Ten Things Every Catholic Should Know About Sola Scriptura

Where is magisterium in Scripture?

Where is catechism in Scripture?

Yup. Religion.

Not relationship.

Pathetic.

It's a reference to a song. Lighten up.

In any event, "religion" means a system of faith and worship; an understanding of our human relationship to the Divine. I don't understand how the term is objectionable.

It is generally agreed that Jesus and his disciples primarily spoke Aramaic, the common language of Judea in the first century AD, most likely a Galilean dialect distinguishable from that of Jerusalem.[1] The towns of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his time, were Aramaic-speaking communities.[2] Aramaic was the common language of the Eastern Mediterranean during and after the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Achaemenid Empires (722–330 BC) and remained a common language of the region in the first century AD. In spite of the increasing importance of Greek, the use of Aramaic was also expanding, and it would eventually be dominant among Jews both in the Holy Land and elsewhere in the Middle East around 200 AD[3] and would remain so until the Arab conquest in the seventh century.[4][5]

Seriously....you give Wikipedia as a legit source????

Greek was the dominant language in the eastern Mediterranean and the principal language of commerce throughout the Roman Empire. This was of course influenced by Alexander the Great...a Greek. Palestine was multilingual in the first century, with Greek, various Aramaic dialects, Hebrew and some Latin - but Greek was the language of choice in order to disseminate a message as widely as possible. (Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Ferguson, pp 135-136)

We know Jesus grew up in Nazareth in the region of Galilee. At the time it was a part of the Roman Empire. The cultural mix of Galilee means that Jesus would have been able to speak Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. Aramaic would have been the native tongue in this area due to the influence of the captivity in Persia. It is believed Jesus used this language and home and with His friends. However, there was a high proportion of non-Jewish people in Galilee. When you consider the presence of Sepphoris and Tiberias as centers of Roman influence it is very likely that Greek would be known to all of its inhabitants.(Introducing the New Testament, Drane, p52)

That the New Testament is written in Greek attests to the fact the writers wanted to get the word out to as many people as possible.

Seriously....you give Wikipedia as a legit source????

Yes, seriously (I cited the same article). The statement in the article that Jesus and the disciples primarily spoke Aramaic is taken from this reference:

"Allen C. Myers, ed. (1987). "Aramaic". The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans. p. 72. ISBN 0-8028-2402-1. "It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Palestine in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73) "

Does Eerdmans Bible Dictionary pass muster as a legit source?

The context of the discussion was Matt. 16;18 and the reference to "rock." As I've pointed out, in John 1:42 Jesus tells Simon he will be called "Cephas," which to anyone with half an ounce of linguistic knowledge is a transliteration into Greek of the Aramaic word "Kepha" meaning "rock."

the Catholic Church doesn't "interpret" the Bible. We explain it.

Actually, that card has been played before, on another thread just recently. If it wasn't so sincerely delivered, I would laugh it off as intentional satire. I hate to think how that would have turned out if I had ever tried it in court. "Your honor, I wasn't interpreting the law, I was just explaining it." Argh! No points for that nonsense.

Peace,

SR

Why do y’all want Peter for your rock to build your church on instead of Jesus?

"Allen C. Myers, ed. (1987). "Aramaic". The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans. p. 72. ISBN 0-8028-2402-1. "It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Palestine in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73) "

No one is disputing the use of Aramaic in the region. However, Greek was the primary language of commerce as already noted.

Your presumption is that when Jesus was talking to His disciples it was always in Aramaic. A Jew might argue it was Hebrew.

Bottom line is we don't know in which language He spoke to His disciples. What we do know is that the NT, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was written in Greek for a reason.

To pull Matt 16:18 out of context by itself does a disservice to the text and leads to error. You have to read the whole exchange starting with Matt 16:13-19 to get the full meaning of the text.

To understand this passage you have to ask the following:

What was Peter's answer to the question in 16:15?

