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Simon Peter

Simon Peter

1 5.8
One of the twelve followers of Jesus who is seen as the leader and, by Catholic tradition, the first Pope
  • proper noun
translation icon : Simón Pedro
  • In the New Testament, Simon Peter is often portrayed as the leader of the apostles.

Examples

  • Simon Peter, one of the twelve apostles, declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

  • "God is being patient for your sake," Simon Peter wrote.

    Blog text (4)
  • One of the two that heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

    Blog text (4)
  • So Simon Peter gestured to this disciple to ask Jesus who it was he was referring to.

    Blog text (2)
  • 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."

    Blog text (4)
  • One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

    Blog text (4)
  • According to tradition, Simon Peter was the first Pope and a prominent figure among Jesus' disciples.

Synonyms

Peter
vsSimon Peter
2.0

One of the twelve followers of Jesus who leads the others and is the first pope in Catholic belief

is the fuller formal name used in descriptions
St. Peter
vsSimon Peter
4 4.1

A leading follower of Jesus who led the first apostles and became the first Pope

gives the same core facts but uses slightly different phrasing
Saint Peter
vsSimon Peter
1 4.4

Many Christians call Saint Peter the leading follower of Jesus and the first pope

keeps focus on apostolic leadership and papal status rather than broad prominence
St. Peter the Apostle
vsSimon Peter
6.7

A follower of Jesus who led the Apostles and Catholics regard as the first Pope

is the basic biographical description without extra honorifics
Saint Peter the Apostle
vsSimon Peter
5.5

A follower of Jesus who led the first Christians and is seen by Catholics as the first pope

focuses on leadership and papal role without specifying vicar status

Surface Forms

Morphology

Simon + Peter

The phrase is simply a personal name formed from two proper names, so a learner who knows 'Simon' and 'Peter' will recognize it as a full name but cannot deduce the specific historical/religious identity ('one of the twelve apostles' or 'first Pope') from the constituents alone. Proper-name composition is transparent at the form level but not at the particular semantic level required here, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Simon Peter comes from a story in the Bible: Jesus gave the disciple Simon the name Peter, from a word meaning 'rock', and said he would be the rock for the church. That's why Simon Peter is remembered as the leader of the apostles and, in tradition, the first Pope.