The City of God · Character

Peter

The chief apostle whose authority Augustine cites when arguing about God's hidden will and the prayers of the saints that seem unanswered.

supporting

Also known as the Apostle Peter

First appearance: part i book i

As a supporting figure in The City of God, Peter is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Implied among the holy apostles who preached Christ despite persecution.

In the storyConcerning the eradication of the love of human praise, because all the glory of the righteous is in GodOpen this moment free

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Peter stands in the book as a witness to the apostles' teaching, invoked alongside John and Paul when Augustine untangles how God is said to will what He causes His people to will. The tension is not Peter's own but the reader's: saints pray piously for things that never happen, and yet God is said to have wrought that very will in them. His presence keeps the discussion anchored in the church's lived experience of prayer and foreknowledge.

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See Peter in part i book i

Character Web

15 connections

A slice of how Peter sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Patriarchs and Pagan Figures
Priest and Prophet
Diverse Historical and Biblical Figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This chapter is the dramatic climax because it marks the irreversible psychological and spiritual turning poin…

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In the story

Peter appears across 18 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Concerning the eradication of the love of human praise, because all the glory of the righteous is in God
Implied among the holy apostles who preached Christ despite persecution.
XXIII
Cited as one who, by revelation of the Father, recognized Jesus as the Christ.
XXVII
Mentioned as a martyr to whom no sacrifice is offered.
Of the two different and dissimilar communities of angels, which are not inappropriately signified by the names light and darkness
Quoted as declaring that God cast the sinning angels into chains of darkness until judgment.
Book XIV: The Sin of the First Man and the Two Cities
Mentioned in the exchange with Christ regarding love (dilectio/amor) and in the context of weeping.
VII
Cited in his exchange with Christ, where he affirms his love for the Lord.
IX
Referenced as weeping, an example of grief in temptation.
Chapter XIII
Cited as an example of healthier condition when weeping and dissatisfied with himself, contrasting with proud presumption.
Chapter XXIII: On the Nature of Angels and the Birth of Giants
Quoted by Augustine regarding the angels that sinned and were cast into chains of darkness, though Augustine interprets this as referring to the original apostate angels, not those in Genesis.
LII
Imprisoned and nearly killed, but freed by an angel, as an example of early persecution.
Of the hidden time of the final persecution
Mentioned in the context of pagan claims that he used magic to ensure the worship of Christ for 365 years.
LIV
Apostle; accused by pagans of using magic arts to spread Christianity, but Augustine defends him as a faithful preacher.
Book XX: The Last Judgment and the Resurrection
Apostle whose prophecy about the last days and the new heavens and earth is referenced.
Chapter X
Quoted for calling believers a holy people and royal priesthood.
What the Apostle Peter predicted regarding the last judgment
Quoted for his prophecy about the last judgment and the destruction of the world by fire.
Chapter XXIV: Passages from the Psalms of David which predict the end of the world and the last judgment
His epistle is cited regarding the world perishing by water and being reserved for fire.
Chapter V: Of the Resurrection of the Flesh, Which Some Refuse to Believe, Though the World at Large Believes It
Implied as one of the fishermen-apostles sent by Christ to spread the faith.
XXV
Mentioned in the context of sorceries, but the prediction of belief predates Peter.

Chapter companion notes

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See Peter in part i book i

See Peter in Concerning the eradication of the love of human praise, because all the glory of the righteous is in God