Simon, Who Is Called Peter: Life as One of the Apostles

by Matt Jenson; Mackenzie Mulligan

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2014

Overview

When we read the Bible as a parable, as a series of object lessons told merely to prove a point, we miss something. When we treat the people within the Bible as mere “characters” in a story, we lose something incredibly important. Object lessons are clean and simple. People, on the other hand, are messy and complicated. When we look at the life of Simon Peter, we see one of the messiest people in the entire New Testament. Peter walked on water and sank into the waves. He proclaimed who Jesus was and completely missed the point. He pledged his undying devotion to Christ, and even drew a sword in defense of his Lord, and then he abandoned Jesus and denied him three times. Peter is also the rock on which Christ would build his church--the same church of which Paul says we are a part. So come. Walk with Peter. Fish with him. Follow a strange rabbi, though it might cost you everything. Walk on water, though you might sink. Go to Jerusalem, though death awaits you. Stand with Peter as God uses him to build his church, and watch that church grow.

Praise for Simon, Who Is Called Peter

”Moving between contemporaneous episodes in prison and recollections of Peter’s place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the first days of the church, Mulligan gives meaningful shape to Peter’s life and offers us a novel take on both Peter and Jesus, yet ever faithful and attentive to the biblical witness. This sounds like Peter and would be an excellent companion to students of the New Testament, both lay and academic."
--Matt Jenson, Associate Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University, La Mirada, CA

“Human beings are eternal and one of the greatest of those souls was the Apostle Peter. Peter did not start as he ended: a man willing to be martyred for faith. Mackenzie Mulligan has illuminated the life of this Christian hero and reminded us of his full humanity. Mulligan’s classical training and bright mind are obvious as he unlocks his material in a manner that is intellectually stimulating, honest to the source documents, and devotional."
--John Mark N. Reynolds, Provost, Professor of Philosophy, Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX

“Never moving outside Scripture’s own footprint and reading as a disciple of Jesus himself, Mulligan offers an imaginative retelling of the ‘Peter of the Bible.’ Rather than a speculative filling-in-the-blanks, he offers a comprehensive portrait of Peter that is delightfully and skillfully woven together with the fabric of the New Testament. In what Jenson aptly categorizes as a form of lectio divina, Mulligan’s narrative is a sustained reflection on the text of Scripture."
--Darian R. Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, CA

"From encountering Jesus with his brother, Andrew, to suffering for Jesus on a Roman cross, the Apostle Peter recounts his life and experiences as a devoted, but sometimes stumbling, follower of the Lord. . . . Mulligan succeeds in putting together an account that is both faithful to the biblical text and engagingly expressed. What a great resource this will be for a class on Peter or for Bible study groups who want to explore Peter’s life."
--Clinton E. Arnold, Dean and Professor of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, CA

" . . . Mulligan adds flesh and bones to the familiar biblical events and characters. He reminds us that the Peter we encounter in the Gospels is neither a Pharisee skilled in the Law nor a theologian able to construct abstract theories. He is a fisherman with a big temper to match his big heart. His closeness to Jesus more often than not increases his sense of confusion and inadequacy even as it challenges him to increase his faith and patience.
. . .
Mulligan’s goal is not to de-heroize Peter or strip him of his sainthood. To the contrary, the more real he makes Peter, the more he allows his flaws and failures to rise to the surface, the more he enhances our respect for this broken man whom Jesus molded into a great leader and missionary. And we get to witness that molding from the inside out. We are with Peter, inside his echo-chamber of a head that never stops buzzing with restless thoughts, as he first swears that he will never betray Jesus, then betrays him three times, and then is given the chance to reaffirm his love for Jesus three times by the Sea of Galilee."
-Review in the "The City Summer” by Louis Markos, (www.Loumarkos.com), Professor in English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University, holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities.
(See full review at: http://issuu.com/thecity/docs/the_city_summer_2014_final/63?e=1862618%2F9034226)

Product Details

• Title : Simon, Who Is Called Peter: Life as One of the Apostles
• Authors:
  • Mulligan, Mackenzie
  • Jenson, Matt
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication Date: 2014
• ISBN: 9781630873912

About the Authors

Mackenzie Mulligan is a graduate of Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute. He blogs at Evangelical Outpost.