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Peter
Peter One of the first of Jesus' disciples to be called; originally Simon, but given the name Peter (Greek, ‘a rock’) or Cephas (Aramaic for ‘rock’, John 1: 42), he was a Galilean fisherman, owning a boat which was a handy pulpit for Jesus (Luke 5: 1–3) and a house at Capernaum (Mark 1: 29–31). He is called ‘Son of John’ in John 1: 42 but ‘bar’ = ‘son of’ ‘Jonah’ in Matt. 16: 17—perhaps because in Matt. 16: 16 he had spoken out in the manner of the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 16: 4). He became a leader among the group and came nearer than most to recognizing Jesus' Messiahship (Matt. 16: 16–17). But when he deplored the notion of Jesus' suffering, he was sternly rebuked (Mark 8: 33). He was present at the Transfiguration (Mark 9: 2). During Jesus' trial, Peter three times denied any association with him, but after the resurrection he was accorded a special appearance of Jesus (1 Cor. 15: 3–5). He became willing to admit Gentiles into the Church (Acts 10–11). But under pressure he reneged, and Paul's anger against Peter for going back on his ‘liberalism’ is a main theme of Gal. 2. However, Peter is mentioned in more friendly terms as a visitor to Corinth (1 Cor. 1: 12) and there is a reliable tradition that he lived in Rome, presided over the Church there, and died as a martyr in the Neronian persecution in 64 CE. Excavations in the Vatican in 1948–9 and 1952 were intended to verify the accuracy of the belief held from the 2nd century about the site of the apostle's tomb. A priest (Gaius) wrote c.200 CE about Peter's ‘trophy’ at the Vatican, over which Constantine built a great basilica, demolished in the 16th century for the construction of the present church. A simple shrine of about 200 CE was indeed discovered in a necropolis. Later an indistinct Latin graffito was discovered with a few Greek letters reading ‘Peter is inside’. Bones of an elderly 1st cent. man from earlier excavations were also discovered in a storeroom. An official announcement in 1968 that they were the relics of St. Peter did not however command the universal assent of archaeologists.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Peter." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Peter." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Peter.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Peter." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Peter.html |
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Peter
Peter2 male forename, name of a number of other real and fictional people.
Peter Pan the hero of J. M. Barrie's play of the same name (1904), a motherless boy with magical powers who never grew up, and who takes the Darling children, Wendy and her brothers, from their unguarded nursery to Never Never Land where he and the Lost Boys struggle against the pirates and Captain Hook. After many adventures, the children go home, but Peter remains in Never Never Land, and Wendy visits him each year to spring-clean the house which he and the Lost Boys had built around her. Peter Pan's name is used allusively for someone who retains youthful features, or who is immature. Peter Rabbit the blue-coated rabbit who is one of the main characters in the series of children's stories by Beatrix Potter; The Tale of Peter Rabbit (published privately in 1900) was the first of these. Peter the Great the name given to Peter I (1672–1725), tsar of Russia 1682–1725. Peter modernized his armed forces before waging the Great Northern War (1700–21) and expanding his territory in the Baltic. His extensive administrative reforms were instrumental in transforming Russia into a significant European power. Peter the Hermit (c.1050–1115), a French monk. His preaching on the First Crusade was a rallying cry for thousands of peasants throughout Europe to journey to the Holy Land; most were massacred by the Turks in Asia Minor. Peter later became prior of an Augustinian monastery in Flanders. Peter the Wild Boy (1712–85), found living wild in the woods of Hanover in 1724, and believed by many to have been reared by animals; he was taken to England and presented to George I. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter1.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter1.html |
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Peter
Peter1 male forename; the name given to the Apostle originally called Simon. Peter (‘stone’) is the name given him by Jesus, signifying the rock on which he would establish his Church, although he also fulfilled Jesus's prophecy that ‘before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice’ (Mark 14:30).
St Peter is regarded by Roman Catholics as the first bishop of the Church at Rome, where he is said to have been martyred in about ad 67, traditionally by being crucified upside down. He is often represented as the keeper of the door of heaven, and his emblem is a pair of keys. His feast day is 29 June. Peter's pence an annual tax of one penny from every householder having land of a certain value, paid to the papal see at Rome from Anglo-Saxon times until discontinued in 1534 after Henry VIII's break with Rome. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is a name given to the collection taken in churches on the feast of St Peter and St Paul. St Peter ad Vincula a church dedication meaning ‘St Peter in chains’, the reference is to the story in Acts 12, which tells of Peter's imprisonment ‘bound with two chains’, and of how he was miraculously released from his chains by an angel. St Peter's fish any of several fishes having a mark on each side of the body, alluding to the touch of St Peter's thumb and finger when he caught the fish whose mouth contained the tribute-money (Matthew 17:27). St Peter's keys the cross keys (one gold and one silver, representing the power to bind and loose) borne in the papal coat of arms. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter.html |
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Peter
Peter two letters of the New Testament, classified among the Catholic (or General) Epistles. Each opens with a statement of authorship by the apostle St. Peter. First Peter, the longer book, is addressed from "Babylon" to the Christians of the churches of Asia Minor. The work opens with a reminder of the hope of redemption and an exhortation to holiness, then passes to duties of Christians—obedience to the state, and the obligation of slaves to their masters, wives to husbands, husbands to wives, and all to each other. This leads to consolation and encouragement under persecution. The conclusion is exhortatory. While the ascription to Peter has been often doubted by modern scholars who generally date the work to c.AD 100, the letter was accepted as Petrine and canonical from the earliest times. Second Peter, however, is almost universally recognized as pseudonymous, and is dated by many scholars as late as AD 150. It was one of the last New Testament books to be admitted to the canon. In the face of the delayed second coming of Jesus, the author exhorts the readers to godly living, warning against scoffers and false teachers and affirming that the second coming will happen. Parts of Second Peter are adapted from the letter of Jude.
