0:00:02 > 0:00:04'I'm David Suchet,
0:00:04 > 0:00:05'and I'm in search of one
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'of the most puzzling characters in history -
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'a simple first-century fisherman,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'who somehow became the founding father
0:00:13 > 0:00:17'of the most powerful Christian church on earth.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Wow! Look at these!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'We know him as Saint Peter,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24'mentioned more times in the New Testament
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'than anyone except Jesus.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28'He was his right-hand man
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'and a leader of the early Christian movement.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35'In later traditions, he's martyred in Rome
0:00:35 > 0:00:39and revered as the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Peter's a real person - he's human, he's fallible.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50You sense with Peter something that we can all identify with,
0:00:50 > 0:00:51and that's doubt.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54But our portrait of Peter is a mosaic,
0:00:54 > 0:00:59constructed by different authors, each with their own stories to tell.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03He's always depicted as this meek and timid individual,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05but Peter's the courageous one.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Wow!
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'Peter's character and what motivates him
0:01:14 > 0:01:15'has always intrigued me.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- Exciting, yeah?- Yeah, for me!
0:01:18 > 0:01:22'Flawed, headstrong, never fully understanding,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26'a faithful friend, yet a denier in the hour of need.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:30- "Is that man a friend of yours?" He says, "No."- Yes.- "No, no."
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'Yet, somehow, Peter pulled the Jesus movement back together
0:01:34 > 0:01:37'when all seemed lost.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38'In this series,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41'I'll be uncovering fragments of tradition
0:01:41 > 0:01:43'and half-whispered traces of Peter's life,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47'revealing surprising new discoveries and theories
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'about the man who shaped a faith
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'that came to dominate Western civilisation.'
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I've followed Peter's story
0:02:13 > 0:02:16from his early life as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee
0:02:16 > 0:02:19through three turbulent years with Jesus.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22But the man Peter thought to be the Jewish Messiah,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25whom he hoped would deliver the Jews from Roman rule,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27has been put to death.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Now, all is confusion.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The Jesus movement is in complete disarray.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Its future seems dark.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37But suddenly there's an empty tomb
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and actual sightings of the resurrected Jesus.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43What should Peter do next?
0:02:47 > 0:02:49According to the Gospel Of John,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52he seeks sanctuary in the life he once knew -
0:02:52 > 0:02:54back fishing on the Sea of Galilee.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But then the story takes a dramatic turn.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Very early one morning,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05when Peter and some of the Apostles were returning in their boat
0:03:05 > 0:03:09from an all-night fishing trip, Jesus was seen on the seashore,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12literally cooking breakfast over a fire.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16And Peter, the compulsive, impetuous Peter,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18leapt out of the boat and rushed towards him.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24But what happened next, I think, changed Peter's life for ever.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Jesus suddenly asked him, "Do you love me more than these?"
0:03:28 > 0:03:31The other disciples. What an extraordinary thing to ask Peter!
0:03:31 > 0:03:34He didn't know how to answer. He almost avoided the question.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37"Yes, of course I love you. Yes, of course I do."
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But then what happened was even more surprising -
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Jesus, as the shepherd of his sheep, handed over that baton to Peter.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49"You...will be the shepherd."
0:03:54 > 0:03:57But how to guide the Jesus movement
0:03:57 > 0:04:00after it's lost such a charismatic leader?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04In the New Testament Book Of Acts,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09Peter heads first to Jerusalem, to reunite the remaining Apostles
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and find a replacement for Judas,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14who has committed suicide after betraying Jesus.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22Shortly after, comes the Jewish harvest festival of Pentecost.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It's only 50 days since the execution of Jesus at Passover,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and, as Jerusalem fills with pilgrims once more,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Peter and the Apostles are gathered together somewhere in the city.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Modern-day pilgrims are often shown to this room on Mount Zion,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44as a possible location for both the Last Supper
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and the meeting at Pentecost.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Coming here can be an emotional experience.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54LIVELY CHATTER
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Around me, all around me, is a group from Brazil,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and they are very fired up,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and photographing themselves for the family back home.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'The excitement and enthusiasm of these modern Christians
0:05:13 > 0:05:18'perhaps captures something of the mood of 2,000 years ago.'
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I really don't think I've witnessed anything like this.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26They're really very fired up indeed.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30'According to Acts, Peter and the Apostles also felt themselves imbued
0:05:30 > 0:05:34'by the power of God in the form of the Holy Spirit.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'In their excitement,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'the meeting spilt out into the streets.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'And when a crowd gathered to see what was going on,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44'Peter began to preach,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'converting many new followers.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'Under his leadership,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'the movement was now growing in number and confidence.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Stephen, we know that at Pentecost Peter came out
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and started making this very long speech,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and we're told that hundreds of people were converted.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Where would that have taken place?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Well, some people talk about it being a small room
0:06:11 > 0:06:13someplace off in the distance here,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15but you needed a bigger setting for that.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20Er, the setting was of a place where their group could meet,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and then it spilt out into a courtyard,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26where there were people of all languages
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- that were able to listen to one another.- Yes.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33The only place that we really have that depicts that type of setting
0:06:33 > 0:06:36is right over here at the Temple Mount.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- We have the platform here.- Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41We don't have a temple to see, but it was over here in that area
0:06:41 > 0:06:43in the porticos that surrounded the Temple Mount,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45where they had synagogues,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and this is probably where that event took place.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52So you'd say it was in... actually in the Temple Mount itself?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Yes. It was a very large area.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- The temple building itself was rather small...- Yes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00..compared to the larger area that we're speaking of.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Now I'm always interested, as an actor,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05what happens to the development of people's character.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07You know, you start off as one person,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09you grow into somebody else.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12You hear of sudden conversion experiences,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15when people are suddenly different after, you know,
0:07:15 > 0:07:16after that experience.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21It seems that because of Pentecost it was a sudden change of character.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- And within a very short period of time.- Yeah.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25You remember it was not long before
0:07:25 > 0:07:28that they were sitting in a room together,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- worrying because their Messiah had died on the cross.- Yeah.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Everything that they'd put aside,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36from their jobs and families and everything else to follow him,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38suddenly they look foolish,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41and maybe these Romans are going to come after them, too.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44They were no longer timid. They were bold.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46And that's what the day of Pentecost meant to them.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50The temple Peter would have known
0:07:50 > 0:07:54was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 during the Jewish revolt.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59In the seventh century, the site was occupied by Muslims.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Today, it is the third holiest place in Islam.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Few places are as holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims
0:08:08 > 0:08:10as this place.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15Today, it is known as the Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18And, by coming here, I'm following in the footsteps
0:08:18 > 0:08:20of literally millions of pilgrims.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22And dominating the site
0:08:22 > 0:08:25is one of the most iconic buildings of the Middle East -
0:08:25 > 0:08:27the magnificent Dome Of The Rock.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It's not actually a mosque at all,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32but a Muslim shrine built over a sacred stone.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Ownership of this whole area
0:08:37 > 0:08:40is still hotly contested by Jews and Muslims,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43but inside the Dome Of The Rock,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45all is peace and calm.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24- WHISPERS:- I'm now standing at the base of the sacred rock,
0:09:24 > 0:09:29a rock that is sacred to both the Jews and the Muslims.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31For the Jews, this is the rock
0:09:31 > 0:09:35where they believed that Abraham went to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37And for the Muslims, this is the rock
0:09:37 > 0:09:41from where Muhammad ascended into heaven.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46It really is one of the most holy places in the whole of Jerusalem.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Today, the Haram al-Sharif is fairly empty,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58but every Friday thousands of Muslims gather here
0:09:58 > 0:10:00to say prayers on their holy day.
