Saint Peter (,
Syriac/Aramaic: ܫܸܡܥܘܿܢ ܟܹ݁ܐܦ݂ܵܐ,
Shemayon Keppa, , ; died 64 AD), also known as
Simon Peter,
Simeon, or
Simōn, according to the
New Testament, was one of the
Twelve Apostles of
Jesus Christ, leaders of the
early Christian Church. The
Roman Catholic Church considers him to be the first
Pope,
ordained by Jesus in the "
Rock of My Church" dialogue in Matthew . The ancient
Christian churches all
venerate Peter as a major
saint and associate him with founding the
Church of Antioch and later the
Church in Rome, but differ about the authority of his various successors in present-day Christianity.