What did Jesus note was revealed to Peter in 16:17

Does Jesus say I will built my church upon you Peter?

Did Jesus use the same Greek word for rock in His statement to Peter? Hint: How is the word rock used elsewhere in the NT? And just in case you ask, they're all in the feminine indicating the gender doesn't matter in this case. See 1 Corinthians 10:4 for a good reference.

You might also do a word search on rock in the OT. I believe either cynicalbear or elsie has collected the various uses of rock in the Bible and how they are used in referring to God and/or Jesus.

Good discussion.

As I've pointed out, in John 1:42 Jesus tells Simon he will be called "Cephas," which to anyone with half an ounce of linguistic knowledge is a transliteration into Greek of the Aramaic word "Kepha" meaning "rock.

That's right...A little rock...A stone...Jesus says Cephas in Greek means stone...Petros...

Bwahahaha!!!!!

Haven't we heard that song and dance before? Maybe we could bottle it and sell it, and I think you know what we would call it.

It’s right next to the demand that all who succeed Peter must be celibate. One chapter after Paul stating not to be like the Berean’s but instead contact your local Bishop for proper Scripture interpretation

LOL, good one sir. Perhaps it was 3 chapters before the one that mentions mass, eucharist, venial sins, mortal sins, and, among other things, Purgatory. Actually, I have been to purgatory and back, but instead of paying for my sins, I just went skiing. Pretty undramatic huh? 😄😇😇

Why do y’all want Peter for your rock to build your church on instead of Jesus?

No one has said anything about "instead of." The point is that Jesus gives to Peter a name that indicates an association with Jesus Himself. Peter is a "rock" on account of the special purpose God has now designated for him. And the notion of Peter being a foundation is consistent with what Paul writes in Eph. 2:19-20 in speaking of the "household of God" being built upon the "foundation of the apostles and prophets."

Scripture speaks of persons being a foundation of the Church, even as it speaks of Jesus being the One foundation.

The change of name indicates a special role within that Apostolic foundation. Like with Abram becoming Abraham, it designates a special association with God's plan. And Abraham, by the way, was also termed a "rock:"

“Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance,
you who seek the Lord;
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were digged.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for when he was but one I called him,
and I blessed him and made him many. Is. 51:1-2

So Scripture calling Abraham "the rock" doesn't negate or change that Scripture refers to God as "rock." The same is true with Peter being called "Cephas" = "rock."

No one is disputing the use of Aramaic in the region. However, Greek was the primary language of commerce as already noted.

That Greek was the primary language of commerce is beside the point when we're not talking about commerce, but daily conversation and public discourse.

Your presumption is that when Jesus was talking to His disciples it was always in Aramaic.

My presumption? LOL. I'd hardly call it mere presumption when there is something of a consensus among Bible scholars that Jesus likely spoke Aramaic to His disciples. Your doubt or opinion to the contrary isn't at all persuasive.

What was Peter's answer to the question in 16:15?

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

What did Jesus note was revealed to Peter in 16:17

The prior answer.

Does Jesus say I will built my church upon you Peter?

Yes. And there is today a considerable body of critical Protestant commentary that recognizes this is the case. (They obviously don't agree with Catholics about what that signifies).

But I agree with you that one should read this passage in context. Prior to verse 18, Jesus says to Peter: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." This statement, exclamation mark and all, seems rather laudatory of Peter.

Then following verse 18, we read: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Being promised the keys to the Kingdom is pretty significant as to future authority, I'd say.

Now, the Catholic read on verse 18 sees it consistent with the others; Jesus is proclaiming Peter as a "rock" and a foundation of the church. It is both laudatory and indicating a significant future role.

The interpretation being put forth my some here, by contrast, has verse 18 oddly out of symc with the others. So in between "Blessed are you; the Father has given you great insight!" and "I will give you the keys to the Kingdom" Jesus is supposedly saying "you are a little pebble?" That makes little sense.

