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SIMON PEDRO

We begin our iconographic explanation with the apostle Pedro for a simple reason. Jesus, from among the apostles, chooses him to be the stone on which he will build his Church. That is: he names him foundation, motor, head. Thus, in Matthew 16, 13-19 it is said: Arriving in the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples (...): 'Who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter spoke up and said: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God'. Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of John, for neither flesh nor blood has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. For I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church (...). To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of God: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven'.  The symbol of the keys is clear, even to someone in the 21st century. The key is the key - the password- with which it is possible to enter somewhere. The one who has the instrument to be able to open holds real possibility and must answer for its custody. Moreover, binding and loosing is also, like opening and closing, a sign of really possessing alternatives, which the Lord is solemnly bestowing on Peter. Hence, as a summary, the typical representation of Peter with the keys. Other authors, such as Rafael SanzioThe images of Peter's death in Caesarea even present the actual events in Caesarea, showing Jesus expressly handing over the keys, and an allegory of the Temple of the Church - Kingdom of Heaven - in the background. Other images depict Peter in his martyrdomwhich, according to an ancient tradition, took place in Rome. And the mode of martyrdom was crucifixion, like that of his Master. But ancient writers tell us that Peter wanted to be crucified upside down, so as not to imitate the glory of the crucifixion of his Lord. Also another way of appearing in art is usually with a rooster at the feet of his effigy. This has its raison d'être in what Matthew tells us. Shortly before the arrest and execution of Jesus, the Lord complained (Matthew 26:31-34): Tonight you will all be scandalized because of me (..). Peter replied, 'Even if they all fall because of you, I will never fall'. Jesus said to him, 'Truly I tell you, this night before the rooster crows you will deny me three times'.. And so it was, as Matthew continues to tell us. This happened outside the house of the Sanhedrin, where Peter was waiting for his Master, who had just been arrested. But immediately the people who were there, in spite of the darkness of the night, recognized him as the disciple of the accused. Peter denied it and denied it again: finally, some men said to him: Surely you are one of them; your [Galilean] accent gives you away. Then [Peter] began to curse and swear, saying, 'I don't know that man,' and immediately a rooster crowed. Peter remembered those words (...). And he went outside and wept bitterly.

The Rubens painting

Peter is usually portrayed as a man elder and so does Rubens (who paints the picture above), presenting him with gray hair and wrinkled skin. We do not consider, however, that he was necessarily so. Although in this way, perhaps, the painter wants to show that he was older than his colleagues and that he had the mission of being head of the Church, so that age would be a sign of his superior dignity. The reason may also be that according to the Gospels themselves, in his house in Galilee, in the city of Capernaum, he lodged his mother-in-law: When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14). This indicates that he was married. He had the minimum years to do so. We do not know if at that time he had been widowed, nor if he had children, and Scripture tells us nothing in this regard. Although, certainly, if he followed Jesus, living with him, it seems normal that he had no family ties of entity. Peter is the name Jesus gives him. His former name is Simon (...): "You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Peter" (John 1:42). Naming people or things is a sign of affective "appropriation". And it seems that Jesus did it with that intention. One last comment. In the painting, Peter appears with a kind of white cassockwhich is how Popes have normally dressed for centuries. It is Rubens' way of saying that Peter was primate among his fellow apostles.