0:10:00 > 0:10:032,000 years ago, during the big Jewish festivals,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07the space would have been filled with Jewish pilgrims.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13I really am taken back by the vastness of this whole area,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and I'm trying to imagine what it would be like
0:10:16 > 0:10:19with thousands upon thousands of worshippers here.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28For the faithful, then as now,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31this is far more than just a place of worship -
0:10:31 > 0:10:34it's also somewhere to study and discuss belief.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47- What are you doing here? - We are learning Koran.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- You're learning it. - We are learning...
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- To understand it? - Yes, we are. That's right, yes.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- And...- This is our Koran for the whole Muslims.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- It's, like, a Koran study? - Yes. Study.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Study.- Study. Teacher. We are...study.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- Students, we are.- And when you read this, then your teacher explains...
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Yes.- ..what it means and...- Yes. - ..and how it relates to your faith.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- Yes, yes, yes. - It's very interesting.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13As an observant Jew,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Peter would have spent time carefully studying his sacred book,
0:11:17 > 0:11:18the Hebrew Bible,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23perhaps searching for any text that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah -
0:11:23 > 0:11:26something he could use to win new Jewish converts.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35For modern Jews, the tradition of studying and debating
0:11:35 > 0:11:40the finer points of Jewish scripture continues in religious schools,
0:11:40 > 0:11:41known as yeshivas.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47We're in a room of young men, and they're two people at a table.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- Yeah.- What are they doing?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So basically they're learning.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53They're learning together to understand.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54So what do you do, debate it?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We're checking each other. OK, let's say you say that,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00so I'm...I'm saying different. Let's see who's right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- And can it get very animated?- Yeah. Sometimes, there's screaming here,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- but love-scream, you know.- Yes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It's love and it's always like it's giving you energy -
0:12:08 > 0:12:11like I want more, I want to understand what's going on.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- It's so... It's so beautiful. - It becomes quite passionate.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Yeah, passionate. That's what's beautiful about the Gemara.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- He can be right.- Yeah. - There's nothing wrong.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20You go to the rabbi, you ask him,
0:12:20 > 0:12:25he's going to tell you something different, completely different! And he's right, as well.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Now tell me why you see lots of boys here, they're...
0:12:30 > 0:12:31They're moving like this.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- OK, I tell you something, what I think, yeah?- Yeah.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Basically, Jewish, all over the world, wherever you see them...
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Yeah, yeah. All of the...
0:12:39 > 0:12:41..they just... If they're not...
0:12:41 > 0:12:43They can't stand, they can't sit down.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- They need to move always. They need to move.- Yes.- Yeah?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49When you open the Gemara and you have the passion,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51you have the passion, you can't just sit like that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54You're getting excited from something and you sit there and learn it like that.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- If you're excited, you need to show it, you need to move!- Yeah. - I'm excited!
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I'm... I'm moving, you know. You get excited, you get happy.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Being here has really taught me one thing...
0:13:10 > 0:13:14..and that is that this is nothing like a Bible study group
0:13:14 > 0:13:17would be in England.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18I've not seen anything like this.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20I've never seen anything so passionate.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22But we are talking about the Middle East,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and we're talking about this particular religion,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27the Jewish religion, which is full of passion.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And it makes me think of Peter and the disciples
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and even Jesus himself.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37They were Jewish. They were Middle Eastern, debating the law,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42and trying to work out... what was in it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And you can see them arguing passionately,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48not as we tend to sanitise it in the West.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51And from what I'm learning about Peter,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54who was impulsive and impetuous,
0:13:54 > 0:13:55I'm also learning that
0:13:55 > 0:13:59he was probably a very passionate man, as well.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08But would that passion be enough to win over new converts?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10In a world where many believed in miracles,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14performing wondrous acts helped to convince onlookers
0:14:14 > 0:14:18that Peter was filled with the power and authority of God.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25How important were miracles to the Jesus movement?
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I don't think you could have had the beginnings of Christianity
0:14:29 > 0:14:33without very miraculous acts of power, acts of healing.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38People really did expect the Messiah to do fantastic things -
0:14:38 > 0:14:40of healing, of raising the dead.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Then, with Peter, I think Peter was very important
0:14:44 > 0:14:49in continuing the momentum that was first established by Jesus.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54He had the power of the Holy Spirit in him from Jesus,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56and he was healing in the name of Jesus.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00I mean, even to the extent that if his shadow passed them...
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Is that right?- Absolutely.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06So, Peter's shadow would pass by and people thought,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09"Well, we could get healed by him because he is so powerful."
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Oh, really?
0:15:11 > 0:15:16But he had already proven by that time that he had incredible power
0:15:16 > 0:15:19working with him, healing in the name of Jesus,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23making people well again around the temple.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So he was a fantastically important figure.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Peter's reputation as a miracle worker
0:15:30 > 0:15:34helped win Jewish converts to the Jesus movement.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35But what of the non-Jewish world?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40In the Book Of Acts, Peter comes to realise
0:15:40 > 0:15:45that the death and resurrection of Jesus was not just for the Jews -
0:15:45 > 0:15:48it was meant to usher in a new age of social inclusion,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50for Jews and non-Jews alike.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Peter was about to convert the first Gentile.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And, as historian Gil Gambash explained,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02this was no ordinary convert,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05but a Roman centurion called Cornelius,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09stationed in the Mediterranean garrison town of Caesarea.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Do you think it would have been a big moment for the Jesus movement
0:16:14 > 0:16:20at that time to have a Roman centurion wanting to convert?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I think that, for the time that we are talking about,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- this is revolutionary. - Really?- Yes.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30A distinguished citizen of this town, a pagan, a centurion
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- with a very rich household...- Yes.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- ..lots of followers...- Yes.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37..and he invites his family, so this is a distinguished person.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39This kind of person is converting,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43so all of you out there who are considering this
0:16:43 > 0:16:47and who are usually looking up to centurions in this society
0:16:47 > 0:16:50can imagine that this is doable. Definitely.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Well, we talk about Cornelius, but it's a huge moment for Peter.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59This movement is debating whether to stay within Judaism
0:16:59 > 0:17:02or to emerge out into the Gentile world.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Now this involves two very significant moves -
0:17:05 > 0:17:09one, to accept people who are not circumcised and
0:17:09 > 0:17:13two, to be able to eat non-kosher food.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- Yes.- Very... Very basic. Very simple.
0:17:15 > 0:17:21Once Peter comes here and accepts into this new movement a Gentile,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23a non-circumcised person,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- who is probably also eating non-kosher food...- Yes.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30..then this movement takes a very significant turn,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34and from this point onward we can see how the entire Gentile communities...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- Yes.- ..of the Mediterranean are fair game.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Peter's actions spark a major debate
0:17:41 > 0:17:44within what was still a branch of Judaism.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Should non-Jews entering the Jesus movement follow Jewish law?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56More worryingly, back in Jerusalem,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Peter and his followers are becoming a threat
0:17:59 > 0:18:04to the established Jewish leadership and their Roman overseers.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07What was the problem with the Jesus movement
0:18:07 > 0:18:10for these religious rulers?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Well, the Jesus movement,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14which is a movement of people claiming
0:18:14 > 0:18:15to have special authority
0:18:15 > 0:18:19which circumvents the normal paths
0:18:19 > 0:18:20and channels of authority
0:18:20 > 0:18:21in the Jewish world,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24they're not taking their orders from anybody except from God.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28So they're claiming authority in ways which pose a threat
0:18:28 > 0:18:33to the established Jewish authorities in Jerusalem.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36A Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Israel means not a Kingdom of Rome.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40- Oh, OK.- And to preach the coming end of the kingdom
0:18:40 > 0:18:44is something which gets people in trouble in the Roman Empire.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45It was what got Jesus into trouble
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and it's what's getting his followers into trouble as well.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51His followers were, perhaps, a little bit more threatening
0:18:51 > 0:18:53cos they claimed to be pointing to a really massive miracle,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55which shows they've got to be right.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57They know who this coming king is going to be,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00and he's been resurrected. That's what they're claiming.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03So, the Jesus movement was really
0:19:03 > 0:19:05going against Rome?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Yeah, I think that's what was probably most threatening
0:19:07 > 0:19:10in the eyes of the priesthood.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13They had to make sure from day to day that the Roman governor,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15who had his garrison in Jerusalem,
0:19:15 > 0:19:16and his agents and his informers,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19that they were all happy, because if they're not happy,
0:19:19 > 0:19:20- things are going to go very badly. - Yeah.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25The Book of Acts tells how Herod Agrippa,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28the Roman-appointed King of Judea,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32struck against the Jesus movement and had Peter imprisoned.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Execution was a near certainty.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40But that night, Peter makes a miraculous escape.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41He travels across the city
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and goes to a house, where his friends are in hiding.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47But the disciples wouldn't believe it was Peter at the door.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49"No, Peter...Peter's in prison.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51"By now, he could have even been executed."
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Then Acts tells us...
0:19:55 > 0:19:57"But Peter kept on knocking.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00"And when they opened the door and saw him,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02"they were astonished.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06"Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09"and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14"'Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,' he said.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18"And then he left for another place."
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I've always found that a very unsatisfactory exit
0:20:22 > 0:20:24for the character of Peter.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26"He then left for another place."
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Where did he go? We're just not told.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30He just disappears.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34'A letter in the New Testament,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36'known as 1 Peter, offers a clue.'
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'Opinion differs on whether or not
0:20:47 > 0:20:49'Peter was the actual writer of the letter,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'but it's addressed to Christian communities in Asia Minor,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55'including Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58'Could he have come here?'
0:21:01 > 0:21:04There are some places on this earth that don't quite seem to belong here.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07They're like fragments of an alien planet.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11The whole region around Goreme in Turkish Cappadocia
0:21:11 > 0:21:13is just one of those places.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It's the most extraordinary landscape,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20shaped by volcanic activity for the past ten million years.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22And over time, wind and water
0:21:22 > 0:21:25have carved these soft volcanic rocks
0:21:25 > 0:21:27into the most bizarre shapes.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30People have lived here since the earliest times,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and it's also provided refuge
0:21:32 > 0:21:35for some of the very first Christian communities.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44As Christianity spread through Cappadocia,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47places of worship were carved out of the soft rock.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51Art historian Ferda Barut
0:21:51 > 0:21:54took me into the fresco-filled dark church.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00My, goodness me.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Wow!
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Look at that!
0:22:05 > 0:22:07These are extraordinary!
