Peter is located in Caesarea, according to St. Clement (in his "Recognitions of Clement") who was a contemporary of the
disciples. He wrote that Peter, Zaccheus, Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus were in Caesarea under the
protection of Cornelius. There were also some women in the group, including Martha, Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of
Cleopas, and others.
While in Caesarea, Peter, with Philip the Deacon‑Evangelist, chose some of the ablest workers to go to places in the West
where he could not go. Lazarus had been the Bishop of Cyprus, but now he is re‑commissioned to go to Gaul, with Martha,
Mary Magdalene and others. Because he had been there before, Joseph of Arimathea was assigned to go to Britain. The
work in Gaul, which is now France, was under the leadership of Philip, and Peter, as one of the Apostles, made these
assignments.
Here again we cannot follow exactly where Peter went, but it is possible that he left Caesarea and went to Antioch where he
met the Apostle Paul again. (Galatians 2:11) For several years, he traveled about Asia Minor (or what is now Turkey) and
witnessed to the Isarelites who were living oar travelling in that area. Some of them were called "Scythians," or "Guta," or
"Khumri," or "Esakshi," or "Saacsens," or other names. These people had known a little about their background, and Peter
reminded them that they were God's people Israel, for Jesus had told him three times to "Feed My Sheep."
About eight years after Joseph of Arimathea and his companions had left for Gaul and Britain, and about twelve years after
the crucifixion of Christ, Peter decided that he ought to visit these disciples, so he set sail for Rome. There were some
Christians in Rome at this time, but Peter did not stay in Rome very long. Cardinal Baronius wrote that "Rufus the Senator
received St. Peter into his house on Viminalis Hill in the year A.D. 44." The reason that Peter did not stay there very long was
because the Roman Emperor Claudius started to persecute the Christians and put them to death, so Peter left Rome and
went to Gaul. He probably went to Massilia where his friend Lazarus was the pastor of the church. There were other mission
stations nearby where Martha, Mary Magdalene, Trophimus and others were witnessing, and Peter probably visited them.
Peter also remembered that Jesus had said, when He was talking about His sheep, "Other sheep I have that are not of this
fold," and by this Peter knew that the Israelites were scattered all around the world that was known at that time. Peter knew
that the Tribes of Dan and Simeon had traveled all around the "Great Sea," as the Mediterranean Sea was then called, so he
probably visited all the colonies of which he had heard. The Greek historian Metaphrastes informs us: "Peter was not only in
these western (Mediterranean) parts but particularly ... he was a long time in Britain, where he converted many nations to the
faith." (Cave, Antiquitates Apostolicae, p. 45). Peter went to Britain to visit his friend Joseph of Arimathea who was living in
Glastonbury. While Peter was there, he met members of the Silurian Royal Family; when he was in Rome he had met with
some other members of the same Royal Family, of which Caractacus was the ruler. Peter was still trying to find! "feed" the
Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, and tell them personally about Jesus. He could give his personal testimony as to how
Jesus had changed him from a lowly fisherman to an Apostle who had followed the Lord. Peter knew about the death of
Jesus on the Cross, and His glorious resurrection, how He had overcome death, and was now alive!
For some reason, Peter felt that he should return to Rome to visit the church there and share their dangers. At this time the
terrible Roman Emperor Nero was ruling, and he was cruelly persecuting, torturing, and killing the Christians. Peter was
arrested and put into the awful Mamertine Prison. This prison was cut deep into the rocky foundation, and the only entrance
was through a trapdoor in the ceiling. Prisoners were put in this rather small room, where there were no windows or doors,
and where the light of day never came. The dungeon was never cleaned, and the rats and other vermin were always present,
to eat whatever food was thrown down, and would bite and sometimes eat the prisoners. It was perhaps the worst
prison‑dungeon that the world had ever seen. Mr. Jowett wrote, "How Peter managed to survive nine long dreadful months is
beyond imagination. During his entire incarceration he was manacled in an upright position, chained to a column, unable to lay
down to r! est. Yet, his magnificent spirit remained undaunted. It flamed with the immortal fervour of his noble soul
proclaiming the Glory of God, through His Son Jesus Christ. History tells us the amazing fact that in spite of all the suffering,
Peter was subjected to, he converted his gaolers, Procesus, Martinianus, and forty‑seven others ... Peter, the Rock as He
predicted, met his death at Rome by the hands of the murderous Romans, who crucified him, according to their fiendish
manner. He refused to die in the same position as our Lord, declaring that he was unworthy. Peter demanded to be crucified
in the reverse position, with his head hanging downward. Ironically enough, this wish was gratified by the taunting Romans in
Nero's circus A.D. 67." ("The Drama of the Lost Disciples.")
The Roman Catholic Church has claimed that Peter was their first "Pope." This is not true! Peter did not start the Roman
Church. This was done by the British Royal Family of Siluria; Linus, the son of Caractacus the king, was the first Bishop or
pastor of the Roman Church. Peter is not mentioned in the "Epistle to the Romans" which was written by Paul, who would
have sent greetings to Peter if he had been there. Peter was never appointed the head of any church; even the church in
Jerusalem had James as the leader or pastor there, not Peter. Peter never stayed in Rome but was a visitor there in the home
of a friend once, and his last visit resulted in his martyrdom.
Even the body of Peter is not in Rome. The Venerable Bede, a Roman Catholic historian, wrote that King Oswy had written
a letter to Pope Vitalian, requesting that the bodies of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and of St. Lawrence, St. John, St.
Gregorian and St. Pancras be sent to Britain to be buried at Canterbury. This was done in 656 A.D. This is a matter of
record, written by a "canonized saint" of the Roman Church! ...
Excerpted from DEDICATED DISCIPLES by Henry W. Stough (pp. 128‑131).