In any event, basic grammar and syntax tell us that "this rock" refers to Peter. A demonstrative pronoun ("this") refers back to the nearest antecedent noun (which in this case is "Peter"). That is the natural read of the sentence.

And just in case you ask, they're all in the feminine indicating the gender doesn't matter in this case.

Though in none of those instances is the word being used as a proper name for a male. That's the issue under discussion.

I’d be glad to. Since you didn’t respond to what I wrote about the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Islam, though, I will limit the time and effort I put into the reply.

>> “Sola Scriptura means “only Scripture”. It is the Protestant belief that the Bible is the only source for teaching on doctrine and morality.” <<

No, of course it isn’t “the only source for teaching on doctrine and morality.” There are pastors, elders, teachers in the church, and all believers have spiritual authority, too, in that they are born again in Christ, having the Holy Spirit within them and the mind of Christ. There are also sources that provide information on the Church and Jewish history. And then nature, too, since it was purposefully designed by God, can be a source. And even those outside of the Church can be sources as well. Can policemen and teachers, even if they’re not Christian, have something to say on morality? Of course. What the Bible is is the only ultimate source, meaning that all other sources have to be appraised according to what it says. When any of the other sources conflict in any way with the Bible, then what the Bible says is to believed, not the other source.

>> 3. Sola Scriptura which means “Scripture Alone” cannot be found in the Bible. The closest proof text is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” While this verse says Scripture is useful for these things it doesn’t say Scripture is the only source for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”<<

Most doctrines aren’t expressly stated in Scripture, and Sola Scriptura doesn’t say they have to be. The Trinity isn’t, and from that there have come professing Christian groups with cultic origins, probably most notably Jehovah’s Witnesses, who deny it. Yet the most truthful reading of the Bible, including but not at all limited to such passages in which Jesus accepted worship of Himself, which if He wasn’t God would have made Him guilty of the most blatant of idolatries, supports the Trinity. In the same way, Sola Scriptura isn’t just a line taken from the Bible (which is often a way to error since one line, if not considered along with the whole, can be misleading). Instead, it simply arises as a conclusion from reading and believing the entire Bible. You come to understand and really appreciate its supernatural inspiration, and that it is God’s Word. “All Scripture is God-breathed,” and “The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” It is the Sword of the Spirit. “Man must not live by bread alone, but every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.” Sin and death came to us all through Eve not using the Word of God (His commandment not to eat from the forbidden tree) against Satan, while the Word of God is what Jesus used against Him. And Jesus, says John 1, is the very Word. God created and accomplishes through His Word, and He says in Isaiah 55 that His Word shall not return to Him void. But all this is only just a very small start of what supports Sola Scriptura in the Bible. But again, it arises from looking at what God has revealed about Himself, particularly in what He has revealed about His nature in revealing things about His Word, and how His Word relates to us. God’s Word is life to us, and what He has said to us, including what He has had recorded for us in the Bible (He also speaks through us in other ways, including by Nature and our consciences, for example) teach us things that are of divine, not human, origin. But again, the whole Bible tesitifies of itself that it is God’s Word, and there can be no higher authority than that, or as high as that.

>> 4. While Protestants claim to follow Sola Scriptura, in practice they interpret the Bible according to their own denominational traditions. Presbyterians have the Bible plus Calvinism. Baptists have the Bible plus their theological opinions. Lutherans have the Bible plus the teaching of Luther etc.<<

Again, the Bible is still the only ultimate authority, and those who are genuinely seeking to follow it agree on its most important teachings. The Catholic Church leadership, however, considers itself to still be writing God’s Word, in essence; for example, by creating certain doctrines about Mary. Yet they are of a different character from the Bible (created and delivered to people differently) and also on many points contradict it. While the Bible again and again proves that Jesus is the Messiah (as God’s nature and plan for our salvation can be traced throughout all of Scripture, and it all points to Jesus), that God is a Trinity, and that God’s Word is divine and the life-giving (or condemning, through judgment) authority over us, the Mary doctrines are contradicted by all the failures to proclaim Mary’s importance in Scripture as Roman Catholicism has invented them over time.

