Posted on 01/16/2015 3:29:49 PM PST by RnMomof7
June 10, 2014
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Simon, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Roman Catholics interpret Matt. 16:18 to mean that Peter is the rock upon which the church is built. That interpretation then becomes the basis for the doctrine of papal succession. If Peter is the rock on which the church is built, and if the bishops of Rome are Peter’s successors, then it follows, they say, that the papacy remains the foundation of the church.
But that is not at all what Matthew 16:18 teaches.
The name “Peter” was a nickname given to Simon by Jesus, all the way back in John 1:42 when Peter first met Jesus. Coming from the Greek word petros (or the Aramaic word “Cephas”), the name Peter means “Rock” or “Stone.” To use an English equivalent, Peter means “Rocky.”
But when Jesus said, “I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church,” He differentiated between Peter and the “rock” by using two different Greek words. The name Peter is petros, but the word for “rock” is petra.
Those terms may sound similar to us, but ancient Greek literature shows that they actually refer to two different things. Petros was used to signify a small stone; petra, by contrast, referred to bedrock or a large foundation boulder (cf. Matt. 7:24-25).
So, to paraphrase Jesus’ words, the Lord told Peter, “I say to you that you are a small stone, and upon this bedrock I will build My church.” It was a play on words that made a significant spiritual point.
What then was the bedrock to which Jesus was referring? The answer to that question comes a couple verses earlier in Matthew 16.
Matthew 16:13–17: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” [14] And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” [15] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” [16] Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [17] And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
Peter was just a small stone built atop the bedrock of something much bigger than himself: namely, the truth that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Put simply, Peter was not the rock; Christ is the Rock. And as Peter and the other apostles testified to the truth about Christ (which Peter did in verse 16), the church was built upon its only sure foundation.
The rest of the New Testament bears this out.
In 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul wrote that “no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
In Ephesians 2:20, Paul further explained that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone on which the church is founded by the apostles.
Even Peter himself, in 1 Peter 2:1–10 compared all believers to small stones that are part of the superstructure of the church. By contrast, Peter noted in vv. 6, 7, the Lord Jesus is the cornerstone on which the church is built. Peter said the same thing to the Jewish religious leaders in Acts 4:11. Speaking of Jesus, Peter proclaimed, “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.”
If we were to go beyond Peter’s lifetime, and consider the writings of the church fathers from Origen to Chrysostom to Augustine – we would likewise find that the vast majority of ancient interpreters did not view the rock in Matthew 16:18 as a reference to Peter. The church fathers generally understood the “rock” to refer either to the apostles collectively, or to the specific content of Peter’s confession. In either case, they understood that Matthew 16:18 ultimately centered on Christ – the One to whom the apostles testified, and the One to whom Peter’s confession pointed.
Thus, we see the Roman Catholic understanding of Matthew 16:18 falls short on at least four levels:
1) Grammatically, it does not account for the lexical distinction between petros (Peter) and petra (Rock).
2) Contextually, it makes Peter the focal point of Matthew 16, when the text is clearly featuring truth about Jesus.
3) Theologically, it tries to make Peter the rock when the rest of the New Testament declares Christ to be the Rock.
4) Historically, the Roman Catholic view is not the patristic view of the first few centuries.
(Moreover, even if Peter were the “rock” of Matthew 16:18, such an interpretation would still not necessitate the notion of papal succession. But that is the topic of another post.)
Peter’s nickname might have been Rocky, but Peter himself understood that the Rock was Jesus Christ. The Rock on which Peter’s life was built was none other than the Rock of Salvation; the Rock of Deliverance; the Chief Cornerstone; and the Rock of Ages.
Peter bore witness to that truth in Matthew 16:16. The rest of the Apostles bore witness to that throughout their ministries. And it was the truth of that apostolic witness to Jesus Christ that formed the foundation of the church.
Reply numbers 179-180 sure STOPPED the thread for a while!
I wonder who posted them and what was their content???
Only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote in the conclave; older cardinals do not enter the Sistine Chapel. In theory, any baptized male Catholic can be elected pope, but current church law says he must become a bishop before taking office; since the 15th century, the electors always have chosen a fellow cardinal.
That is a good thing. That means you would be well suited to deal with the opposing team. 😄😄😀
Dunno. I posted only twice during the middle of the night and noticed the removed posts only after I had posted my first. For once, I was uninvolved with the goings-on.
Exactly. The only ones I see confused about it are Roman Catholics.
We agree; Halibut is the best of fish. :)
For my own reference: http://books.google.com/books/about/Peter_and_the_Rock.html?id=YZgNPsOgSjQC
As I wrote, in Messiah's prayer in John, the catholic chapter seventeen, He prayed for apostolic unity. I wrote "One cannot separate the Apostle Peter from Messiah's church. He said He would build His church on Peter, and Ephesians proves He did. What many have missed is the unity in which He did it."
Messiah is the chief cornerstone, which is certainly the foundation, and the apostles and prophets are the foundation with Him. He is the builder, so He did build his church on Peter, as He said. There are twenty four thrones mentioned in Revelation.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, When I rise to worlds unknown, And behold Thee on Thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.
Rock of Ages Augustus M. Toplady, 1776
Copyright: Public Domain
I'll volunteer to be ambassador 'without a cause.':)
Yes, the Caragounis book is rich with relevant information. I have a physical copy of it, but it’s good to see it is available in electronic form as well. I should have mentioned it as a source of some of my information in my previous post, especially the Aramaic data. Oversight on my part. But yes, very helpful.
Peace,
SR
No he didn't...Jesus said he would build his church on a massive rock...
Peter solidly (like a rock) proclaimed their faith that Jesus was the Son of God...Jesus acknowledged that by saying to Peter, you are a rock (petros/stone)...And Jesus further acknowledged that truth by claiming that because Peter believed with his whole heart and soul that the Father 'spiritually' revealed that to Peter (and the others)...
Jesus then, looking at Peter says, however Peter, even tho you are a rock, it is upon THIS rock (petra/huge rock) that I will build my church...
Whether that rock was Jesus himself or the spiritual confirmation to Peter from God that Jesus IS the Son makes little difference...
Messiah is the chief cornerstone, which is certainly the foundation, and the apostles and prophets are the foundation with Him. He is the builder, so He did build his church on Peter, as He said. There are twenty four thrones mentioned in Revelation.
We can believe you or we can believe God...
1Co_3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co_3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
Here it says Paul laid the foundation, NOT Peter...
You guys just don't seem to understand the foundation principal or any bible principal for that matter...
Jesus IS the foundation...The only foundation...It is the apostles who have layed down that foundation...And build upon it...
The foundation is scripture, our knowledge of God...
Psa_8:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Psa_138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
Paul warns us about building upon that foundation deceitfully...Hence, the Catholic religion...
You guys like Pete so much you've IGNORED the OTHER 23 thrones.
Bless the Lord. Rest in Christ as Savior, and follow Him as Lord. The 2 are inseparable if one truly does the former, and thus the effects of faith, holiness and works, justify one as being a believer.
Amen!
Oh I don’t think it’s in electronic form (at least not all of it) at Google books. I will check that when I get home though, I do believe only select portions are available electronically. I think the average price is $100 for the hard copy.
I am nuts today. I was looking for the like button. I do love that song.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.