Peter Mathews
Encyclopedia
Peter Mathews, a character of the fictional Left Behind
books, was the archbishop
of Cincinnati
, Ohio
, at the time of the Rapture
. He was described as a very traditional Roman Catholic
at this time, although he rapidly embraced dramatic changes to the faith after the Rapture. Shortly after the Rapture, Mathews participated in key meetings to establish the Global Community
Faith (shortly after, it was renamed Enigma Babylon One World Faith
) and also was elected to replace the pope
John XXIV who had been raptured.
Calling himself Supreme Pontiff
and Pontifex Maximus
, Mathews became the leader of Enigma Babylon, adopted the name Peter the Second
, and considered the new faith organization to be at least as important as the Global Community
and himself an equal of Supreme Potentate
and Antichrist
Nicolae Carpathia.
Mathews is later assassinated - stabbed with icicles from an ice sculpture - by the ten "kings" that Carpathia had appointed to lead the world under his rule.
Left Behind (series)
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
books, was the archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, at the time of the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
. He was described as a very traditional Roman Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
at this time, although he rapidly embraced dramatic changes to the faith after the Rapture. Shortly after the Rapture, Mathews participated in key meetings to establish the Global Community
Global Community
The Global Community is a the fictional world government/state described in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The Global Community was established as the successor of the United Nations by Nicolae Carpathia, the series' main antagonist.At its territorial peak, the GC...
Faith (shortly after, it was renamed Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith is a fictional world religion in the Left Behind series that ostensibly seeks to harmonise the remaining faiths on earth after the Rapture as portrayed in the novel....
) and also was elected to replace the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John XXIV who had been raptured.
Calling himself Supreme Pontiff
Pontiff
A pontiff was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the principal college of priests . The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in ecclesiastical usage, to a bishop and more particularly to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope or "Roman Pontiff".-Etymology:The English term derives...
and Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
, Mathews became the leader of Enigma Babylon, adopted the name Peter the Second
Pope Peter II
Pope Peter II is a hypothetical Papal name and, in recent times, a common name for sedevacantist group leaders styling themselves as popes.-The name and its connotations:...
, and considered the new faith organization to be at least as important as the Global Community
Global Community
The Global Community is a the fictional world government/state described in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The Global Community was established as the successor of the United Nations by Nicolae Carpathia, the series' main antagonist.At its territorial peak, the GC...
and himself an equal of Supreme Potentate
Potentate
Potentate is an informal term for a person with potent, usually supreme, power.-Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine:...
and Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
Nicolae Carpathia.
Mathews is later assassinated - stabbed with icicles from an ice sculpture - by the ten "kings" that Carpathia had appointed to lead the world under his rule.