Those who wrote the New Testament, divinely guided by the Holy Spirit, didn’t include the superficial, trivial, or egotistical. Human-inspired histories would have included more about Jesus, including things like His appearance (and not included the Isaiah 53 descriptions). In the New Testament, we see the burdens places on the apostles and the early Church by God Himself, and in their concerns and actions we see what they considered the essentials. Mary wasn’t and isn’t unimportant, but the Bible often uses the word “magnify,” typically in saying to “magnify the Lord,” and what seems to have happened is that the Catholic Church has gone through many rounds of magnification of Mary to the point she is magnified out of all proportion.

>> 5. Jesus commanded and prophesied that he would establish a church, but he nowhere commanded or prophesied that a book would be written recording his words and works. This is why Catholics say the Church came first. The Bible came second. Jesus passed his authority on through the apostles–not through a book.<<

So the Catholic Church argues that, in accordance with John 21, not everything Jesus said or did is in Scripture (so even things that seem blatantly to contradict He might have said), but Jesus didn’t command “a book” be written about Him because that command isn’t in the Bible? Jesus is God, and while on earth He demonstrated that He knew all about His apostles and all people, seeing Nathanael under the fig tree, and telling the Samaritan woman about what she’d done in her life. He also said He knew the Father and knew His plan of salvation and that He was and is it. He allowed Himself to be arrested and killed, as God’s plan. Truly insane if He wasn’t God, but He was and is, and was not the least insane. “Before Abraham was,” He said, “I am.” The world was created through Him. Yet the Bible is just a book that arose by happenstance, and wasn’t part of God’s plan all along, and directed by Him? That’s utter nonsense that disrespects God.

>> 6. How could sola Scriptura be the only way for people to know God when, for most of history, the majority of people could neither read nor have access to books?<<

How could Jesus be “the way, the truth, and the life” when mankind was here long before the Messiah’s coming, sacrificial death, and resurrection?

And, Jewish boys managed to memorize the Torah before there was widespread reading and writing.

The last time I checked, all Catholics don’t hold all things in common, with people selling all they had and giving the proceeds to it, as the early Church did.

In building a house, there’s a difference between the foundation and the walls and other parts of it. God, in wisdom, and with foresight knowing all in advance, changes how He builds as time goes on. That’s not because He changes, but things actually change, because He changes them. Man can’t change human nature, but God can change it. He brought the Messiah into the world after He’d chosen a people for Himself who would be close to Him and who would get to know Him over centuries, a people prepared for the Messiah. Then a handful of those people, who were awaiting the Messiah, got to know His Son and became His witnesses, and the next part of God’s plan was revealed to them. And they set down those experiences for generations to come, generations even all these years later.

The same is true with Peter being called "Cephas" = "rock."

NIV Matthew 4:18-19
18. As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
19. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

NIV Matthew 8:14
When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.

NIV Matthew 10:1-2
1. He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

NIV Matthew 14:28-31
28. "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29. "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

NIV Matthew 15:13-16
13. He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
14. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
15. Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
16. "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.

As you can see, Simon was already known as 'Peter'

BEFORE the following verses came along.....

NIV Matthew 16:13-18
13. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14. They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17. Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

NIV 1 Corinthians 10:4
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

NIV Luke 6:48
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

NIV Romans 9:33
As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

NIV 1 Peter 2:4-8
4. As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
5. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
7. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, "
8. and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

But, since there WAS no NT at the time Christ spoke to Peter, just what DID Peter and the rest of the Disciples know about ROCKS???

NIV Genesis 49:24-25
24. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25. because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.

NIV Numbers 20:8
"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

NIV Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

NIV Deuteronomy 32:15
Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior.

NIV Deuteronomy 32:18
You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

NIV Deuteronomy 32:30-31
30. How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
31. For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.

