Here's a real good overview of the Scriptures we're discussing.
By the way, #20 and #21 list some excellent resources for you. And on the difference between "sur" (God as rock) and "kepha" (the name Jesus gave to Simon Bar-Jonah), this one is fascinating..
God bless you.
Thanks for the references. I look forward to learning more about the Catholic beliefs regarding the early church. Catholics and Mormons share a belief that a formal church was established by Jesus Christ and Peter was the leader of that church under Jesus Christ. Of course, we do differ in beliefs regarding what happened after Peter.
There are Christians that do not believe a formal church was established by Jesus Christ. While the New Testament is not a history book and does not contain all that the Savior said and did, nor much of what the Apostles did after the Ascension, it contains plenty of evidence that a church was established.