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Paul in prison

...and it's from here that he wrote letters to the early Christian churches interpreting for them the message of the resurrection. It's also the prison where Peter, now an elder of the early Christian church, was held captive. Peter had been Jesus' closest disciple; he'd accompanied Jesus throughout his mission and claimed to have witnessed all his miracles, including the resurrection.

He was nothing like the prolific letter writer Paul was. But Peter made sure the message of the resurrection didn't die with him either. Whilst languishing in prison Peter would have had ample opportunity to reflect on his time with Jesus and to pass on his memories to a new generation. Around 65 A.D., the Christians began to record for posterity the life of Jesus in a series of texts called the Gospels. Mark is thought to be the first to write a Gospel.

He'd been a disciple of Peter at the height of the persecution. Mark was a gifted storyteller and he realised from Peter's accounts that Christian hope was grounded, not just in the resurrection, but in the miracles that Jesus performed in his lifetime.

The miracle of the stilling of the storm was one of the most astonishing stories told about Jesus. But Peter and Mark saw that it could talk directly to the Christians suffering persecution in Rome. The story goes that Jesus and the disciples were out fishing on the Sea of Galilee when their boat was caught up in a sudden storm.

Miracles of Jesus

Part 3   The Resurrection  15

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