St. Peter's Sword

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Why did he have a sword? Was it common for fishermen to own swords? Was it common for minorities (seeing as he was not Roman or Greek and spoke Aramaic) to be allowed weapons?

What’s the history on this?
 
Historically speaking, it was common for people to be armed at that time… even fisherman. The swords of that time were not the broadswords we usually associate with the Middle Ages. It was probably equivalent to what we might call a very large knife or dirk. Do a search for weapons from Judah during the time of Jesus Christ. That should tell you what kind of sword Peter could have carried. Odds are, Peter probably didn’t have a Roman gladius.
 
I think you mean Paul.

Also, i’m quite certain that the sword is a symbol for the conquering Paul did in the name of Christ (of course, in evangelism form).
 
TheQuestioner said:
I think you mean Paul.

Also, i’m quite certain that the sword is a symbol for the conquering Paul did in the name of Christ (of course, in evangelism form).
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He’s referring to Peter cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant (Jn. 18:10). 🙂
 
The Apostles carried around at least two swords, as we can see in Luke 22:38 (“Look, Lord, here are two swords.”). Presumably Peter used one of these in the “Van Gogh” incident at the Garden of Gethsemane, which FCEGM mentioned in his post.
 
Re: Paul’s sword, since it came up –

Pictures of Paul carry a sword, because Paul (as was his right as a Roman citizen) was beheaded, instead of being crucified like Peter and the other Christians caught during the big Nero funfest of persecution.

This sort of thing is very common in iconography. Just as the Cross became holy to us because Jesus used it for our salvation and His glory, so the martyrs became glorious through the instruments of their martyrdoms. So most martyrs have a weapon somewhere in their pictures, not for their use but from being used upon them. It’s not really about Paul conquering vast tracts of land for the faith; it’s about Paul having the sword used on him, and thereby conquering in Jesus Christ.
 
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