- Feb 5, 2002
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St. Peter was a fisherman. Fishing nets and tilapia were his daily reality. Born without distinction in a backwater of the Roman Empire, he presumably would have lived and died in total obscurity had not Our Lord called him to a higher ministry. The green hills of Galilee might have been his entire world.
St. Paul was not a fisherman. He was a man of education and status who was quite possibly being groomed for an authoritative office or distinguished profession. Some speculate that he may have been a relative of Herod the Great. Whether or not that is true, the New Testament clearly presents him as a Roman citizen, well versed in law and philosophy. He spoke at least three languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and was actively involved in political affairs in Jerusalem at the time of his conversion. We don’t know as much as we might like about his lineage and early life, but the broader picture is reasonably clear. St. Paul was brilliant and a member of the Jewish elite.
Both of these men were titans. They were the movers and shakers of the apostolic age. One was provincial and the other thoroughly cosmopolitan. One lived his early life in poverty, while the other was born to privilege. On their joint feast day, it’s interesting to reflect on this remarkable pairing. God evidently needed both of these men to establish Christianity in the ancient world. Why was this necessary? What did each bring to the table?
Though St. Peter’s story is in one way quite extraordinary, it illustrates a principle that we see affirmed time and again throughout the Bible: “Exaltavit humiles.” God delights in exalting the humble and frustrating the wisdom of the wise.
Continued below.
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St. Paul was not a fisherman. He was a man of education and status who was quite possibly being groomed for an authoritative office or distinguished profession. Some speculate that he may have been a relative of Herod the Great. Whether or not that is true, the New Testament clearly presents him as a Roman citizen, well versed in law and philosophy. He spoke at least three languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and was actively involved in political affairs in Jerusalem at the time of his conversion. We don’t know as much as we might like about his lineage and early life, but the broader picture is reasonably clear. St. Paul was brilliant and a member of the Jewish elite.
Both of these men were titans. They were the movers and shakers of the apostolic age. One was provincial and the other thoroughly cosmopolitan. One lived his early life in poverty, while the other was born to privilege. On their joint feast day, it’s interesting to reflect on this remarkable pairing. God evidently needed both of these men to establish Christianity in the ancient world. Why was this necessary? What did each bring to the table?
Though St. Peter’s story is in one way quite extraordinary, it illustrates a principle that we see affirmed time and again throughout the Bible: “Exaltavit humiles.” God delights in exalting the humble and frustrating the wisdom of the wise.
Continued below.
Peter the Apostle and Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles
Each man, in a different way, gathered together the one family of Christ and, revered together throughout the world, they share one martyr’s crown.
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