Saints Peter and Paul
The martyrdom of two very different apostles.
Today, June 27, is the joint liturgical feast of Saints Peter and Paul, honoring both apostles' martyrdom at the hands of Emperor Nero about 2,000 years ago. Paul, a learned Pharisee who'd accepted his impending death in 2 Timothy, asking to be "poured out like a libation," was beheaded. Peter, a fisherman and the patron saint of forgiven sinners, was crucified upside down, at his own request, because he was unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. I'll just leave it at that: whether in a Caravaggio or in the mind's eye, such an incredible image.
