Peter as character in the Gospel of Matthew: complexity and inversion

Main Article Content

João Leonel

Abstract

This article focuses on the apostle Peter as a character in the Gospel of Matthew.  It aims at identifying the nuances and changes of the character Peter in the Gospel. For this purpose, I take as a starting point that the gospel belongs to the literary genre of ancient Greco-Roman Biography, which presents Jesus Christ as the protagonist. The other characters are developed in relationship with him. The same is true with the Apostle Peter. The article unfolds from narrative theory, in particular the categorization of characters. I categorize, based on Erich Auerbach and Robert Alter, the features of biblical characters, developing comparisons with theories of the character in the modern novel. The analysis of the main texts from the Gospel of Matthew that portray the character Peter leads to the conclusion that its main features are complexity and inversion. They produce an overview of the involution of the character in the narrative of the Gospel of Matthew.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
LEONEL, João. Peter as character in the Gospel of Matthew: complexity and inversion. HORIZONTE - Journal of Studies in Theology and Religious Sciences, Belo Horizonte, v. 12, n. 33, p. 164–182, 2014. DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2014v12n33p164-182. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pucminas.br/horizonte/article/view/P.2175-5841.2014v12n33p164. Acesso em: 14 aug. 2025.
Section
Artigos/Articles: Temática Livre/Free subject
Author Biography

João Leonel, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

Graduação em Teologia e Letras. Mestrado em Ciências da Religião (UMESP). Doutorado em Teoria e História Literária (UNICAMP). Pós-doutorado em História da Leitura (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal).

Professor na Gradução e Pós-Graduação em Letras.