Which apostle denied Jesus three times?

Peter was the apostle who denied Jesus three times. According to all four canonical Gospels, Simon Peter disowned or denied knowing Jesus during the events following Jesus' arrest, before the rooster crowed.

At the Last Supper, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him. Later, while Jesus was being questioned, people in the high priest's courtyard recognized Peter as one of Jesus' followers. Peter repeatedly rejected the association. After the third denial, a rooster crowed, prompting Peter to remember Jesus' prediction and weep bitterly.

The Gospel accounts differ in small narrative details, including who confronted Peter and how the rooster's crowing is described. Mark's Gospel, in some manuscripts, refers to the rooster crowing twice. These variations do not change the central identification of Peter or the number of denials.

Peter's denial is also paired with his later restoration. In the final chapter of John, Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him, often understood as a deliberate counterpoint to the three denials. Judas is associated with Jesus' betrayal, Thomas with doubt, and James with a different apostolic role.