"After Jesus, Peter is the most frequently mentioned individual both in the Gospels and in the New Testament as a whole, yet we know very little about this formative figure of the early church. Markus Bockmuehl introduces the New Testament Peter by asking how first and second-century sources may be understood through the prism of 'living memory' among the disciples of the apostolic generation and the students of those disciples. He argues that early Christian memory of Peter underscores his central role as a bridge-building figure holding together the diversity of first-century Christianity. Drawing on more than a decade of research, Bockmuehl applies cutting-edge scholarship to the question of the history and traditions of Simon Peter. New Testament students and professors will value Bockmuehl's fresh insight into the biblical witness and early Christian tradition."--Publisher description.