Seth Freeman

Depends who you ask =]

As a Protestant who is wary of a Church Tradition, I look initially to Scripture and don't see Peter ever ministering in Rome. But that doesn't mean that Peter wasn't in Rome. I'm sure that the apostles were in lots of places that were not specifically mentioned in Scripture. 

There are a number of testimonies and writings from the Early Church Father's that place Peter in Rome. I think the earliest was Ignatius around 110 AD that mentioned Peter being in Rome. There are other ECFs who mention Peter in Rome such as Tertullian and Irenaeus. 

I personally view these men as generally credible and so I personally think it's fairly reasonable to suspect that Peter did indeed travel to Rome at one point or another. 

And while this question hasn't been raised in this topic, as a good Protestant I find that I must at least comment that I don't think Peter's presence in Rome leans any credibility towards the Catholic teaching on the existence or role of a Pope.

January 02 2014 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report