Mr Rogers:
I apologize, I did not see your question till I had responded to PugetSoundSoldier [see post 442]. St. Paul does refer to St.Peter, along with James and John as pillars (c.f Gal 2:9) and of course, he corrected Peter for not engaging in community life with the gentiles, after Peter had received a vision from God that what God has made clean, do not call unclean (see Acts 10). So it was St. Peter who afer seeing that God wanted to bring the gentiles into the Church, along with the other apostles, who commissioned Paul and Barnabas as apostles to the gentiles. Of course, Peter was engaging in the sin of ethnic bigotry, and St. Paul correctly corrected him, although this was not a doctrinal dispute, but a pastoral correction. St. Paul does note that the Church is the Pillar and foundation of truth (c.f. 1 Tim 3:15 and that it is built on the foundation of the apostles (c.f. Eph 3: 19-22).
So St. Paul calling St. Peter a pillar is consistent with all the Apostles sharing in Christ mission and the Church being Apostolic.
EXCEPT!
That is not what St Paul says.
"6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised."
His terminology makes it very clear that while there were SOME who considered James, Peter, and John to be pillars - "who seemed to be something" - Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did NOT.
I spent 25 years in the hierarchy known as the US military. I assure you, these are NOT the words of someone who considered Peter to be first among equals, let alone superior in any way. While some were looking at these 3 as something higher or more authoritative, Paul did not.
Peter was engaging in the sin of ethnic bigotry, and St. Paul correctly corrected him, although this was not a doctrinal dispute, but a pastoral correction.
No sir. This was most decidedly a DOCTRINAL issue - one so critical that Paul uses it as an example leading up to his conclusion, "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Nor, as some have suggested, was Peter only setting a bad example. For Paul told him, "why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" Not ask, or allow - but COMPEL.
Also, we read: "certain men came from James...he withdrew...fearing those who were of the circumcision."
Again, I'm a military man. A 4-star General does not fear a delegation from a 2-star General. The reverse is true.