In the Divine Liturgy of Saint James (Iakovos), the following dialogue takes place between the celebrant (priest) and the faithful (people) before the Anaphora begins. The celebrant (priest) says: 'Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.' And the faithful reply: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35). The response of the faithful recalls the dialogue between the Theotokos 'full of grace' and the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation.

Saint Symeon Metaphrastes says that Saint Peter was not taken alone, but with a multitude of the faithful, among whom were Clement, Herodion, and Olympos. The tyrant condemned them to decapitation (beheading) but ordered Saint Peter to be crucified. Laying hold of the condemned, the soldiers brought them to the place of execution. Clement, as a kinsman of the emperor, they took pity on and set free. But Herodion and Olympos, who had come to Rome with the Apostle Peter, they beheaded together with a multitude of the faithful.

Saint Paul, the Holy Apostle, before his apostolate, was called Saul. He was a Jew by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was born in Tarsus of Cilicia. His prominent parents, who lived first in Rome but later moved to Tarsus of Cilicia, held the coveted rank of Roman citizens. This is why Saint Paul was also a Roman citizen himself. Mention is made of a daughter in the family. Saul was likewise a kinsman of the holy First-Martyr Stefanos (Stephen) and (probably with him) was sent to Jerusalem by his parents to study the Law of Moses. Saul became a pupil of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel. His friend and comrade in his studies was Barnabas, who later became an Apostle of Christ. When Barnabus became a Christian he prayed to God, persistently and with tears, that He enlighten Saul's understanding and turn his heart. Now Saul studied primarily the law of his fathers, becoming a great proponent of it. He, moreover, joined the party of the Pharisees (strict zealots of their heritage, ostentatious in their piety).

Holy Apostle Peter, the preeminent Apostle of the Lord and the brother of the First-Called Apostle Andrew, was known as Simon, son of Jonas (Jonah), who was a Jew of the Tribe of Simeon. He was a native of Bethsaida, an insignificant and little-known town of Galilee in Palestine. He lived in poverty during the years when Hyrcanus was a high priest of the Jews. After the repose of Peter's mother, Peter took to wife the daughter of Aristovoulos, the brother of the holy Apostle Barnabus, and begat children of her: a son and a daughter.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the chiefs of the Holy Apostles, are celebrated on June 29th in one of the culminating feasts of the Holy Gospel, according to Saint John Maximovitch. "The Apostles Peter and Paul, without having authority over others, both stood in front of all the others on account of their warm zeal and labors. Their life was the most brilliant and was a personification of the life and labors of all the Apostles.