The tradition that Peter suffered martyrdom in Rome is almost as old and as universal as the Bible itself. According to tradition, Peter was martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians, sometime around AD 64-68. The exact details of his death are not recorded in the Bible, but John records a conversation that Jesus had with Peter, where He may have been prophesying how Peter would die. > [!bible]+ [John 21:18 - ESV](https://bolls.life/ESV/43/21/) > 18. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” %% #John %% Some say that Peter was not in Rome, so He could not have died there, however there may be evidence that he not only visited Rome but may have died there as well. #### Peter May Have Said He was in Rome: There is no explicit mention that Peter was in Rome or not in Rome in the Bible. However in In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter refers to "the church that is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings," which some scholars interpret as a reference to the Christian community in Rome. This interpretation is based on the idea that Peter was using "Babylon" as a code word for Rome ([[Ehrman1996-xv]], [[Minear1965-rb]]), in order to avoid drawing attention to himself and the Christian community in Rome, which was facing persecution under the Roman Empire. In the Old Testament, Babylon was a powerful and oppressive empire that conquered Judah and destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, leading to the Babylonian exile. In the New Testament, the term "Babylon" is used symbolically to refer to Rome, which was seen as a similarly oppressive and pagan power. For example, in the book of Revelation, the term "Babylon" is used to refer to a great city that is the center of evil and corruption. Many scholars believe that this city is symbolic of Rome, which was the center of the Roman Empire and a place where Christians faced persecution ([[Dunn2003-mz]]). #### There is strong church tradition The early church fathers are unanimous in claiming that Peter died in Rome, by crucifixion, during the persecution of Nero in AD 64. The first extra-biblical witness to the death of Peter is [[Lake1919-ay|Clement of Rome]]). Clement does not say where Peter was killed, as it appears to have been well known at the time of his writing, and indeed it is unlikely that the early Church could have known of the death of Peter without knowing where he died, and there is in neither case a single opposing tradition. [[Lake1919-ay|Ignatius]] seems plainly to imply that Peter had been in Rome. [[Schaff2017-jn|Irenaeus]] agrees that Peter served in Rome. The Roman Emperor Phlegon is said by [[Schaff2017-mm|Origin]] to have confused Jesus and Peter in his Chronicles. [[Eusebius_of_Caesarea_Bishop_of_Caesarea2005-ro|Dionysius]], distinctly states that Peter labored in Rome, and Caius is a witness for it. [[Schaff2017-yc|Tertullian]] is the first external source to mention Peter's death by crucifixion as a known fact. [[Eusebius_of_Caesarea_Bishop_of_Caesarea2005-ro|Eusebius of Caesarea]] continues to report in his History of the Church that Peter was preaching in Rome and starting the Church where he would later be crucified. #### He May Have Been Crucified Upside Down The apocryphal Acts of Peter is the most well-known and earliest account that describes the crucifixion of Peter upside down. However, it is considered weakly attested as it is the only source that provides this specific detail. ([[Oakes2010-ks]])). The Acts of Peter narrates that Peter was arrested and imprisoned in Rome, where he converted his jailer to Christianity and performed miracles. Nero, upon hearing about these miracles, ordered Peter to be crucified. At the end of the text, Peter flees Rome to avoid martyrdom. On the road Peter meets Jesus, who is traveling in the opposite direction. He asks Jesus, “Where are you going?” Jesus tells Peter that he is going to Rome “to be crucified again.” Peter realizes, from this, that he cannot flee from his fate and returns to Rome to be crucified upside down ([[Stoops2012-at]]). [[Eusebius_of_Caesarea_Bishop_of_Caesarea2005-ro|Eusebius of Caesarea]] also passes this tradition down. He reports that Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Asia, then at last to Rome, where he was crucified head-downwards ([[Josephus1927-dh]]). ###### Conclusion The tradition of Peter's martyrdom in Rome is deeply rooted in early Christian history and corroborated by various sources outside the biblical text. While the Bible hints at Peter's future suffering in John 21:18, early Christian writings and church fathers like Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Dionysius, Caius, Tertullian, and Eusebius provide more explicit accounts of his presence and subsequent death in Rome. This tradition is supported by the symbolic reference to "Babylon" in 1 Peter 5:13, widely interpreted by scholars as a codename for Rome, a city notorious for its persecution of Christians. The unanimity among the early church fathers regarding Peter's martyrdom in Rome, coupled with the lack of any opposing tradition, strengthens the historical credibility of this account. The detail of Peter being crucified upside down, primarily derived from the apocryphal Acts of Peter and acknowledged by Eusebius, although less attested, aligns with the narrative of Peter's humility and his desire to not emulate his Lord's crucifixion directly.