Following the Fisherman of Galilee, «preside in charity over all the Churches»
by Talia Casu
IThe role and prestige of the Christian community of Rome finds its foundation in the cult of Peter and Paul, due to the presence of their tombs where they had borne their testimony through martyrdom.
The ancient historian Eusebius of Caesarea in his Ecclesiastical History writes that at the beginning of the reign of the emperor Claudius, after 41 AD, Peter was sent by Providence to Rome to oppose Simon Magus. In that period he began the preaching of the Gospel in the City. According to other testimonies, the evangelist Mark in Rome wrote his Gospel reflecting on the preaching of Peter.
The stay of the apostle Peter in Rome is certainly documented in the First Letter of Peter where, at the end, we read: "The community that lives in Babylon greets you, and also Mark, my son." By Babylon, the great city that has become a symbol of pagan cities, we mean Rome, where Peter's community lives. We also remember the letter that Ignatius of Antioch addressed to the Roman Christians during his journey to the Eternal City, where he would be martyred.
In July of the year 64, a great fire broke out in Rome and persistent rumors began to circulate attributing the responsibility to Nero, who, to exonerate himself of this accusation, placed the blame on the Christians. At this time and for the first time, we witness a hostile attitude towards the Christian community on the part of the imperial authorities. From pagan and Christian testimonies we learn that a great multitude of people were arrested and condemned to death with merciless punishments. It is in this first violent episode of persecution that the apostle Peter dies a martyr.
From that moment on, the Petrine tradition began to develop in Rome, to which the Pauline tradition was immediately linked: a tradition well attested by ancient sources, never questioned nor claimed by other Churches. Eusebius of Caesarea writes: "They say that Paul was beheaded in Rome and Peter was crucified there under Nero, as is proven by the fact that the names of Peter and Paul are read on their tombs in that city". Then, to strengthen his story, he adds the testimony of a clergyman named Gaius, who lived at the time of Pope Zephyrinus, between 199 and 217, who, referring to the places where the remains of the martyred Apostles were laid to rest, says: "I can show you the trophies of the Apostles. If you want to go to the Vatican or to the Via Ostiense, you will find the trophies of the founders of this Church".
Peter's martyrdom is also linked to various traditions remembered in the places linked to the cult of the Fisherman of Galilee: the Mamertine prison and the miracle of the spring to baptize the converts Processo and Martiniano, his jailers. But the best known one, which begins in the 2nd century in Martyrdom of Peter, one of the twelve chapters of a text called Acts of Peter, takes us to the ancient Appian Way, to the little church of "Quo vadis?". However, we report the story, broader and more poetic, which dates back to the 4th century.
«[Peter's life is in danger and the brothers of the community implore him to save himself by leaving Rome] Then Peter, hearing all these supplications and being very sensitive by nature - he could never pass over the tears of the afflicted without weeping himself - overcome by so many groans, answered: Let none of you go with me. I will change my clothes and go alone. The following night, having finished the liturgical prayer, he greeted the brothers and, having recommended them to God with a blessing, he set out alone. As he was walking, the bandages of his leg, worn away by the stock, fell off. But he was about to cross the gate of the city, when he saw Christ coming towards him. He worshiped him and said to him: Lord, where are you going? (Master, what are you going for?). Christ answered him: I come to Rome to be crucified again. And Peter said to him: Lord, will you be crucified again? And the Lord said to him: Yes, I will be crucified again! Peter replied: Lord, I am going back to follow you. Then the Lord took the way to heaven. Peter accompanied him, gazing intently and weeping with consolation. Coming to himself, he understood that the words referred to his martyrdom, that is, how he would suffer for the Lord, who suffers in the elect through pitying compassion and their glorious celebration. And so he returned joyfully to the city. He told the brothers that the Lord had come to meet him and had told him that he would be crucified again through him.
By his own will, Peter was crucified upside down: archaeological studies have clarified that there were various humiliating positions inflicted on the condemned, therefore it is very likely that the tradition corresponds to the truth.