Institutes 4.6.14 — OF THE PRIMACY OF THE ROMISH SEE.

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**OF THE PRIMACY OF THE ROMISH SEE.**

But I do not see that any credit is due to their allegation of Peter’s occupation of the Roman See. Certainly it is, that the statement of Eusebius, that he presided over it for twenty-five years, is easily refuted. For it appears from the first and second chapters of Galatians, that he was at Jerusalem about twenty years after the death of Christ, and afterwards came to Antioch. 110 D110 Calvin apparently believed that Paul’s conversion occurred about three years after the death of Christ; that Paul visited Peter in Jerusalem three years later ( Gal. 1:18 ; Acts 9:26 ); that Paul saw Peter again at the Jerusalem Council fourteen years later ( Gal. 2:1, 2 :9; Acts 15:1-11 ); and that these three numbers were meant to be added together. He therefore locates Peter at Jerusalem about twenty years after the death of Christ. 111 D111 Nero committed suicide in A.D. 68. A subtraction of thirty-seven years brings us back to A.D. 31 for the date of Christ’s death. An addition of twenty years would place Peter in Jerusalem until A.D. 51. And following this date, Peter went to Antioch. 112 D112 Paul’s arrival in Rome as a prisoner is put at A.D. 60. If his epistle to the Romans was written four years before, then that book should be dated A.D. 56. In this letter, there is no salutation of Peter (as would be expected if Peter had been bishop of Rome). In fact, there is not even so much as a mention of him! (although many other names, some of them obscure, appear in the closing chapter). The implication that Peter was not in Rome at this time (A.D. 56) seems difficult to avoid.

Source

• source-manifest/institutes — Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, tr. Beveridge 1845 (PD)
• evidence_grade: D_doctrinal_textbook