The 43rd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium concentrates on the ministry of the man whom Jesus himself referred to as "the rock."

A sometimes fallible but nonetheless earnest disciple, the Apostle Peter is an important example of grace, transformation, service, and power. Like others who came after, Peter's ministry began when he, a simple man, was chosen by the Lord to become more than he was. The changes wrought in Peter chronicled in scripture are, quite evidently, miraculous. What can we learn from his life and ministry? What insights into God's dealing with mortal men can we glean from Peter's experience? Are there aspects of that experience that resonate with our own?

Essays in this collection—including an appendix containing President Spencer W. Kimball's magnificent 1971 address "Peter, My Brother"—treat Peter's cultural background and context, his role in the apostolic church, many of his noted teachings, and his important legacy in early Christianity and the Restoration. But above all, Peter is revealed as one who, through the Atonement and the endowment of the Spirit, overcame his own weaknesses to become one of the greatest, and most powerful, witnesses of the divinity, mission, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The following gospel scholars are contributors to the 43rd Annual Sperry Symposium on the New Testament:

Terry B. Ball

S. Kent Brown

Scott C. Esplin

Nicholas J. Frederick

Matthew J. Grey

Steven C. Harper

Shon D. Hopkin

Eric D. Huntsman

Fran F. Judd, Jr.

Jennifer C. Lane

Jared W. Ludlow

Eric-Jon K. Marlowe

Robert L. Millet

Brent J. Schmidt

Gaye Strathearn

Catherine C. Taylor

Brent L. Top

Thomas A. Wayment

John W. Welch

Edited by Frank F. Judd, Jr., Eric D. Huntsman, and Shon D. Hopkin.