Why was Saint Peter crucified?

Answer 1

St Peter was crucified while Emperor Nero was reigning, there was soon a fire in Rome and Nero had blamed it on the Christians. Nero despised Christians and soon caught Peter. He was about to be crucified when he stated that he was not worthy enough to be killed in the same way as Jesus, so St Peter was crucified upside down.

Answer 2

Its what is claimed in The Bible:

"…when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and take you where you do not want to go." This is interpreted by some as a reference to Peter's crucifixion. - Wikipedia!

Origen says: "Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards, as he himself had desired to suffer."[13] This is why an upside down cross is generally accepted as a symbol of Peter, who would not have considered himself worthy enough to die the same way as his Savior

Answer 3

Peter was crucified because the Roman Emperor Nero was persecuting Christians. However it is said Peter felt he wasn't worthy enough to be crucified like Jesus was so he was crucified upside down.

Answer 4

Non Catholic Answer:

A Christian tradition is that St Peter was crucified in Rome, but there is no reason to believe that Peter was really crucified. Clement of Rome (1 Clement, c. 95 CE) should have known of this event if it really occurred, but wrote of the life of Peter without seeming to know that he had either lived in Rome or been executed there.

The second-century pope, Anicetus (156-166) claimed that Peter had travelled to Rome to lead the Christians there, and had been beheaded (not crucified) in Rome, meaning that he spoke with the authority of the apostle Peter. Origen, writing in the third century, changed this to say that Peter was sentenced to crucifixion but, feeling unworthy of being crucified like Jesus, asked to be crucified upside down.

There is no reason to accept the word of Origen over that of Anicetus, and no reason to accept the word of Anicetus over that of Clement. In fact there is no reason to believe that Peter was executed.

Catholic Answer:

2000 years of Catholic tradition state Peter was crucified during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero during a time when Nero falsely accused the Christians of setting fire to the city of Rome. The only surviving document from the reign of Pope Clement I was his first letter to the Corinthians written to admonish the bad behavior of the Church of Corinth and barely even mentions the martyrdom of Peter as that was not the focus of the letter. Pope Anicetus had a discussion with Saint Polycarp about the establishment of the date to observe Easter. This is the only surviving information about the reign of Pope Anicetus, It had nothing to do with the martyrdom of Peter.

Answer 5

A Christian tradition is that St Peter was crucified in Rome, but there is no reason to believe that Peter was really crucified. Clement of Rome (1 Clement, c. 95 CE) should have known of this event if it really occurred, but wrote of the life of Peter without seeming to know that he had either lived in Rome or been executed there.

The second-century pope, Anicetus (156-166) claimed that Peter had travelled to Rome to lead the Christians there, and had been beheaded (not crucified) in Rome, meaning that he spoke with the authority of the apostle Peter. Origen, writing in the third century, changed this to say that Peter was sentenced to crucifixion but, feeling unworthy of being crucified like Jesus, asked to be crucified upside down.

There is no reason to accept the word of Origen over that of Anicetus, and no reason to accept the word of Anicetus over that of Clement. In fact there is no reason to believe that Peter was executed.

Answer 6

2000 years of Catholic tradition have Saint Peter crucified in Rome upside down as he did not feel worthy to die in the same way as Our Lord. The only surviving writing from the reign of Pope Clement was his letter to the Corinthians and was sent to admonish the Church in Corinth because of problems with some of its members. Peter in Rome was not mentioned because this was not the focus of the letter. He does briefly mention the martyrdoms of both Peter and Paul but does not mention the manners nor the places of their deaths. As to Pope Anecetus, virtually nothing survives from his papacy so the story of him declaring that Peter was beheaded is a pure myth. About the only fact that survives is that he had a disagreement with Saint Polycarp over the date to observe Easter. They agreed to disagree and parted amicably.

Answer 7

There is no evidence that Peter was crucified, or even that he ever visited Rome. However, some Christians believe that he left Jerusalem and went to Rome as the first bishop of Rome. Later, according to tradition, he was sentenced to be crucified, but said that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus had been, and insisted on being crucified head downwards. They believe he considered the crucifixion of Christ too holy for himself to receive the same honor.The best way to answer this question is to look at the history of the tradition about Peter. The earliest written source we have is Clement of Rome, who wrote around 95 CE (1 Clement), speaking in general terms about the life and death of Peter. Clement would have mentioned the crucifixion of Peter in Rome if this was a historical fact, but he appears to have been unaware that Peter had even visited Rome and was certainly unaware that he had been executed in any way at all.

The second-century Pope Anicetus, wishing to demonstrate that he spoke with the authority of Peter, reported that Peter had been beheaded in Rome. Then, a century later, Origen changed this to say that Peter was sentenced to crucifixion but, feeling unworthy of being crucified like Jesus, asked to be crucified upside down.

The most probable answer, based on Clement's account and the way the story developed, is that Simon Peter was never executed. If indeed he was crucified upside down, it was because he felt unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus was, and the Romans, ever accommodating, allowed him to decide the manner of his execution.

Answer 8

Nowhere in the Bible. The fates of the Apostles were not narrated in the Bible.