Der unterschätzte Petrus

Martin Hengel's first study, »Peter the Rock, Paul and the Gospels«, is based on Matthew 16:17-19 and looks into the reasons why Peter has been given such a unique significance for early Christianity in this passage. Peter is shown to be the »basic apostolic figure of the church«. The Galilean fisherman becomes the »rock« of the church because of his unique effectiveness as a teacher of theology and a missionary who had a complete mastery of the traditions handed down by Jesus but who also must have been a charismatic organizer. He thus appears to be, next to Paul, the most important authority for the apostolic tradition. His uniqueness makes it unthinkable to talk of a continuation of the »ministry of Peter« in the church. The second study, »The Family of Peter and Other Apostolic Families«, is based on the fact that Peter and other apostles as well were married and that families were of great significance for the early Christian mission. It is strange that in spite of the encratism in the 2nd century, which had a prevalently hostile attitude towards marriage, we possess a series of legendary statements about Peter's marriage and children.