ironmonk Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Tertullian "[T]he Lord said to Peter, ‘On this rock I will build my Church, I have given you the keys of the kingdom of heaven [and] whatever you shall have bound or loosed on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. . . . [b]What kind of man are you,[u] subverting and changing [/u]what was the manifest intent of the Lord when he conferred this personally upon Peter? Upon you, he says, I will build my Church; and I will give to you the keys[/b]" (Modesty 21:9–10 [[b]A.D. 220[/b]]). [b]From several Protestant translations[/b]"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" (New International Version). (A footnote in the New International Version to the word "Peter" says "Peter means rock".) "And I say also vnto thee, That thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it" (1611 King James Version). (The original [1611] edition of the King James Version has a marginal cross-reference at Matthew 16:18 to [b]John 1:42[/b].) "And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros — a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra — a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it]" (Amplified Bible). (A footnote in the Amplified Bible to the word "Peter" says "The rock on which the church is built is traditionally interpreted as either Peter's inspired confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, or it may be Peter himself (see Eph. 2:20)"; emphasis has been added here to the concluding phrase of the footnote, but the passages in the quotation bracketed here are actually bracketed in the Amplified Bible.) John 1:42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; 30 you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter). "Kephas" is Aramaic (the language the Apostles spoke), and it means Rock - massive boulder to be exact. The argument that Jesus was not speaking to Peter in St. Matt 16:18 fails without doubt. [b]All of the following quotations are from Protestant biblical scholars.[/b] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William Hendriksen member of the Reformed Christian Church Professor of New Testament Literature at Calvin Seminary The meaning is, "You are Peter, that is Rock, and upon this rock, that is, on you, Peter I will build my church." Our Lord, speaking Aramaic, probably said, "And I say to you, you are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my church." Jesus, then, is promising Peter that he is going to build his church on him! I accept this view. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1973), page 647 JPK page 14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gerhard Maier leading conservative evangelical Lutheran theologian Nowadays a broad consensus has emerged which — in accordance with the words of the text — applies the promise to Peter as a person. On this point liberal (H. J. Holtzmann, E. Schweiger) and conservative (Cullmann, Flew) theologians agree, as well as representatives of Roman Catholic exegesis. "The Church in the Gospel of Matthew: Hermeneutical Analysis of the Current Debate" Biblical Interpretation and Church Text and Context (Flemington Markets, NSW: Paternoster Press, 1984), page 58 JPK pages 16-17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Donald A. Carson III Baptist and Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Seminary (two quotations from different works) Although it is true that petros and petra can mean "stone" and "rock" respectively in earlier Greek, the distinction is largely confined to poetry. Moreover the underlying Aramaic is in this case unquestionable; and most probably kepha was used in both clauses ("you are kepha" and "on this kepha"), since the word was used both for a name and for a "rock". The Peshitta (written in Syriac, a language cognate with Aramaic) makes no distinction between the words in the two clauses. The Greek makes the distinction between petros and petra simply because it is trying to preserve the pun, and in Greek the feminine petra could not very well serve as a masculine name. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Volume 8 (Matthew, Mark, Luke) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), page 368 JPK pages 17-18 The word Peter petros, meaning "rock" (Gk 4377), is masculine, and in Jesus' follow-up statement he uses the feminine word petra (Gk 4376). On the basis of this change, many have attempted to avoid identifying Peter as the rock on which Jesus builds his church. Yet if it were not for Protestant reactions against extremes of Roman Catholic interpretations, it is doubtful whether many would have taken "rock" to be anything or anyone other than Peter. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary — New Testament, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), page 78 JPK page 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Peter Lange German Protestant scholar The Saviour, no doubt, used in both clauses the Aramaic word kepha (hence the Greek Kephas applied to Simon, John i.42; comp. 1 Cor. i.12; iii.22; ix.5; Gal. ii.9), which means rock and is used both as a proper and a common noun.... The proper translation then would be: "Thou art Rock, and upon this rock", etc. Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: The Gospel According to Matthew, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976), page 293 JPK page 19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John A. Broadus Baptist author (two quotations from the same work) Many insist on the distinction between the two Greek words, thou art Petros and on this petra, holding that if the rock had meant Peter, either petros or petra would have been used both times, and that petros signifies a separate stone or fragment broken off, while petra is the massive rock. But this distinction is almost entirely confined to poetry, the common prose word instead of petros being lithos; nor is the distinction uniformly observed. But the main answer here is that our Lord undoubtedly spoke Aramaic, which has no known means of making such a distinction [between feminine petra and masculine petros in Greek]. The Peshitta (Western Aramaic) renders, "Thou are kipho, and on this kipho". The Eastern Aramaic, spoken in Palestine in the time of Christ, must necessarily have said in like manner, "Thou are kepha, and on this kepha".... Beza called attention to the fact that it is so likewise in French: "Thou art Pierre, and on this pierre"; and Nicholson suggests that we could say, "Thou art Piers (old English for Peter), and on this pier." Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1886), pages 355-356 JPK page 20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- J. Knox Chamblin Presbyterian and New Testament Professor Reformed Theological Seminary By the words "this rock" Jesus means not himself, nor his teaching, nor God the Father, nor Peter's confession, but Peter himself. The phrase is immediately preceded by a direct and emphatic reference to Peter. As Jesus identifies himself as the Builder, the rock on which he builds is most naturally understood as someone (or something) other than Jesus himself. The demonstrative this, whether denoting what is physically close to Jesus or what is literally close in Matthew, more naturally refers to Peter (v. 18) than to the more remote confession (v. 16). The link between the clauses of verse 18 is made yet stronger by the play on words, "You are Peter (Gk. Petros), and on this rock (Gk. petra) I will build my church". As an apostle, Peter utters the confession of verse 16; as a confessor he receives the designation this rock from Jesus. "Matthew" Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1989), page 742 JPK page 30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Craig L. Blomberg Baptist and Professor of New Testament Denver Seminary Acknowledging Jesus as The Christ illustrates the appropriateness of Simon's nickname "Peter" (Petros = rock). This is not the first time Simon has been called Peter (cf. John 1:42), but it is certainly the most famous. Jesus' declaration, "You are Peter", parallels Peter's confession, "You are the Christ", as if to say, "Since you can tell me who I am, I will tell you who you are." The expression "this rock" almost certainly refers to Peter, following immediately after his name, just as the words following "the Christ" in v. 16 applied to Jesus. The play on words in the Greek between Peter's name (Petros) and the word "rock" (petra) makes sense only if Peter is the rock and if Jesus is about to explain the significance of this identification. The New American Commentary: Matthew, vol. 22 (Nashville: Broadman, 1992), pages 251-252 JPK pages 31-32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Hill Presbyterian minister and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biblical Studies University of Sheffield, England On this rock I will build my church: the word-play goes back to Aramaic tradition. It is on Peter himself, the confessor of his Messiahship, that Jesus will build the Church. The disciple becomes, as it were, the foundation stone of the community. Attempts to interpret the "rock" as something other than Peter in person (e.g., his faith, the truth revealed to him) are due to Protestant bias, and introduce to the statement a degree of subtlety which is highly unlikely. "The Gospel of Matthew" The New Century Bible Commentary (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1972), page 261 JPK page 34 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suzanne de Dietrich Presbyterian theologian The play on words in verse 18 indicates the Aramaic origin of the passage. The new name contains a promise. "Simon", the fluctuating, impulsive disciple, will, by the grace of God, be the "rock" on which God will build the new community. The Layman's Bible Commentary: Matthew, vol. 16 (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1961), page 93 JPK page 34 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Donald A. Hagner Fuller Theological Seminary The natural reading of the passage, despite the necessary shift from Petros to petra required by the word play in the Greek (but not the Aramaic, where the same word kepha occurs in both places), is that it is Peter who is the rock upon which the church is to be built.... The frequent attempts that have been made, largely in the past, to deny this in favor of the view that the confession itself is the rock... seem to be largely motivated by Protestant prejudice against a passage that is used by the Roman Catholics to justify the papacy. Matthew 14-28 Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 33b (Dallas: Word Books, 1995), page 470 JPK pages 36-37 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The credit for research into these sources belongs to the authors of Jesus, Peter & the Keys: a Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy, by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren, and David Hess: [url="http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/compare?isbn=1882972546"]http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/compare?isbn=1882972546[/url] [b]Proverbs 18:2 The fool takes no delight in understanding, but rather in displaying what he thinks.[/b] God Bless, ironmonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmonk Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 And.... Unless a church can show that it has the Succession of Peter, it is subverting and trying to change what the Lord intended to guide His people. God Bless, ironmonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quietfire Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the lumberjack Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 thank you for that enlightening reading, ironmonk! God bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foundsheep Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 Lets not forget that Paul even referred to him as Kephas. not Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey's_Girl Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 Fascinating and enlightening! Now I don't have to go dig up the Greek. Many thanks. MG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the lumberjack Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 kephas...not kepha... petros....not petra... but hey, thats just probly gonna be called "my private interpretation" of it...so peace. God bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmonk Posted May 7, 2004 Author Share Posted May 7, 2004 [quote name='the lumberjack' date='May 7 2004, 02:40 AM'] kephas...not kepha... petros....not petra... but hey, thats just probly gonna be called "my private interpretation" of it...so peace. God bless. [/quote] What's your point? Did you bother actually paying attention to what you read? Those are quotes from other people. Pay attention and think a little before you attempt to correct. ironmonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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