SS. Andrew & Peter's Fish Fry Cookout Pot Holder

Fish was a staple of the diet in the Holy Land in antiquity. It still is. At least four of the Twelve Apostles—Andrew, James (the Greater), John, and Peter—earned their pre-Apostolic livelihood as fishermen. SS. Andrew and Peter were living and working at Capernaum when they first met Jesus. According to the Gospel of John, Andrew was initially a follower of John the Baptist. He was exhorted by the Baptist to follow Christ. Andrew did, and subsequently introduced his brother to Jesus as the long-promised Messiah. For this reason, Andrew is known as the “Protokletos” or “First-Called” Apostle. + Today, the Galilean tilapia is known as “St. Peter’s fish.” Scholars opine that it was from the mouth of a tilapia that St. Peter once withdrew a coin from a fish that he caught at Christ’s behest in order to pay the Temple tax for himself and for Jesus (Matthew 17:23-26). + Though St. Peter was married (or widowed) and undoubtedly enjoyed many a home-cooked meal prepared by his wife or mother-in-law as an adult, he himself probably knew his way around a kitchen and certainly around an open campfire. Even Jesus cooked. After the Resurrection, He fed the Apostles fish (probably tilapia) for breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. + Here Saints_Aplenty has depicted the brothers Andrew and Peter having a seaside cookout. St. Andrew has just come ashore, perhaps after the miraculous draught of fishes, holding up some Galilean tilapia strung on lines. An extra fish is even carried in the folds of his draped mantle! Meanwhile, St. Peter is frying up a pan of fish on a campfire. He is humorously equipped with anachronistic tools—a spatula, an oven mitt, and a red enameled frying pan. + A Saints-Aplenty exclusive, the image is a pastiche of elements extracted from 19th-century devotional prints and public domain resources against an AI-generated seascape from Pixabay. SS. Andrew and Peter are the first two figures to be featured in a projected series of genially humourous “Apron Saints,” saints who knew their way around the kitchen, saints associated with food and drink. + St. Andrew and St. Peter are patrons of fishermen. + Feasts: June 29 (Peter) and November 30 (Andrew)