At the time of His ascension, Christ had raised up twelve
men and four women. There were to be sure a few others beside these, but they
had not reached the station of certitude. And among these twelve men, one
became His sworn enemy: Judas Iscariot, who, notwithstanding his position as
the chief of the Apostles, arose to have Him killed. The most prominent among
the remaining eleven was Peter, and even he failed to stand firm in the face of
trials, since, according to the explicit text of the Gospel, he thrice denied
Christ at the hour of His martyrdom, to the point of entirely recanting his
faith in the last instance. It was only after the cock crowed that he was reawakened
and made contrite and repentant. - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table
talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i
World Centre)
