Peter: Apostle for the Whole Church

Pheme Perkins searches for the historical Peter, and the influence his image has had for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Pointing to portrayals of Peter in the Pauline and Johannine traditions, the synoptic Gospels, and the Book of Acts, Perkins argues that precisely because there is no single Petrine tradition in the New Testament, the apostle should serve as a unifying figure for many forms of Christianity. She shows how Peter should be viewed as a harmonising figure who captures the Christian imagination, not only because he is the most prominent of Jesus' disciples but also because his weaknesses and strengths reveal a character accessible to all Christians.