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Yes, that's true.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14I have never seen anything like this ever before.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22These frescoes are dated from the 11th century.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Do we have any pictures of Peter here?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Yes, we have.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- Here we see the transfiguration scene.- Yes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And here we see Peter,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35with the curly white hair,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37at the left of the scene.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'These wonderful frescoes are from the 11th century,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44'but we know that many centuries earlier
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'Christian hermits were living in these caves.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51'Intriguingly, when the Cappadocian Christian leader St Basil
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'sought to establish a proper community here
0:22:54 > 0:22:55'in the fourth century,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'he seemed to have been influenced by Peter.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:01St Basil, especially,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03stresses upon the point that
0:23:03 > 0:23:06you have to live together,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08not in isolated ways.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11You have to be in contact with the society.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14That's very interesting, Ferda, because Peter,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16when he formed his first community,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19told people that they had to share everything -
0:23:19 > 0:23:22money, goods, possessions.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Do you think that influenced Basil?
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Yes, of course, I think that.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32I think that because St Basil mentions Peter in his letters,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and they...
0:23:34 > 0:23:38St Basil copies some of the rules
0:23:38 > 0:23:40for his community here.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44He tries to build almost the same thing for the community.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51What was going on with St Basil and the other Cappadocian fathers
0:23:51 > 0:23:53may well have been inspired by Peter.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00"Live in harmony with one another.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02"Be sympathetic.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04"Love as brothers.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06"Be compassionate and humble.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08"Do not repay evil with evil,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11"or insult with insult,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14"but with blessing, because to this you were called
0:24:14 > 0:24:16"so that you may inherit a blessing."
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Now, this is from a letter that mentions the Cappadocians
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and that also, some credit to Peter.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28But is this proof that the man himself was actually here?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'Rock-cut churches, big and small,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'are scattered across this landscape.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44'Many are filled with the most beautiful frescoes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50'I took a moment to go in search of more images of Peter.'
0:24:56 > 0:25:01I'm now standing in the oldest rock-cut cave church in the region,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03and all around me, on the walls and ceilings,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07are little panels depicting the life of Jesus Christ in sequence,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09rather like a filmstrip.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15And if I move into another, and much larger, part of the church,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17which was added later,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19when Christianity was more established,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22there was no need to tell the story of Jesus.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Instead, they were showing on the walls stories of the Gospels.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28And over there...
0:25:28 > 0:25:32you can see the Apostles and Peter in his fishing boat.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'Could Peter really have come here?
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'What would he have made of this extraordinary landscape?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'I met up with biblical scholar Helen Bond.'
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Do we have any evidence at all
0:25:57 > 0:25:59that Peter was here in Cappadocia?
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Well, we have a couple of little hints.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04In the Book of Acts, at Pentecost we hear that
0:26:04 > 0:26:06there are Jewish people there
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- in Jerusalem for the Jewish feast. - Yes.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12And so, they get caught up in this whole sort of Pentecost thing,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15so it's possible that when they go back to Cappadocia,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17they take some of the message.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19So, is it possible that Peter,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22in a sense, would have visited them here?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Yes, I think that's quite likely.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26If he thought there might be a receptive audience here,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28if people had already heard him,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31perhaps people had said to him, you know,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34"We're really interested in this. We'd like to hear more about it."
0:26:34 > 0:26:36So, you would call him a missionary?
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Yeah, he was definitely a missionary.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39He's going out finding synagogues,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43finding Jews that he can convert to the new way of life.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45And what would it have been like
0:26:45 > 0:26:47being a missionary in this sort of country?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Well, yes, I think pretty incredible.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51But he would have...he would have known.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I mean, there was a fairly well sort of planned out series
0:26:54 > 0:26:57of the Jewish dispersion, or the Diaspora,
0:26:57 > 0:26:58around the Mediterranean,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and those are the places that welcomed him, too,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03you know, as a Jewish brother from Jerusalem.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Because, of course, Christianity is still a version of Judaism.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07- It's a kind...- Yes, yes.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09..it's a branch of the Jewish belief.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14'Another clue that Peter may have been active in this region
0:27:14 > 0:27:18'can be found in one of the letters of the Apostle Paul,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'a newcomer to the movement charged with converting Gentiles.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27'He writes of a conflict with Peter in Antioch in Asia Minor,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30'over the continuing argument of whether Gentiles
0:27:30 > 0:27:32'must accept Jewish law.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Oh, look at the... Oh, goodness!
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- HIS WORDS ECHO - Hear the echo? Ah! Ha!
0:27:42 > 0:27:44It's quite ornate, it's quite pretty up there.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45It is, isn't it?
0:27:45 > 0:27:48This is an old church with...
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Helen, you and I are talking about a time
0:27:49 > 0:27:51when the church didn't even exist.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55And Peter had left Jerusalem,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58but, all of a sudden, we see him turn up at a big meeting
0:27:58 > 0:28:00where there was huge arguments and debates.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01It was quite fraught.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03What was it all about?
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Well, you have to remember that this is the very,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07very earliest stages of Christianity.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Nobody knew what they were doing at that moment.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13They're working it out, working out what God's plan for them is
0:28:13 > 0:28:14as they go along.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18So they've been taking the message out, they've been evangelising,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22and they seem to have been also offering the message to Gentiles.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24And Gentiles have been coming into the movement,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26sometimes in quite large numbers.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30And everybody seems to be agreed that offering the message
0:28:30 > 0:28:32to Gentiles is a good thing.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35The question is, though, on what basis?
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Do they first have to become Jews
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and then become Christians?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- Christian-Jews, in effect.- Yes.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Or are you allowed, simply as a Gentile,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47to believe in what Jesus has done, to be baptised,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and then to be a Christian?
0:28:49 > 0:28:50And what was Peter's stance?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Well, according to Acts, Peter has a dream in which
0:28:53 > 0:28:55he's told that he can eat any food.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56Oh, right.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59And all foods, all peoples, are clean.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01This dream is really telling him that...
0:29:01 > 0:29:04that the future is going to be very different,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06that now he can, um...
