speech explaining where he came from and the zeal he had for the faith of Israel:
“I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cili’cia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gama’li-el, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day. I persecuted this [Christian] Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.” (Acts 22:3–5)
Tarsus is located in south-central Turkey, while Gamaliel was a leading first-century Jewish scholar, a highly respected Pharisee, and a prominent member of the Sanhedrin.
Paul freely confesses to his listeners that he was once a fierce opponent of the fledgling Christian movement; indeed, he was in the very process of persecuting the Church when he experienced his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus.
In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul reiterates the ardor he once had for the Jewish faith:
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. (Gal 1:13–14)
The apostle makes a similar point in his letter to the Philippians, where he explains that he used to follow the law of Moses without compromise:
Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. (Phil 3:4–6)
When viewed alongside one another, the contrast between Peter and Paul is striking.
Peter was a working-class fisherman called directly from his nets, while Paul was a sophisticated and extraordinarily intelligent Pharisee who initially opposed the Christian religion.
Yet in the plan of divine providence, these two men’s diverse gifts and experiences became the basis for a dynamic partnership that enabled them to work together to lay the foundations of the early Church.
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Apostolate & Travels
After the Resurrection, Peter and Paul became leading figures in the spread of the Gospel, though their ministries took different forms.
Peter emerged as the central leader of the Church in Jerusalem, and his interventions in early theological debates played a key role in opening the door to Gentile converts to the faith. Many scholars believe that he wrote the New Testament epistle 1 Peter, with the help of a scribe named Silvanus (see 1 Pet 5:12). The authorship of 2 Peter is more controversial, but some scholars continue to attribute it to the first pope.
Paul’s life following his conversion was both colorful and adventurous. He undertook at least three missionary journeys around the Mediterranean world, founding churches (or strengthening existing churches) in places like Syria, Cyprus, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. Some traditions suggest that Paul was arrested twice, and that after his release following his first arrest he succeeded in embarking on a fourth and final missionary journey that took him as far as Spain.
If these traditions are correct, then it appears that Paul’s first imprisonment was a form of house arrest in Rome around 60–62 AD after being taken into custody in Jerusalem.
It was during this first imprisonment that Paul wrote what are sometimes referred to as the “captivity epistles:” his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. From this it follows that Paul’s second and final imprisonment was in Rome around 64–67 AD, and he appears to have written 2 Timothy during this time.
Martyrdom
Following the Great Fire of Rome in July of 64 AD, Emperor Nero initiated a persecution of Christians that lasted for several years.
It is believed that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome during this persecution (ca. 64-68 AD).
Tradition holds that Peter was executed on Vatican Hill, where St. Peter’s Basilica now stands. Archeological excavations have unearthed a first-century burial area, including bones wrapped in expensive purple and gold cloth belonging to a man aged 60–70 years old, whose feet show signs of having been lacerated. This fits with the tradition that Peter was crucified, since the Romans would often cut open the deceased victim’s feet to remove the nails. Early Christian sources also corroborate the approximate location of Peter’s tomb.
The earliest potential allusion to Peter being martyred by crucifixion comes from the Gospel of John:
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) (John 21:18–19)
The apocryphal Acts of Peter, probably written in the late second century, claims that Peter was crucified upside down.
While the evidence for this remains inconclusive, the historian Eusebius (c. 260–339) repeats a statement from Origen (c. 185–253) that affirms the tradition of Peter’s inverted crucifixion. There is nothing historically improbable about the tradition, given that Seneca explicitly describes upside-down crucifixion as a normal Roman practice (see Of Consolation, 20).
As for Paul, Protestant apologist Sean McDowell summarizes the historical sources that attest to his being martyred for the faith:
While Scripture does not specifically mention Paul’s martyrdom, there are hints in both the book of Acts and 2 Timothy 4:6-8 that Paul knew his death was imminent. Extra biblically, there is evidence from 1 Clement 5:5-7 . . . where the writer describes Paul as suffering tremendously for his faith and then being “set free from this world and transported up to the holy place, having become the greatest example of endurance.” While details regarding the manner of his fate are lacking, the immediate context strongly implies that Clement was setting up Paul as an example of martyrdom. Other early evidences for the martyrdom of Paul can be found in Ignatius (Letter to the Ephesians 12:2), Polycarp (Letter to the Philippians 9:1-2), Dionysius of Corinth (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.25.4), Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.1.1), The Acts of Paul, and Tertullian (Scorpiace 15:5-6).
It’s worth noting that the passage from 1 Clement also alludes to the martyrdom of Peter. While the date of this epistle’s composition is subject to dispute, there is a strong case to be made that it was written before AD 70.
Since Paul was a Roman citizen, he was likely exempted from crucifixion. Tertullian (c. 155–220) states that Paul was executed by beheading instead. The traditional site of his martyrdom is Tre Fontane Abbey, located on the outskirts of Rome.
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Further Reading
Scott Hahn, Introduction to St. Paul
Sean McDowell, Was Paul Beheaded in Rome?
About Clement Harrold
Clement Harrold earned his master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, and his bachelor’s degree in theology, philosophy, and classics from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2021. He is a columnist for The Catholic Herald, and his writings have appeared in First Things, Word on Fire, Catholic Answers Magazine, Church Life Journal, Our Sunday Visitor Magazine, Crisis Magazine, and the Washington Examiner.