NIV 1 Samuel 2:2
"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

NIV 2 Samuel 22:2-3
2. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3. my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-- from violent men you save me.

NIV 2 Samuel 22:32
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

NIV 2 Samuel 22:47
"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!

NIV 2 Samuel 23:3-4
3. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: `When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,
4. he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.'

NIV Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

NIV Psalms 18:31
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

NIV Psalms 18:46
The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

NIV Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

NIV Psalms 28:1

To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

NIV Psalms 31:2-3
2. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

NIV Psalms 42:9
I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"

NIV Psalms 62:2
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

NIV Psalms 62:6
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

NIV Psalms 62:7
My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

NIV Psalms 71:3
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

NIV Psalms 78:35
They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

NIV Psalms 89:26
He will call out to me, `You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.'

NIV Psalms 92:14-15
14. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,
15. proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

NIV Psalms 95:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

NIV Psalms 144:1
Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

NIV Isaiah 17:10
You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.

NIV Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

NIV Isaiah 30:29
And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

NIV Isaiah 44:8
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

NIV Habakkuk 1:12
O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.

.....No other rock.............

And now you know the Biblical position!

In any event, basic grammar and syntax tell us that "this rock" refers to Peter.

Sorry; but an AWFUL lot of Catholic Scholars say that you have been poorly catechized in this matter.

As regards the oft-quoted Mt. 16:18, note the bishops promise in the profession of faith of Vatican 1,

Likewise I accept Sacred Scripture according to that sense which Holy mother Church held and holds, since it is her right to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy scriptures; nor will I ever receive and interpret them except according to the unanimous consent of the fathers. — http://mb-soft.com/believe/txs/firstvc.htm

Yet as the Dominican cardinal and Catholic theologian Yves Congar O.P. states,

Unanimous patristic consent as a reliable locus theologicus is classical in Catholic theology; it has often been declared such by the magisterium and its value in scriptural interpretation has been especially stressed. Application of the principle is difficult, at least at a certain level. In regard to individual texts of Scripture total patristic consensus is rare...One example: the interpretation of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16-18. Except at Rome, this passage was not applied by the Fathers to the papal primacy; they worked out an exegesis at the level of their own ecclesiological thought, more anthropological and spiritual than juridical. — Yves M.-J. Congar, O.P., p. 71

And Catholic archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick (1806-1896), while yet seeking to support Peter as the rock, stated that,

“If we are bound to follow the majority of the fathers in this thing, then we are bound to hold for certain that by the rock should be understood the faith professed by Peter, not Peter professing the faith.” — Speech of archbishop Kenkick, p. 109; An inside view of the vatican council, edited by Leonard Woolsey Bacon.

Your own CCC allows the interpretation that, “On the rock of this faith confessed by St Peter, Christ build his Church,” (pt. 1, sec. 2, cp. 2, para. 424), for some of the ancients (for what their opinion is worth) provided for this or other interpretations.

• Ambrosiaster [who elsewhere upholds Peter as being the chief apostle to whom the Lord had entrusted the care of the Church, but not superior to Paul as an apostle except in time], Eph. 2:20:

Wherefore the Lord says to Peter: 'Upon this rock I shall build my Church,' that is, upon this confession of the catholic faith I shall establish the faithful in life. — Ambrosiaster, Commentaries on Galatians—Philemon, Eph. 2:20; Gerald L. Bray, p. 42

• Augustine, sermon:

"Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter's confession. What is Peter's confession? 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' There's the rock for you, there's the foundation, there's where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer. — John Rotelle, O.S.A., Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine , © 1993 New City Press, Sermons, Vol III/6, Sermon 229P.1, p. 327

Upon this rock, said the Lord, I will build my Church. Upon this confession, upon this that you said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer her (Mt. 16:18). — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 236A.3, p. 48.