0:29:06 > 0:29:09He can sit down and have meals with Gentiles.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13So, there was... Could you see it as a heated debate?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I think it was extremely heated, yes.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21'The argument forced Peter to return, at least briefly,
0:29:21 > 0:29:22'to Jerusalem,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25'where he was able to convince the Jesus movement
0:29:25 > 0:29:29'that Gentile converts did not need to observe all Jewish law,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31'including circumcision.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34'It was one of the most important moments in the history
0:29:34 > 0:29:36'of Christianity.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38'The whole of the pagan world
0:29:38 > 0:29:40'was now open to the new faith.'
0:29:45 > 0:29:48If Peter did travel beyond Israel,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51it's quite possible that he visited and spent some time
0:29:51 > 0:29:53in Asia Minor, here in Cappadocia.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Well, certainly, there were Jewish and then Christian communities here
0:29:57 > 0:29:58since the earliest days,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and traditions about Peter and Paul visiting this region
0:30:01 > 0:30:03still lives on.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07But there's nothing to say that Peter ended his days here.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09So where did he possibly go next?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15One tradition is that he travelled to Rome.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26For the Roman Catholic Church, Peter is the first Bishop of Rome,
0:30:26 > 0:30:30the first Pope chosen by Jesus as his successor.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35My first stop in Rome is the Vatican's magnificent Sistine Chapel.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Peter features in Michelangelo's great masterpiece
0:30:40 > 0:30:44The Last Judgment, which adorns an entire wall of the chapel.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50But the Sistine is also the place where cardinals gather
0:30:50 > 0:30:52to elect a new Pope.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Arguably the most important painting of them all
0:30:55 > 0:30:59is Pietro Perugino's Delivery Of The Keys.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06This is the only picture in the series that's not telling a story.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11The fresco is more a statement than a story.
0:31:11 > 0:31:18It's the moment when Christ is making Peter his vicar,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20and the fresco has to be there to
0:31:20 > 0:31:26legitimise the first Pope and to introduce the Petrine ministry
0:31:26 > 0:31:29after Christ has returned to heaven.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32And because Jesus gives Peter that office,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34if you like...
0:31:34 > 0:31:40that justifies the Vatican being called St Peter's.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43That is where the tradition starts.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48- That's legitimising the successor of Peter...- Yes.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52..because his power comes directly from Christ,
0:31:52 > 0:32:00and is represented in this very emblematic form of the two keys.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04- But Christ never gave two keys to Peter.- No.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- This is a way...- It was symbolic.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11That's... Yeah, but it was sort of invented by the painters.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Is there anything in this picture that tells us about
0:32:16 > 0:32:19the character of Peter through the eyes of the painter?
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Peter is a person, in the way he's represented,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26that you would trust.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31- If you like, a fatherly figure, an elderly figure.- Yes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35And those are attributes that the artist, in general,
0:32:35 > 0:32:41attribute to Peter to make him, basically, the first holy father.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49But how likely is it that Peter actually came here?
0:32:57 > 0:33:02'On the Via Appia, the ancient road from Rome's seaport to the city,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05'I met biblical scholar Ed Adams.'
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Ed, we're told that Peter might have come to Rome.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Do we have any evidence that he was here?
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- Well, there's no explicit evidence in the New Testament.- No.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17But there's a very strong hint in Peter's first letter.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22- You see, he gives a greeting from "she who is in Babylon".- Oh.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Now "she" probably refers to a church.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27So the question is, what's Babylon?
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Now, it probably wasn't historical Babylon
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- because it was a wasteland at this time.- Yes.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38So it's very likely that it's a codeword for Rome
0:33:38 > 0:33:41- because it was used in this way in ancient Jewish texts...- I see.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Yeah, and also in the Book of Revelation,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Babylon is a way of talking about Rome.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51So it looks to be that that letter was written from Rome.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54And when Peter came to Rome he would have come this way?
0:33:54 > 0:33:57He would have walked the Appian Way from the south into the city.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I do find that extraordinary that we're actually standing on it.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01Yeah.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Well, unfortunately, Ed, I think we still have some way to go.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05We do indeed.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15- Now what a view!- Yes.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- And there's St Peter's. - St Peter's, yeah.
0:34:20 > 0:34:25The tradition is that Peter may have founded Christianity in Rome.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28That's right. There is an early tradition which states that.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33- I am sceptical of that because in Paul's letter to the Romans...- Yes.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36..he presumes a church which is already in existence,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39and he never mentions Peter in that letter.
0:34:39 > 0:34:40And you would expect him to do that
0:34:40 > 0:34:45if Peter had been the evangeliser of the church at Rome.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48So if Peter didn't found Christianity in Rome,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50how did it come to be here?
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Well, the most likely explanation is through travelling Jewish believers.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57There had been for quite some time
0:34:57 > 0:35:00a very strong Jewish community in Rome,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02with very strong links back to Jerusalem.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06So there was a recognised route from Jerusalem to Rome.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23The Jewish community in Rome is said to be
0:35:23 > 0:35:26the oldest Jewish community in Europe,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28and it was well established in Peter's time.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30So if he did come to this city
0:35:30 > 0:35:33it would have been the obvious place for him to stay.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Where we are, here, is a Jewish community,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48a Jewish, you would you say, "quarter"?
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Yeah, we call this the ghetto neighbourhood.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56'Riccardo Di Segni has been the Chief Rabbi of Rome since 2001.'
0:35:56 > 0:35:59What do you think the community in Rome
0:35:59 > 0:36:03would have felt about the new Jesus movement,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Jews coming believing in that, here in Rome?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09How would they have been treat...?
0:36:09 > 0:36:13The Jews were split into different parties,
0:36:13 > 0:36:14and they killed each other.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16They were very disordered.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19- Did they fight each other?- Yes!
0:36:19 > 0:36:23- This is a community where we fight about any issue...- Yes.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28..as we have very deeply rooted customs, so...
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Can you tell me anything about Peter, here?
0:36:32 > 0:36:37We don't have, as Jews, specific news
0:36:37 > 0:36:40about Peter coming to Rome.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45- But we have some interesting legends.- Go on, tell me!
0:36:45 > 0:36:51He was a religious poet who composed poems and prayers,
0:36:51 > 0:36:56so there is a legend that says that one specific prayer that we recite on
0:36:56 > 0:37:00the morning of Shabbat, which is called Nishmat Kol Chai,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03a very beautiful religious poem, had been written by him.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Ah, it is not true,
0:37:05 > 0:37:10but it is very interesting that this tradition is kept.