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"Peter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Peter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Peter-epis.html "Peter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Peter-epis.html |
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Peter
Peter ♂ English form of the name of the best-known of all Christ's apostles, traditionally regarded as the founder of the Christian Church. The name derives, via Latin, from Greek petros ‘stone, rock’. This is used as a translation of the Aramaic byname Cephas, given to the apostle Simon son of Jona, to distinguish him from another of the same name ( Simon Zelotes). ‘When Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone’ (John 1:42). According to Matthew 16:17–18, Christ says more explicitly, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona … thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church’. The name has been in continuous use since the Middle Ages.
Short form: Pete. Cognates: Gaelic: Peadar. Welsh: Pedr. German: Peter. Dutch: Piet, Pieter. Scandinavian: Peter (learned form); Per (vernacular form). Swedish: Petter; Pär (vernacular forms). French: Pierre. Spanish, Portuguese: Pedro. Catalan: Pere. Italian: Pietro, Piero. Russian: Pyotr. Polish: Piotr. Czech: Petr. Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian: Petar. Slovenian: Peter. Finnish: Pekka; Pietari (learned form). Hungarian: Péter. Latvian: Pēteris. Lithuanian: Petras. |
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter.html |
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Peter
Peter3 personal surname.
Peter Principle the principle that members of a hierarchy are promoted until they reach the level at which they are no longer competent; named after Laurence J. Peter (1919–90), the American educationalist who put forward the theory. |
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter2.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Peter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Peter2.html |
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peter
pe·ter1 / ˈpētər/ • v. [intr.] decrease or fade gradually before coming to an end: the storm had petered out. pe·ter2 • n. inf. a man's penis. |
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"peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-peter005.html "peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-peter005.html |
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Peter
Pe·ter / ˈpētər/ • n. either of two books of the New Testament, epistles ascribed to St. Peter. |
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"Peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-peter.html "Peter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-peter.html |
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peter
peter (orig. U.S.) become exhausted, give out. XIX (first in trans. use). of unkn. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "peter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "peter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-peter.html T. F. HOAD. "peter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-peter.html |
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Peter
Petera bundle—Slang Dictionary, 1874. |
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"Peter." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Peter." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301102.html "Peter." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301102.html |
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Peter
Peter ♂ (German) From Greek.
Also: Petter. |
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter2.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter2.html |
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Peter
Peter ♂ (German) From Greek.
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Peter." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Peter1.html |
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peter
peter •cater, crater, creator, curator, data, debater, delator, dumbwaiter, equator, freighter, frustrater, gaiter, grater, gyrator, hater, later, legator, mater, negator, pater, peseta, plater, rotator, skater, slater, stater, tater, traitor, ultimata, understater, upstater, waiter
•painter
•taster, waster
•gamester • aviator • tailgater
•hesitater • shirtwaister
•Akita, Anita, arboreta, beater, beta, Bhagavadgita, cheater, cheetah, Demeter, Dieter, dolce vita, eater, eta, Evita, excreta, fetor, granita, greeter, heater, Juanita, litre (US liter), Lolita, maltreater, margarita, meter, metre, Peta, peter, praetor (US pretor), repeater, Rita, saltpetre (US saltpeter), secretor, Senhorita, señorita, Sita, skeeter, teeter, terra incognita, theta, treater, tweeter, ureter, veleta, zeta
•Batista, Dniester, Easter, feaster, keister, leister, quaestor
•speedster
•deemster, teamster
•scenester • browbeater • windcheater
•beefeater
•millilitre (US milliliter)
•decilitre (US deciliter)
•centilitre (US centiliter)
•kilolitre (US kiloliter)
•ammeter • Machmeter
•millimetre (US millimeter)
•decimetre (US decimeter)
•altimeter
•centimetre (US centimeter)
•nanometre (US nanometer)
•micrometer, micrometre
•decametre (US dekameter)
•kilometre (US kilometer) • autopista
•anteater
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"peter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "peter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-peter.html "peter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-peter.html |
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