Saint Peter

Saint Peter, born Shimon bar Yonah (c. 1 BC – AD 64/68), was one of the Twelve Apostles and a central figure in the early Christian Church. He appears prominently in all four New Testament gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic and Orthodox traditions consider him the first bishop of Rome, or pope, and also the first bishop of Antioch. According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero. The ancient Christian churches venerate him as a major saint and the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Church of Rome. Outside the New Testament, several apocryphal books were later attributed to him but are considered pseudepigrapha by scholars. Although not explicitly stated in the New Testament, early Church Fathers and historians attest that Peter spent his closing years in Rome, where he is traditionally said to have been martyred on Vatican Hill during Nero's reign.