0:37:10 > 0:37:17It means that the specific character is considered with sympathy.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21It was certainly a curious legend,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25but it also perhaps points to a simple truth -
0:37:25 > 0:37:28that Peter always stayed close to his Jewish religion.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Of course in the centuries that followed
0:37:32 > 0:37:36he would be claimed by the newly emerging Christian church.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44In this backstreet of Rome...
0:37:44 > 0:37:49is a little piece of England that has been here for 650 years.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56The Venerable English College is a Catholic seminary
0:37:56 > 0:37:59that prepares young Englishmen for the priesthood.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03It seemed a good place to talk to a future generation of priests
0:38:03 > 0:38:06about Peter, and his significance to them.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10- So this is the English College? - That's right.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13And the oldest English institution outside of England.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15The... Say that again? The oldest...
0:38:15 > 0:38:18The oldest English institution outside of England.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21You've got to understand, in the year 1300,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23the Pope at the time, Boniface the VIII,
0:38:23 > 0:38:24declared a Holy Year,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28inviting pilgrims to come from all over northern Europe,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32and they came in their thousands, including Englishmen.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36And that coat of arms, it was above the door here saying,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38"This is the English hospice. You can stay here."
0:38:38 > 0:38:40And what was their pilgrimage at that point?
0:38:40 > 0:38:43So coming to St Peter's tomb.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46- I mean, that was the point. - Oh, to St Peter's tomb!- Exactly.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49So the Pope at the time was trying to refocus
0:38:49 > 0:38:54European Christianity back onto Rome, and that was the very purpose of it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59And that's the start of this now seminary as an institution.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03- Pilgrims to see the bones of Peter. - To come to the tomb of Peter.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05So we're going to do two things.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08- We're going to take the excess wax off here...- Yeah.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09..with your hand first of all.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12- Just going to take this top edge off...- Oh, I see.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- ..just so it looks a bit smarter, that's all.- Yes.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- So there's your knife and there's your candle.- Right.
0:39:20 > 0:39:27While I'm doing this, tell me what you feel about St Peter.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28What is he to you?
0:39:30 > 0:39:33He's accessible. I think that's the key word.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38You know, some of the saints in the history of the church are perfect,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40and that's wonderful.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42You know, they've lived perfect human lives,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45they've had every human virtue you'd ever want to have.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Peter didn't. Peter messes it up all the time.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56And I think most of us in the church can completely relate to that.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58These are the scrapbooks.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Another job in the college is to cut out bits of newspaper
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- and put them in these books. - Is that your job?
0:40:04 > 0:40:05No, it's another one.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Ah, so the first one here from 1850...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Let me read this out loud. It's the most amazing language.
0:40:11 > 0:40:17"Do not be humbugged by the exploded cry of "No Popery".
0:40:17 > 0:40:20"It is a phrase coined in the mint of persecution
0:40:20 > 0:40:25"and only fit for ancient apple-women."
0:40:25 > 0:40:26How wonderful, isn't it?
0:40:28 > 0:40:30- And then up in... - These are wonderful.- Yeah.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34That's like one of my scrapbooks. I'm not in here.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And last year was a very big year with the election of Pope Francis.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44We all ran in the rain to the square to get our positions.
0:40:44 > 0:40:45And I'm somewhere there...
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- You're there.- ..with my friends. It was very dramatic.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49What do you think of Peter, then?
0:40:49 > 0:40:52The amazing thing about St Peter is, you know,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56he makes mistakes, he's not always,
0:40:56 > 0:40:57certainly at the start,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01he's not always sort of perfect or living up to kind of Christ,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03if you will.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06And I can see so much in myself in that story as well, you know?
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Today, Peter's legacy is an inspiration.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18And part of that is the tradition that he was martyred.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21I wondered how Peter could've met his end.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26SIREN BLARES
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Whoo-hoo-hoo!- Exciting, yeah? - Yeah, for me!
0:41:36 > 0:41:38If he were in Rome,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41then he would have been part of one of the most catastrophic events in
0:41:41 > 0:41:42the history of the city.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49The Great Fire of Rome broke out on a hot summer's night in AD 64.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Would the fire have spread very quickly?
0:41:53 > 0:41:55There were poor houses.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Also with the material,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59combustible materials...
0:41:59 > 0:42:01- Yes.- ..mixed together.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Just dry wood.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Dry wood and there was not also water in the houses, so...
0:42:07 > 0:42:08Oh, now that's interesting.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10It was very difficult for them.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Were there ways of fighting a fire,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16like we have the fire brigade now, like you?
0:42:16 > 0:42:21At the time, there was not a real fire station, a real...
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- No.- ..fire unit.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30The Great Fire started actually here in the Circus Maximus.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34You have to imagine that there was seating up in either side,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and outside, under the arches, there were shops.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40And in one of these shops, that it's said
0:42:40 > 0:42:44sold inflammable goods or inflammable materials,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48the fire started. And it was a summer evening,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51it was very hot and there was a strong wind.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56And it's said that the fire swept down Circus Maximus here,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00and the flames were sort of generated by this wind
0:43:00 > 0:43:02that could sweep down.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04It really was a catastrophe.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07The story goes that after the fire,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10the Emperor Nero turned on the Christians.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13What evidence do we have that he then blamed
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the Christians for starting the fire?
0:43:15 > 0:43:21Well, there is some evidence for that, but it is quite slight.
0:43:21 > 0:43:26Nero was a person who was a very nervous emperor in many ways.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27He did like to find scapegoats.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31It seems not out of character that he would do such a thing.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35- And tradition has always had it that it was the Christians...- Yes.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39..that, um, he chose as his scapegoats.
0:43:39 > 0:43:40That tradition goes back to
0:43:40 > 0:43:44the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46"He falsely charged with guilt
0:43:46 > 0:43:49"and punished with the most fearful tortures
0:43:49 > 0:43:52"the persons commonly called Christians."
0:43:52 > 0:43:54But what of Peter?
