Who Are Saints Peter and Paul?

Published November 8, 2022

Saints Peter and Paul are probably the most famous apostles and martyrs in the Catholic church. They share a feast day and are both considered “chosen” disciples. Many churches and schools were named after both of them too.

But they couldn’t be any more different than night and day.

St. Peter was a fisherman while St. Paul was a powerful and influential person in Jewish society. The former was often portrayed as indecisive and unsure, while the latter was resolute and unyielding.

What united them, however, was a deep faith in Jesus. So much so that they were ready to sacrifice their lives for Him. Their faith and the desire to spread God’s word eventually led to their martyrdom.

If you want to know these two apostles better, here’s what you need to know about Saints Peter and Paul.

The Story of Saints Peter and Paul

Who was St. Peter?

Born as Simon, St. Peter was one of the first apostles of Jesus. Not much is known about his life except what is written in the New Testament.

According to the scriptures, he was a fisherman from Galilee. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he invited Peter together with his brother Andrew to follow him for he will make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:18-22). They did so without any hesitation and that’s how St. Peter’s journey as an apostle began.

He accompanied Jesus throughout his entire ministry. Jesus even named him the “rock” on which he will build his church (Matthew 16:18). Because of this, he is considered the first pope of the Catholic church.

What makes Saint Peter so relatable, however, is his imperfect faith. The scriptures often depict him as inconsistent. The most famous example of this was when he denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62). Then when he was in Antioch, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when other disciples came, he drew back and refused to eat with them anymore (Galatians 2:18-14).

Aside from his inconsistency, the scriptures also portray him as someone who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. This isn’t necessarily a bad quality. But sometimes, he tends to overstep his bounds.

One example of this was when Jesus was telling his disciples about his suffering and death and Peter reprimanded him. But Jesus rebuked him saying that his mind is not set on the things of God but on the things of man (Mark 8:31-33).

But St. Peter had a lot of redeeming qualities too. For one, despite his inconsistency, he can be resolute at times. Remember that he was martyred because he stood up for his faith – for Jesus.

Also, he can be pretty committed. He willingly gave up his life as a fisherman to follow Jesus who, at that time, was pretty much unknown. And there’s no mention in the Bible that he regretted this or that he tried to went back to his former profession.

Who was St. Paul?

Saint Paul (also called Saul) was a Pharisee, one of the most powerful Jewish sect in Jesus’ time. This means that he was educated and held a position of influence in Jewish society.

You probably know that Jesus and the Pharisees don’t exactly see eye to eye. In his sermons, Jesus had publicly called out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Matthew 23).

As a Pharisee, Saint Paul (who was then called Saul) shared that animosity. He zealously persecuted Christ’s followers and hated Christians with such passion. He would enter every house, drag off men and women, and send them to prison (Acts 8:3). He even approved the stoning of St. Stephen, the church’s first martyr (Acts 7:54-59).

But Saul’s life took a 360-degree turn when he was on the road to Damascus. A voice called out to him and said “Saul, why are you persecuting me?”. When Paul answered “who are you, lord?”, the voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9).

After that encounter, he became blind and remained so for three days and nights. It was only when another disciple, Ananias, received a vision from God to put his hands on Saul’s eyes that he was able to see again.

From that point on, Saul became an avid defender of Christ and his church. It was also during this time that he adopted the name, Paul. He preached in synagogues about Jesus and even traveled extensively to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.

It wasn’t an easy journey. He faced a lot of death threats and was thrown in prison multiple times. Yet, he persevered. He stood up for his faith even when it cost him his life.

All these tell us that Saint Paul, unlike St. Peter, was someone who was so sure of himself. He’s an all-or-nothing kind of guy. He either persecuted the Christians or defended them. Gray areas aren’t his thing.

His passionate work as a preacher also shows his deep faith in God. He faced persecution from the Pharisees – the very same people he used to call his own. But he endured all these because he believed in Jesus Christ, the savior, and Messiah.