Early life in Iberia, Constantinople and Jerusalem Peter was born into the royal
Chosroid dynasty of the Kings of
Iberia (Eastern Georgia) Here he received a brilliant education under a personal patronage of the
Roman empress
Aelia Eudocia, wife of
Theodosius II. When he was about twenty, the young prince, together with his mentor Mithridates, left the palace and made a pilgrimage to
Palestine. It remains uncertain whether they had planned to return to Constantinople or if this was an escape, nevertheless their presence in Jerusalem was commonly known and they were not forced to return. In Jerusalem, they were received by
Melania the Younger, a famous ascetic whom Peter had met earlier in Constantinople and who might have inspired him to follow her. Melania bestowed upon them the monastic garb in a ceremony in the
Anastasis and they became monks at her monastery on the
Mount of Olives under their new names Peter and John. Peter also brought with him relics of the
Persian martyrs, which were interred in a
martyrion build by Melania on the mountain, the ceremony being conducted by the patriarch
Cyril of Alexandria. Peter had also brought with him money which served to build their own monastery (later called the monastery of the Iberians) and which after some time they converted into a
hostel for pilgrims.
In Gaza and Maiuma '' at
Saint Catherine's Monastery It was the monk
Zeno, called the Prophet, who recalled them to their monastic life and upon whose advice they departed to a monastery between
Gaza and
Maiuma. There, Zeno became Peter's
spiritual guide and Peter became acquainted with the monastic circles in the region. According to his biographer,
John Rufus, Peter refused to write to or receive letters from home lest it undermine his ascetic discipline. In 452, he was consecrated bishop of Maiuma by Patriarch
Theodosius. He only served for six months before some Christians were banished by the decree of the local ruler.
Escape to Egypt; return to Palestine Peter escaped to
Egypt, where he found refuge in the
Enaton. In the early 470s, Peter moved to
Peleia near
Ascalon where he continued ascetic activities, visiting various towns and villages of Palestine. Here he acquired great fame as a
holy Father. He was called "pillar of Orthodoxy", "Great Peter", "the second
Apostle Paul", "the second
Moses" and "an exceedingly wonderful person". He gained numerous followers and disciples. According to the medieval sources, he was an author of several famous religious works. However, none of them survived to be written under the name of Peter. For three years he lived at the
hermitage of Hilarion, then for some time in a shack on the seashore near
Azotus before moving on an estate at
Yavneh-Yam, the port of ancient
Iamnia, formerly belonging to Eudocia and now managed by a follower of his. He died there in 491 and was buried in his monastery near
Gaza. ==Position vs. Chalcedonian creed==