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Well, it's possible that in the aftermath of
0:43:57 > 0:44:01the Great Fire of Rome, that Peter got swept up in Nero's attempt
0:44:01 > 0:44:04- to scapegoat the Christians...- Yes. - ..and was executed.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07If that took place, then he would have been burned alive
0:44:07 > 0:44:11because the Romans killed arsonists by burning them.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14- It was sort of an eye for an eye, the lex talionis.- Yes.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17We'll burn you cos you burned the city.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Where does the tradition that Peter was martyred upside down come from?
0:44:21 > 0:44:23The tradition that Peter was crucified upside down
0:44:23 > 0:44:27comes from much later, from 100 years after he died.
0:44:27 > 0:44:28Oh!
0:44:28 > 0:44:31And the idea that he was crucified upside down
0:44:31 > 0:44:33because he didn't think he was worthy to die like Jesus,
0:44:33 > 0:44:35- you know, the story you hear in Sunday school.- Yes.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- That's actually from another 400 years later.- 400 years?!
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- 400. Now...- Oh, wow!
0:44:42 > 0:44:46It is possible that the Roman soldiers might have acceded
0:44:46 > 0:44:49to a request to be crucified upside down.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Or they might actually have been punishing him.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54If Peter had been on his way to martyrdom and said,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57"Well, this is great, I'm going to die like my saviour,"
0:44:57 > 0:44:59they might have said, "No you're not,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02"we're going to execute you upside down." Just as a way to punish him.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06They did have a lot of freedom, the soldiers did, when it came to
0:45:06 > 0:45:09executing common criminals, and they were very brutal.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12So we can imagine that he might have been crucified,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14he might also have been quietly beheaded,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17- or perhaps garrotted in a prison somewhere.- Yes.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Do you think they would have singled him out,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22or was he just one of many?
0:45:22 > 0:45:23Well, if Peter had come to Rome,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26we can imagine he would have been a celebrity to other Christians.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- This is someone who knew Jesus, who touched him...- Yes.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32..who lived with him, which would have made him a leader here.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35And the Romans, when they did try to target Christians,
0:45:35 > 0:45:37did target the leaders
0:45:37 > 0:45:40because those would leave the biggest impact on the community.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43That would be devastating for a small Christian community
0:45:43 > 0:45:45to lose someone like Peter.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49Whatever the truth, the image of Peter crucified upside down
0:45:49 > 0:45:52is now one of the founding traditions
0:45:52 > 0:45:54of the Roman Catholic Church.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57This is Filippino Lippi's Crucifixion of St Peter.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58And what I think
0:45:58 > 0:46:01is really extraordinary about it is that he introduces
0:46:01 > 0:46:03this idea of movement.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06So you can see the figure on the right with a pulley, pulling him up.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10- Yes.- These two figures either side holding him in place.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12So this the moment literally of crucifixion.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Jerry, as an actor, whenever I look at a picture,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17I always look at people's costumes and people's faces,
0:46:17 > 0:46:19and where they're looking,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21and the relationships between people. And I notice here
0:46:21 > 0:46:23that all the other faces are dark,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25except that person there,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28looking right at Peter's face
0:46:28 > 0:46:32with such a feeling of sorrow and sadness.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Actually the focus is NOT on Peter's face.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38- It's on the everyday figure who is showing the sorrow...- Yes.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40..of Peter's crucifixion.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- Mirroring OUR sorrow. - It's our sorrow.- Yes.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48But let's look at the next painting which is just through here.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52And what happens here is a complete change.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56This is Michelangelo, this is in the Vatican,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58and this is an extraordinary painting.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Look at the figure of St Peter.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02He glares at you.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04So he gives you the emotion much more powerfully
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- than any other previous art... - He's looking out.
0:47:06 > 0:47:07He's glaring at you, David.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10He's saying, "Look at what is happening at me."
0:47:10 > 0:47:13This is actually an ANGRY Peter.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Let's move on and look at the next picture and how this idea develops.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24So this is Caravaggio's rendition of St Peter.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Oh, wow, that is AMAZING!
0:47:26 > 0:47:27Isn't it?
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Oh! This is extraordinary.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36- People were absolutely scandalised when it was first...- Where? Why?
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Because they just thought that you can't portray a figure
0:47:39 > 0:47:42like St Peter in this way, clearly in pain,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45clearly in distress, clearly not wanting to be here.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48This is not the calm notion of Peter saying,
0:47:48 > 0:47:49"I am a martyr, I welcome this."
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Caravaggio is saying,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54"This is difficult, hard, horrible, painful stuff."
0:47:54 > 0:47:58And to me, Peter's almost looking at his hand and saying,
0:47:58 > 0:48:02"So THIS is what Jesus felt."
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Exactly. I think this is what Caravaggio captures.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08He's not just a symbol of the church. He's a real man.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11- This happened to him. - Not a saintly picture.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15No, I think we've definitely moved from Peter really is an icon.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18- He represents a certain aspect of the story...- Yes.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21..so by the early 17th century he can be identified as
0:48:21 > 0:48:25the man in the street who is suffering extreme pain.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29- But at the same time, he's a very important figure in the story...- Yes.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31- ..of Christianity.- Yes.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41So if Peter was executed in Rome, what happened to his body?
0:48:41 > 0:48:43According to the Roman Catholic Church,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46he was buried on the Vatican Hill -
0:48:46 > 0:48:49the very reason St Peter's Basilica was built.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51But before I go there,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54I want to investigate a very curious side story.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57That 200 years after his death,
0:48:57 > 0:48:58Peter's remains were moved
0:48:58 > 0:49:01to a site just outside Rome on the Via Appia -
0:49:01 > 0:49:06the very road Peter once travelled along on his way into the city.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Today, this basilica is dedicated to San Sebastian,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14a very popular Roman martyr.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17But originally it was known as the Basilica of the Apostles
0:49:17 > 0:49:21because tradition holds that the relics of both Peter and Paul
0:49:21 > 0:49:24were brought here to the catacombs beneath this church
0:49:24 > 0:49:28during the Christian persecutions of Emperor Valerian in the 3rd century.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34OK, David, let's go this way.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Be careful.
