I was reading Galatians 2 today and was struck by Paul's varying names for Peter. He calls Peter by that name twice in this chapter (Gal. 2:7, 8) and nowhere else in his letters. He elsewhere uses the name Cephas, including three times in this very chapter (Gal. 2:9, 11, 14; cf. Gal. 1:18; 1Cor. 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5). Otherwise, the name Cephas occurs in the NT only in John 1:42. Paul never calls him Simon.
I was discussing this with my colleague Jeremy Barrier, who suggested that Paul did have a rhetorical point in using the Greek form Peter in Gal. 2:7, 8. That is, this is a context in which Paul is discussing the so-called "pillars" of the church (cf. Gal. 2:9), and he is about to relate a story in which Peter did not live up to his nickname, "rock". So, Paul uses the Greek form a couple of times because the irony would thus resonate with his Galatian readers better than by use of the Aramaic form Cephas.
Here's the data on Peter's names. The parentheses can indicate two things. If there are quotation marks, it gives a more exact account of which name is used in the cited verse. If there are no quotation marks, it means that the name appears in the mouth of that character.
Simon
Matthew 4:18; 10:2; 16:16 ("Simon Peter"), 17 (Jesus); 17:25 (Jesus).
Mark 1:16, 29, 30, 36; 3:16; 14:37.
Luke 4:38, 5:3, 4, 5, 8 ("Simon Peter"), 10; 6:14; 22:31 (Jesus); 24:34 (the Eleven).
John 1:40 ("Simon Peter"), 41, 42 (Jesus); 6:8 ("Simon Peter"), 68 ("Simon Peter"); 13:6 ("Simon Peter"), 9 ("Simon Peter"), 24 ("Simon Peter"), 36 ("Simon Peter"); 18:10 ("Simon Peter"), 15 ("Simon Peter"), 25 ("Simon Peter"); 20:2 ("Simon Peter"), 6 ("Simon Peter"); 21:2 ("Simon Peter"), 3 ("Simon Peter"), 7 ("Simon Peter"), 11 ("Simon Peter"), 15 ("Simon Peter"; "Peter", Jesus), 16 (Jesus), 17 (Jesus).
Acts 10:5 (angel), 18 (reported speech by messengers), 32 (Cornelius' report of the angel); 11:13 (Peter reporting Cornelius report of the angel)
2Peter 1:1
Cephas
John 1:42 (Jesus)
1Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5
Galatians 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14
Peter
Matthew 4:18; 8:14; 10:2; 14:28, 29; 15:15; 16:16 ("Simon Peter"), 18 (Jesus), 22, 23; 17:1, 4, 24, 26; 18:21; 19:27; 26:33, 35, 37, 40, 58, 69, 73, 75.
Mark 3:16; 5:37; 8:29, 32, 33; 9:2, 5; 10:28; 11:21; 13:3; 14:29, 31, 33, 37, 54, 66, 67, 70, 72; 16:7.
Luke 5:8 ("Simon Peter"); 6:14; 8:45, 51; 9:20, 28, 32, 33; 12:41; 18:28; 22:8, 34 (Jesus), 54, 55, 58, 60, 61; 24:12.
John 1:40 ("Simon Peter"), 1:42, 44; 6:68 ("Simon Peter"); 13:6 ("Simon Peter"), 8, 9 ("Simon Peter"), 24 ("Simon Peter"), 36 ("Simon Peter"), 37; 18:10 ("Simon Peter"), 11, 15 ("Simon Peter"), 16, 17, 18, 25 ("Simon Peter"), 26, 27; 20:2 ("Simon Peter"), 3, 4, 6 ("Simon Peter"); 21:2 ("Simon Peter"), 3 ("Simon Peter"), 7 ("Simon Peter"), 11 ("Simon Peter"), 15 ("Simon Peter"), 17, 20, 21.
Acts 1:13, 15; 2:14, 37, 38; 3:1, 3, 4, 6, 11, 12; 4:8, 13, 19; 5:3, 8, 9, 15, 29; 8: 14, 20; 9:32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 43; 10:5 (angel), 9, 13 (voice in dream), 14, 17, 18 (reported speech by messengers), 19, 21, 25, 26, 32 (Cornelius reporting of angel), 34, 44, 45, 46; 11:2, 4, 7 (Peter reporting voice in dream), 13 (Peter reporting Cornelius' report of angel); 12:3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14 (reported speech by Rhoda?), 16, 18; 15:7.
Galatians 2:7, 8.
1Peter 1:1
2Peter 1:1
Simon Peter
(This will include some references above.)
Matthew 16:16
Luke 5:8
John 1:40; 6:8, 68; 13:6, 9, 24, 36; 18:10, 15, 25; 20:2, 6; 21:2, 3, 7, 11, 15.
2Peter 1:1.
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