PETERBOROUGH: N. H.
Survey And 'New' Thesis On The Bones Of Peter
GRAYDON F. SNYDER
Bethany Theological Seminary
The statement by Pope Paul VI on June 26, 1968, that the bones of Peter had been convincingly identified came as a shock to both sides of a controversy that has been fuming euer sine the announcement of a new set of bones was made in 1965. For whatever reasons the Pope made this statement — be it the appropriatencss of die 19th centennial or sheer political sagacity—the effeet will be to suffocate one of tlie most intriguing questions in biblical archaology. In this article I would like to clarify the nature of the problem and indicate what new evidence will likely change die nature of the entire question.
The problem of the bones of Peter is of relatively recent origin. It was assumed they were under St. Peter's Chureh. Caius, as recorded by Eusebius, said: "But I ean point out the trophies of the Apostles, for if you will go to the Vatican or to the Ostian Way you will find the trophies of those who founded this Church." (Ecclesiastical History II. 25. 7). If we can associate trophies with the graves of the two apostles then we have little reason to doubt that the two churches, St.' Peter's and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, stand over the traditional location of the respective tombs.
Nevertheless, even before the twentieth century tlie ehurch was aware of some discrepancy. The Roman liturgical calendar for June 29 reads as follows: "To Peter in Catacumbas and to Paul on the Via Ostiense, Tuscus and Bassus being consuls." While this date may pull together two originally separate Bates to make one major Festival, and this synthesis may well have
gutes Exemplar, ordentlich
- Verlag:
- published by the American Schools of oriental Research 126 Inman Street Cambridge, mass.
- Heft, 39 Seiten
- Artikelnummer:
- B00056426
- Gewicht:
- 400 gr