0:49:37 > 0:49:38My goodness.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Really does look like an underground city.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48It's AMAZING!
0:49:48 > 0:49:51In Greek the word "catacomb" literally means
0:49:51 > 0:49:55"near the hollows", and it was first used to describe
0:49:55 > 0:49:59the underground cemetery of San Sebastian because these tombs
0:49:59 > 0:50:02were built in the remains of an ancient rock quarry.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07It's a very strange feeling being down here.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12It's getting colder as you come down further.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14It's getting colder and quite damp now.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17We've got a big step here.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19OK.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21Wow!
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Oh, my goodness!
0:50:29 > 0:50:30Oh, that's weird.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37A real sense of what it was like
0:50:37 > 0:50:40walking through here with bodies on every ledge.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42Extraordinary.
0:50:49 > 0:50:50And very spooky.
0:50:52 > 0:50:53Oh, look, there's some more.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Oh, there's another one here, look.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Oop, it's so narrow.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Ugh!
0:51:07 > 0:51:09I feel like going home.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19'The catacombs were a pagan burial ground
0:51:19 > 0:51:22'and date back to at least the 2nd century.'
0:51:22 > 0:51:27And here, David, we have the remaining of the graffiti wall.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33'But in 258 AD, under the Emperor Valerian's persecutions,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35'the catacombs became a haven for a group of Christians
0:51:35 > 0:51:39'who came here to worship Peter and Paul.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41'Could they have disinterred the remains of the saints
0:51:41 > 0:51:45'from their original graves and brought them here for safekeeping?'
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Paul...and Peter...
0:51:51 > 0:51:52..pray for me...
0:51:54 > 0:51:55..for victory.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Lucky I did Latin at school.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Peter and Paul, Peter and Paul. It's everywhere...
0:52:06 > 0:52:07their names.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Oh, this is very clear now.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16Peter...petish...petit...pray for us, pray for me.
0:52:18 > 0:52:19Well, if this was a wall,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22it's obvious that the people who wrote all this must have thought...
0:52:24 > 0:52:25that Peter and Paul were here.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27I mean, it's like a commemoration wall.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30Or maybe they even knew they were there.
0:52:30 > 0:52:31Extraordinary.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35It seems that if the remains of Peter and Paul
0:52:35 > 0:52:39were ever kept here, then it was only for a short time.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Once the persecution ended,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Christians stopped leaving messages on this wall.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47The remains of the saints may then have been returned
0:52:47 > 0:52:49to their original burial sites.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54Of course, the tradition is that Peter's grave is
0:52:54 > 0:52:56now beneath the basilica that bears his name.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03And for Roman Catholics,
0:53:03 > 0:53:07the holiest place within is the Clementine Chapel,
0:53:07 > 0:53:12where I met Cardinal Angelo Comastri.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15SPOKEN ITALIAN IN TRANSLATION:
0:53:23 > 0:53:26How do you, as a cardinal,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28feel inside,
0:53:28 > 0:53:32being so close to the bones of St Peter?
0:54:19 > 0:54:21And there he is.
0:54:21 > 0:54:22Shimon...
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Peter.
0:54:24 > 0:54:25Simon Peter.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35It's a long way away from the fisherman I first met in Galilee.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36But there he is.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44And if it wasn't for him, this extraordinary building,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47this extraordinary edifice would never be here.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55So if Peter is buried beneath the Vatican, how did he come to be here?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59In the 1940s, Vatican archaeologists
0:54:59 > 0:55:02made an extraordinary discovery.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04A few metres below the floor of St Peter's...
0:55:06 > 0:55:09..was a Roman necropolis, or city of the dead.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10During Roman times,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12it was forbidden to bury the dead
0:55:12 > 0:55:14within the walls of the city,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17so mausoleums sprung up along the roads leading out of Rome.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23One of them ran up the Vatican Hill alongside the Circus of Nero -
0:55:23 > 0:55:24an ancient racetrack -
0:55:24 > 0:55:27where the Roman historian Tacitus says,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29"The emperor executed Christians."
0:55:31 > 0:55:33By the mid-second century,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Roman Christians were marking what they believed to be
0:55:35 > 0:55:40the grave of St Peter with a red wall and a shrine called a tropian.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45When archaeologists dug below the tropian,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48they uncovered an empty grave.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Bone fragments were later found nearby,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53purportedly belonging to St Peter,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57though no Pope has ever definitively declared that they are HIS remains.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02In the early 4th century,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05the existence of the shrine led the Christian Emperor Constantine
0:56:05 > 0:56:08to build the first basilica of St Peter,
0:56:08 > 0:56:10levelling the slope of the hill
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and filling in the street of the dead to form the foundations.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17When that fell into ruin in the 16th century,
0:56:17 > 0:56:19work began on the present building.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22Goodness me.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27So that grave, the grave of Peter,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30is just below - at the bottom of those pillars.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33It's from Peter's life and death
0:56:33 > 0:56:37that all subsequent Roman Catholic popes draw their authority.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39CHEERING
0:56:53 > 0:56:57CROWD CHEERS
0:57:13 > 0:57:15To many people in this crowd,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Peter is probably best remembered as the first Bishop of Rome,
0:57:18 > 0:57:20or the first Pope.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22But whether he led a church here,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24or even came to this city and met his death here,
0:57:24 > 0:57:27we can never be quite sure.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31But I can't help wondering what Peter, the humble fisherman,
0:57:31 > 0:57:32would have made of all this.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35CROWD CHANTS
0:57:35 > 0:57:37As he looked back on his life,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40maybe he looked at those three years he spent with Jesus
0:57:40 > 0:57:43like a sudden storm sweeping across the Sea of Galilee -
0:57:43 > 0:57:45dangerous and unpredictable.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48And yet, somehow,
0:57:48 > 0:57:51he managed to battle his way through those dark waters
0:57:51 > 0:57:54and set a new course,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57one that would ultimately launch a new religion
0:57:57 > 0:57:59far away from the shores of Galilee.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03What a remarkable journey.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06What a remarkable man.
0:58:11 > 0:58:16CHORAL MUSIC DOMINATES SOUNDTRACK