I will give you the keys to the kingdom, and what you declare bound on earth will be bound in heaven, loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven...I believe that Jesus was giving authority over the church and its doctrines to Peter...
I believe that Jesus was giving authority over the church and its doctrines to Peter... I don't wish to minimize Peter's role in the early church, but James appears to have been head of the church. He headed up the Jerusalem Council.
Act 15:12-13 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.
Peter felt it was important for James in particular to know his were about along with everyone else.
Act_12:17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place.
Paul as is the custom of Jewish writing shows the order of respect of the church in Galatians putting James ahead of Peter:
Gal 2:9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
And Peter had fallen into error because he did not receive the teaching of the church coming from James:
Gal 2:11-12 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
There is ample scriptural evidence that James was the head of the very early church, not Peter.