Dating the Deaths

Abstract

There was no single tradition about the deaths of Peter and Paul. Instead, there existed a cluster of traditions with some overlap on basic points, but much variety on other details. This chapter explores the options presented in attempting to date the deaths. The first part of the chapter treats the question of the date(s) of the deaths of Peter and Paul. It argues that the liturgical date of June 29 appears to control the narratives of many accounts and thus represents a functional and literary date more than an historical one. The second part of the chapter examines reckonings of the year(s) of the martyrdoms. Some authors describe the events at an undetermined time during Nero’s reign, while others provide a specific year—and the years provided vary by more than a decade.