In the Chronograph of 354 or the Philocalian Calendar, using the Roman designation for identifying dates, it is mentioned that on the third day before the kalends of July or the first day of the month, then by counting backward from there – according to that calendar, the celebration of Peter “in the catacombs” and Paul “on the Via ostiense” takes place. Around the same time or a few decades later, in regard to that festive day commemorating the Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Augustine (354-430 AD) wrote, “This day has been consecrated for us by the martyrdom of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. It is not some obscure martyrs we are talking about. ‘Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world’ (Psalm 19). These martyrs had seen what they proclaimed, they pursued justice by confessing the truth, by dying for the truth” (Sermo 295). The importance of the Apostles for the early Church is also enshrined in the New Testament, “…you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone” (Eph 2:19-20).
Among the Twelve, Saint Peter assumed pride of place and, after Christ had risen, Paul became an apostle outside the normal course of apostolic designation. Both these two “princes of the apostles” suffered martyrdom, in Rome, during the reign of Nero (54-68 AD). Describing Peter and Paul as princes does not have the same connotation as it would in regard to the prince of England. The word prince is derived from the Latin princeps, which simply means “supreme head” or “ruler”. As Christ’s vicar on earth, Saint Peter and his successors have been given temporal authority, along with the power to “bind and loose” by the Lord Himself. After his experience on the road to Damascus, eventually becoming the Apostle to the Gentles, Saint Paul traveled extensively from Corinth to Galatia. By opening the faith in Christ to the Gentiles, then, it is most fitting that he be known as the “Apostle to the Gentiles”. Keep in mind that it was also Paul who rebuked Peter during the controversy stemming from whether or not Gentiles needed to be circumcised before becoming Christian.
This conjoined liturgical observance highlights two specific roles for the Church. One of the roles of the Church is to govern in order to safeguard the truth of what we believe. The other role is to spread the good news, so, like Paul, we are meant to go out to tell others what we believe to be true about Christ. Once again, Saint Augustine poignantly summed up this festal, “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith” (Sermo 295).
Nature and dignity 