• Augustine, sermon:

For petra (rock) is not derived from Peter, but Peter from petra; just as Christ is not called so from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. For on this very account the Lord said, 'On this rock will I build my Church,' because Peter had said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' On this rock, therefore, He said, which thou hast confessed, I will build my Church. For the Rock (Petra) was Christ; and on this foundation was Peter himself built. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. The Church, therefore, which is founded in Christ received from Him the keys of the kingdom of heaven in the person of Peter, that is to say, the power of binding and loosing sins. For what the Church is essentially in Christ, such representatively is Peter in the rock (petra); and in this representation Christ is to be understood as the Rock, Peter as the Church. — Augustine Tractate CXXIV; Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume VII Tractate CXXIV (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf107.iii.cxxv.html)

• Augustine, sermon:

And Peter, one speaking for the rest of them, one for all, said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:15-16)...And I tell you: you are Peter; because I am the rock, you are Rocky, Peter-I mean, rock doesn't come from Rocky, but Rocky from rock, just as Christ doesn't come from Christian, but Christian from Christ; and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:17-18); not upon Peter, or Rocky, which is what you are, but upon the rock which you have confessed. I will build my Church though; I will build you, because in this answer of yours you represent the Church. — John Rotelle, O.S.A. Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1993), Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 270.2, p. 289

• Augustine, sermon:

Peter had already said to him, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' He had already heard, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not conquer her' (Mt 16:16-18)...Christ himself was the rock, while Peter, Rocky, was only named from the rock. That's why the rock rose again, to make Peter solid and strong; because Peter would have perished, if the rock hadn't lived. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 244.1, p. 95

• Augustine, sermon:

...because on this rock, he said, I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not overcome it (Mt. 16:18). Now the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Hold on to these texts, love these texts, repeat them in a fraternal and peaceful manner. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1995), Sermons, Volume III/10, Sermon 358.5, p. 193

• Augustine, Psalm LXI:

Let us call to mind the Gospel: 'Upon this Rock I will build My Church.' Therefore She crieth from the ends of the earth, whom He hath willed to build upon a Rock. But in order that the Church might be builded upon the Rock, who was made the Rock? Hear Paul saying: 'But the Rock was Christ.' On Him therefore builded we have been. — Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), Volume VIII, Saint Augustin, Exposition on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXI.3, p. 249. (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf108.ii.LXI.html)

• Augustine, in “Retractions,”

In a passage in this book, I said about the Apostle Peter: 'On him as on a rock the Church was built.'...But I know that very frequently at a later time, I so explained what the Lord said: 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,' that it be understood as built upon Him whom Peter confessed saying: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and so Peter, called after this rock, represented the person of the Church which is built upon this rock, and has received 'the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' For, 'Thou art Peter' and not 'Thou art the rock' was said to him. But 'the rock was Christ,' in confessing whom, as also the whole Church confesses, Simon was called Peter. But let the reader decide which of these two opinions is the more probable. — The Fathers of the Church (Washington D.C., Catholic University, 1968), Saint Augustine, The Retractations Chapter 20.1:.

• Basil of Seleucia, Oratio 25:

'You are Christ, Son of the living God.'...Now Christ called this confession a rock, and he named the one who confessed it 'Peter,' perceiving the appellation which was suitable to the author of this confession. For this is the solemn rock of religion, this the basis of salvation, this the wall of faith and the foundation of truth: 'For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.' To whom be glory and power forever. — Oratio XXV.4, M.P.G., Vol. 85, Col. 296-297.

• Bede, Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, 3:

You are Peter and on this rock from which you have taken your name, that is, on myself, I will build my Church, upon that perfection of faith which you confessed I will build my Church by whose society of confession should anyone deviate although in himself he seems to do great things he does not belong to the building of my Church...Metaphorically it is said to him on this rock, that is, the Saviour which you confessed, the Church is to be built, who granted participation to the faithful confessor of his name. — 80Homily 23, M.P.L., Vol. 94, Col. 260. Cited by Karlfried Froehlich, Formen, Footnote #204, p. 156 [unable to verify by me].

