Peter

I hånden holder Peter himmeriges to nøgler. Apostelfyrsten, som han kaldes, ser op mod sin herre i koret. Modelleret af den ældre Bienaime.

Figur
I hånden holder Peter - eller Petrus - to nøgler. Det er en direkte henvisning til, at Jesus siger til ham: ”Du er Peter og på den klippe vil jeg bygge min kirke … jeg vil give dig nøglerne til Himmeriget, og hvad du binder på jorden, skal være bundet i himlene, og hvad du løser på jorden, skal være løst i himlene”. Mattæus 16,18-19.

Historie
Peter hed egentligt Simon, men fik af Jesus tilnavnet Kefas. Det er aramæis for klippe, der på græsk hedder petros - deraf navnet Peter.

Peters tvivl og fornægtelse af Jesus, først på søen i stormvejr og dernæst ved Jesu tilfangetagelse og forhør, får stor opmærksomhed i Evangelierne. Det er måske i ham, at man skal kunne genkende sig selv, men alligevel se, at der trods tvivl og fejhed er nogen, der bærer en oppe.

Peter blev lederen i den tidligste menighed i Jerusalem. Han rejste til Rom for at opbygge menigheden, men blev henrettet her af kejser Nero i år 64; korsfæstet med hovedet nedad. Iflg. legende valgte han selv denne måde, da han ikke var værdig til at blive henrettet på samme måde som Jesus. Den romerskkatolske kirke ser Peter som den første biskop i Rom og dermed grundlaget for pavedømmet, der også har overtaget nøglemagten.

Fakta
Skulpturen er hugget i marmor af Luigi Bienaimé (d.æ.) efter en skitse af Thorvaldsen, påbegyndt i 1821. Figuren er opstillet i marmor i 1838.

Bertel Thorvaldsen, Peter, 1839 (1821). Foto: Jakob Faurvig

English:

Peter the Apostle

The statue
Peter holds two keys in his hand. The portrayal is a direct reference to what Jesus tells him: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. Matthew 16:18-19

The story
Peter was originally called Simon, but received the name Kefas by Jesus. The name is Aramaic for rock, which is called petros in Greek – hence the name Peter. Peter’s doubt and denial of Jesus, first on the lake in a storm and then at the capture and interrogation of Jesus receive great attention in the Gospels. Perhaps in him we should be able to recognise ourselves, but also know that despite doubt and cowardice, there is someone uplifting us.

Peter became the leader of the earliest congregation in Jerusalem. He travelled to Rome to build the congregation, but was executed there by Emperor Nero in the year 64, crucified head down. According to legend, he chose this method himself, as he did not deem himself worthy of the same style execution as Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church view Peter as the first bishop in Rome and thus the foundation for the papacy, which has taken over the key power.

The Facts
The sculpture was carved out in marble by Luigi Bienaimé (the elder) from a sketch by Thorvaldsen, commenced in 1821. The statue was first put up in marble in 1838.