When and how did Simon become Peter?

Jesus gave Simon a new name, but how often did Jesus – or anyone else, human or angelic – actually use it?

Simon (Shahar Isaac), just before Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) gives him the name “Peter”, in The Chosen Season 4 Episode 2.

One of the running gags in The Chosen Season 4 concerns the new name that Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) gives Simon the fisherman (Shahar Isaac).

In Episode 2, in a scene drawn from Matthew 16:13-20, Simon declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus replies that Simon is now “Peter”, a name derived from the Greek word for “rock”.

From that point on, everyone—including Simon’s wife Eden (Lara Silva) and his brother Andrew (Noah James)—is expected to call him “Peter”, not “Simon”. Jesus even corrects Matthew (Paras Patel) when Matthew calls Peter “Simon” out of habit.

But is that how these names worked in the actual gospels?

In a word, no. It’s clear that “Peter”—or its Aramaic equivalent, “Cephas”—had become the standard name for this disciple by the time the gospels were written. But there is ample evidence that people (and angels!) continued to call him “Simon” long, long after the Jesus movement had become the early Church.

I’ll get into all the data in a minute, but the basic thrust of it is this: