How many times did Peter deny Jesus?

A point of trivia for me.  I remember many years ago, at an Easter service, my pastor throwing in a short side note that Peter denied Jesus at least three times if not as many as six.  And then he moved on.  I wondered if mine were the only ears that tingled hearing that.  Of course it was three times -- Jesus said so.  So I asked him after the sermon and he replied directly that if I examined each denial from the four Gospels, I might wind up with more than three unique denials.

So I did, admittedly trying hard to reconcile each denial with others that were similar -- might two denials actually be the same denial event?  Reading as liberally as I might, without much more than a concordance to help me with the Greek, I could condense six events into potentially four attempting to preserve the order, but that was stretching.  John and Mark apparently do some condensing of their own.

I happened to be digging through old files -- I'm something of a pack rat when it comes to digital files -- looking for the short comparison I did.  I couldn't found it but I did find a page from the now defunct DiscoverTheBook.org which showed pretty much the same, with better elaboration so I'll simply paste from the article.

I'm not troubled by each Gospel writer accounting for three, perhaps remembering only that Jesus had prophesied three denials.  But poor Peter, so afraid and lost in a flurry of instinctive, self-preserving denials.  I cannot imagine his fear as Jesus stood yards away from him, taken by an army, and them separated from him.

Perhaps it alters slightly the convenient symmetry of Jesus prophesying three denials and then responding thrice that he did when Jesus asked if he loved him thrice.





From DiscoverTheBook.org "GALLICANTU From the Cradle to the Cross:  Peter’s Darkest Hour-5"


How many times Did Peter Deny Jesus?
A careful study of all four Gospels reveals that Peter actually denied Jesus six times. Each time, each place, each denial is clearly different from the others. And if taken in order they clearly make a precise fulfillment of Christ's warning to Peter in Mark 14. And remember – that is in Mark because Peter could never forget what Jesus had said to HIM!
Mark 14:70-72 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “ Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.
The First Series of Three.

• The First Denial, John 18: 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

• Place : the door (thura) without.
• Time : entering.
• The questioner : the porteress (Greek thuroros).

• The Second Denial, Matthew 26: 70 (Mark 14: 68 ). Matthew 26:69-70 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” Mark 14:68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.

• Place : the hall (aule).
• Time : sitting.
• Questioner : a certain maid. Luke 22: 56 - 58 combines the same place and time, with the same maid, and another (heteros, masculine).

• The Third Denial in Matthew 26:71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

• Place : the gateway, or porch (pulon).
• Time : an interval of an hour. John 18: 25, 26 combines the same place and time, with another maid and bystanders, one of them being a relative of Malchus.

The 1 st COCK CROWS: Mark 14:68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. John 18:27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

• The Second Series of Three. The First Denial, Mark 14: 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.”

• Place : "beneath in the hall".
• Time : shortly after.
• Questioner : the maid again.

• The Second Denial in Matthew 26:73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Mark 14:70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.”

• Place : the gate (pulon).
• Time : shortly after.
• Questioner : the bystanders.

• The Third Denial in Luke 22:59-60 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
• 
  
• Place : the midst of the hall (aule, verse 55 ).
• Time : "an hour after" (verse 59 ).
• Questioner : a certain one (masculine).

THE 2 ND COCK CROWS: Matthew 26:74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
Mark 14:72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.
Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” We thus have a combined record in which there remains no difficulty, while each word retains its own true grammatical sense.