• Cassiodorus, Psalm 45.5:

'It will not be moved' is said about the Church to which alone that promise has been given: 'You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.' For the Church cannot be moved because it is known to have been founded on that most solid rock, namely, Christ the Lord. — Expositions in the Psalms, Volume 1; Volume 51, Psalm 45.5, p. 455

• Chrysostom (John) [who affirmed Peter was a rock, but here not the rock in Mt. 16:18]:

Therefore He added this, 'And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; that is, on the faith of his confession. — Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily LIIl; Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.iii.LII.html)

• Cyril of Alexandria:

When [Peter] wisely and blamelessly confessed his faith to Jesus saying, 'You are Christ, Son of the living God,' Jesus said to divine Peter: 'You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.' Now by the word 'rock', Jesus indicated, I think, the immoveable faith of the disciple.”. — Cyril Commentary on Isaiah 4.2.

• Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Book XII):

“For a rock is every disciple of Christ of whom those drank who drank of the spiritual rock which followed them, 1 Corinthians 10:4 and upon every such rock is built every word of the church, and the polity in accordance with it; for in each of the perfect, who have the combination of words and deeds and thoughts which fill up the blessedness, is the church built by God.'

“For all bear the surname ‘rock’ who are the imitators of Christ, that is, of the spiritual rock which followed those who are being saved, that they may drink from it the spiritual draught. But these bear the surname of rock just as Christ does. But also as members of Christ deriving their surname from Him they are called Christians, and from the rock, Peters.” — Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Book XII), sect. 10,11 ( http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/101612.htm)

• Hilary of Potier, On the Trinity (Book II): Thus our one immovable foundation, our one blissful rock of faith, is the confession from Peter's mouth, Thou art the Son of the living God. On it we can base an answer to every objection with which perverted ingenuity or embittered treachery may assail the truth."-- (Hilary of Potier, On the Trinity (Book II), para 23; Philip Schaff, editor, The Nicene & Post Nicene Fathers Series 2, Vol 9.

In any event, basic grammar and syntax tell us that "this rock" refers to Peter.

Matthew 16:13-18

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.   And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.    I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Why not Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith?

Dear friend, your understanding of middle eastern culture is sorely lacking. Ditto for language throughout the world.

Debating what language Jesus spoke is rather a waste of time. There is no dispute about what language Jesus probably spoke on a daily basis. His every day language may have been Aramaic or Hebrew. At the age of 12 He was in the Temple teaching and we can be assured that was in Hebrew. He read from the scriptures which assuredly was in Hebrew. Had He spoken in Aramaic in the Temple we can be assured He would not have been treated with respect but simply expelled as the Temple language was for sure Hebrew and nothing else.

Street language would likely have been Aramaic, Hebrew, or Greek depending on the group of people He was with. We do know that all three were used at the time including Latin although less common. We also know however that Greek was the predominate language of the entire area. Alexander had conquered that region over 300 years before the birth of Jesus. We know that Koine Greek was the common street language of Rome, Alexandria, Athens, and Jerusalem from 330BC to 330AD. It was surely the language of commerce. G.L. Archer wrote this: "Greek was the most ideally adapted linguistic medium for the World-Wide communication of the Gospel in the entire region of the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East. Accurate in expression, beautiful in sound, and capable of great rhetorical force, it furnished an ideal vehicle for the proclamation of God’s message to man, transcending Semitic barriers and reaching out to all the Gentile races. [Archer, Gleason L. 1975. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Vol. 3. Merrill C. Tenney, ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.]

Given all that the fact still remains that the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament to be written and preserved in the Greek language. It is the meaning of the words in the Greek language that we need to do our best to understand the meaning of. The Holy Spirit didn't have to guess as to what Jesus meant when He spoke. Whether Jesus was speaking in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, or even Latin is immaterial to this discussion. It is the Greek language that the Holy Spirit had those words recorded in for all time. It is the Greek that we need to understand. Injecting the Aramaic is second guessing what the Holy Spirit had written.