“With a sure hand and a careful mastery of Scripture, of the ancient texts that testify to the actions of the early Church, and of the social and political world into which the Apostles went forth to preach the Kingdom of God, Robert Shaffern draws for us a convincing and moving portrait of Peter, the man whom Christ chose as head of the apostles and thus of all who would come to believe in him. Nothing here is tendentious, nothing ideological, nothing exaggerated. I feel now that I know Peter better than ever before—not from Shaffern’s imagination, but from his sensible and attentive noticing of things, his handling of the clues, and of course his faithfulness to the word of God.” —ANTHONY ESOLEN, Thales College
“Robert Shaffern’s meticulous and well-argued biography of Peter produces new perspectives on the spiritual and temporal journey of a man, a Jew, and a person of affairs in the Holy Land, and on his transformation into the apostle, the Christian, and the martyr in Rome. Shaffern’s biography will be welcomed by scholars, educated laypersons, and the faithful alike.” —ROY DOMENICO, University of Scranton
“Saints Peter and Paul have been deemed the ‘indispensable men’ of the early Christian movement. Professor Robert Shaffern’s fascinating and imaginative recreation of the life of the Galilean fisherman whom Christ chose to lead the apostles demonstrates why this is so for Saint Peter. This moving account presents Peter in all his humanness while revealing a man who faced his weaknesses and overcame them to provide crucial leadership for the early Church. Readers of Shaffern’s account of Saint Peter’s life and faith will find their own faith nourished and strengthened.” —REV. WILSON D. (BILL) MISCAMBLE, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame
