Peter's wife still alive?

[Dedios]

The story of Jesus healing of Peter’s mother-in-law told in Matthew and Mark raises some problems for me.

‘Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.’ (Matt 8:15-16.)

‘On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.’ (Mk 1:29-31)

Why did Peter’s mother-in-law wait on them and not Peter’s wife? Peter’s wife is conspicuous by her absence. In fact, there is no mention of her in the Gospels, nor of any children of theirs.

Mark calls the place ‘the house of Simon and Andrew.’ Did Andrew live with his brother, sister-in-law and sister-in-law’s mother?

I can’t help but wonder if Peter actually had a wife, at least at the time of the Gospel story. Perhaps he was a childless widower. This would explain why Peter could leave his nets and go and become a fisher of men; he didn’t have a family to look after. I don’t suppose Jesus would call men who had family responsibilities. How many of the other apostles had wives?

I’d like to hear other people’s views on the matter, views beyond the obvious, ‘Just because she isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean she didn’t exist,’ or ‘The Gospel states that Peter had a mother-in-law therefore he had a wife - end of discussion.’ There’s nothing wrong with such views, but they don’t help in the development of our understanding of the Gospels.

 

[BartholomewB]

Peter’s wife is conspicuous by her absence. In fact, there is no mention of her in the Gospels, nor of any children of theirs.

From memory, in one of the epistles I think Paul says something about Peter taking his wife with him on his travels. I’ll see if I can find it.

 

[aroosi]

You are right @bartholomewB 1 Corinthians 9:5

 

[Polak]

This thread (I don’t mean to hijack it) brings up other interesting questions (at least to me).

The disciples pretty much left everything they had to follow Jesus, right? Some of them must have had wives and children. Did they bring the wives and children with them or just leave them behind? Did they ever return home to them if they left them? How much time did they actually spend with Jesus until he was crucified (more or less)? Did they return to their families after this happened?

 

[Dedios]

Thanks. However, the Douay_Rheims version of the Bible gives 1 Cor 9:5 as:

[5] ‘Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?’

A note to this says:

[5] “A woman, a sister”: Some erroneous translators have corrupted this text by rendering it, a sister, a wife: whereas, it is certain, St. Paul had no wife (chap. 7 ver. 7, 8) and that he only speaks of such devout women, as, according to the custom of the Jewish nation, waited upon the preachers of the gospel, and supplied them with necessaries.

 

[1ke]

You might want to pick up the book The Twelve by C Bernard Ruffin…

 

[neophyte]

I’d like to hear other people’s views on the matter, views beyond the obvious, ‘Just because she isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean she didn’t exist,’ or ‘The Gospel states that Peter had a mother-in-law therefore he had a wife - end of discussion.’ There’s nothing wrong with such views, but they don’t help in the development of our understanding of the Gospels.

Those are perfectly reasonable responses to the idea that Peter had no wife.

I honestly don’t understand what the problem is.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Why did Peter’s mother-in-law wait on them and not Peter’s wife? Peter’s wife is conspicuous by her absence. In fact, there is no mention of her in the Gospels, nor of any children of theirs.

One obvious conclusion is that Peter’s wife had died and he was a widower, with no kids (she might have even died in childbirth). It happened a lot in those days.

 

[Montrose]

Did Peter Have a Wife? | Catholic Answers Magazine

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Some of them must have had wives and children. Did they bring the wives and children with them or just leave them behind?

There’s pious tradition that after Jesus’ ascension, various apostles and disciples of Jesus moved to places away from the Holy Land, with family members if they had any. This was done not only to spread the faith, but also because it wasn’t safe for Christians to remain residing in Jerusalem.

 

[BartholomewB]

and that he only speaks of such devout women, as, according to the custom of the Jewish nation, waited upon the preachers of the gospel, and supplied them with necessaries.

It was “the custom of the Jewish nation” for a woman to travel in the company of a man who was not her husband? Really? I don’t think so, unless they were closely related: a mother with her son, for example, or a daughter with her father, or a sister with her brother.

 

[Polak]

There’s pious tradition that after Jesus’ ascension, various apostles and disciples of Jesus moved to places away from the Holy Land, with family members if they had any. This was done not only to spread the faith, but also because it wasn’t safe for Christians to remain residing in Jerusalem.

And what about while the disciples were travelling around with Jesus before his ascension? Where their families with them, or left at home? Is this known?

 

[Bithynian]

I had read in a commentary once (which commentary I’ve frustratingly forgot) that detailed a possible theological reason as to why the Gospels do not otherwise document, to any significant extent, the familial lives of the Apostles: the evangelists might have wished to avoid any impression that their episcopal offices are hereditary or tribally bound. I think this (with many other potential reasons) is within the bounds of plausibility, given that many cultures of antiquity (especially Athens and Rome) were rather obsessed with one’s parentage, descent and tribal affiliation, and many parts of the NT seek to override this local loyalty (neither Jew nor Greek, a sword between parent and a child) into a transcendent unity in the one body of Christ.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s not known. However, it’s reasonable to think many stayed home, either because they had other work and family responsibilities, or they were too old or too young to keep up the pace, or because their presence would have created a distraction for the Apostles as they were trying to learn from Jesus.

When you are a young or middle-aged man and take a traveling job, you don’t tend to bring the whole extended family, especially in those days when travel was arduous and even dangerous.

 

[Gorgias]

You are right @bartholomewB 1 Corinthians 9:5

Hang on a second, though. In addition to the objection that “a sister, a woman” might not mean “a wife”, there’s another issue with proof-texting that verse. Paul is only asserting authority, and therefore, the citation of Peter and the other apostles isn’t that they’re doing it, per se, but that they have the authority to do it.

It was “the custom of the Jewish nation” for a woman to travel in the company of a man who was not her husband? Really?

Be careful… 'cause, next thing you know, someone will bring up some really uncomfortable questions for you about Mary Magdalene…

 

[Benadam]

I always thought that their family members were followers of Christ. That they put blood bonds aside and lived lives consecrated to Our Savior. They converted as families but didn’t put those bonds before their Baptism into Christ. They loved Jesus more than mother father daughter etc. They aren’t mentioned because it wasn’t necessary to know.

 

[Gorgias]

the mother-in-law herself popped up from her sickbed and showed her appreciation by assuming the role of a grateful hostess.

Your mom is lying on her deathbed, and once she recovers, you let her cook a meal for the family and assembled guests? Hmm… not seeing it.

 

[paperwight]

I have to say I find the headline for this topic troubling.

‘Peter’s SO-CALLED wife’. It makes it sound they were living in sin or something.

 

[neophyte]

Your mom is lying on her deathbed, and once she recovers, you let her cook a meal for the family and assembled guests? Hmm… not seeing it.

I guess you’ve never tried to control an insistent mother.

 

[Gorgias]

It didn’t say she did so without help, nor did it say her daughter, assuming she was there, was smartly put in her place for being disrespectful and showing little faith when she insisted her mother stay in bed after being healed by the Messiah

True, but all of that is eisegesis. It doesn’t follow from the text, and even worse, forces us to assume facts not in evidence.

I guess you’ve never tried to control an insistent mother.