Peter

Following is a Armenian Orthodox icon of Peter (found in the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, Azerbaijan).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

Following is a hand colored stencil print on momigami of Peter by Sadao Watanabe (1970):

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “key” (referring to Matthew 16:19). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Peter” or “Cephas” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “rock,” referring to the meaning of the Greek word for “Peter.”


“Peter” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Peter – rock.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Peter .

Peter denies Jesus (image)

He Qi © 2021 All Rights Reserved.

Image taken from He Qi Art . For purchasing prints of this and other artworks by He Qi go to heqiart.com .

For other images of He Qi art works in TIPs, see here.

Following is an painting by Wang Suda 王肅達 (1910-1963):

Copyright by the Catholic University Peking, China

Text under painting translated from Literary Chinese into English:
The Second Commandment
Peter swears he doesn’t know the Lord

Image taken from Chinese Christian Posters . For more information on the “Ars Sacra Pekinensis” school of art, see this article , for other artworks of that school in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (John 18:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 18:18:

  • Uma: “At that time, it was the cold season. So, several slaves and guards lit a fire in the yard with glowing charcoal, and they stood around it warming themselves. Petrus also stood and warmed himself with them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That night it was cold, therefore the servants and the guards kindled a fire and they were standing around the fire warming themselves. Petros also went there warming himself with the others.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The police and the servants had started a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves there. And Peter joined himself to them also and was warming himself.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The slaves and guards, they burned charcoal (lit-a-fire doesn’t collocate with charcoal) and were warming-themselves, because it was cold. And Pedro went and stood-with them to join-in-warming-himself.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It was cold at that time, therefore the slaves and guards made a fire. They were warming themselves there. Pedro also went to warm himself with them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Since it was cold, the workers there along with the police had started a fire where they stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them warming himself.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 18:18

Good News Translation radically restructures the first sentence in verse 18. It reads literally “But the servants and the guards were standing, having made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves.” Good News Translation (also Jerusalem Bible) introduces first in the sentence the information that it was cold, since this fact explains the actions which follow. Jerusalem Bible reads “Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves.” The servants and guards refers to the personal servants of the High Priest and the temple guards (verse 3 and 10). The Greek word translated charcoal fire appears in the New Testament only here and in 21.9.

Since charcoal is known in almost all parts of the world, there should be no difficulty in translating a charcoal fire. In some instances it may be necessary to say “a fire of coals” or “a fire of burning embers” to distinguish it from a wood fire, which would give off a lot of smoke and not be suitable in a courtyard.

Peter went over and stood with them, warming himself also represents some restructuring. The Greek literally reads “But Peter was with them standing and warming himself.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .