The Rock

[MC Just]

Jesus builds his Church on Rock

Protestant Claim- Peter is not the Rock but Jesus is, Jesus built his church upon himself and Peter’s confession of Faith.

Catholic Claim- Catholics believe and have proof that Peter was the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, many verses in the New Testament show that Peter was very Authoritive, he was always mentioned above and before the other Apostles. Peter is the Rock; the original language of Matthew proves this. God is also Rock, but Christ built his Church upon Peter “The Rock” and the Apostles with Christ himself as the Capstone.

Matthew 16:18

And so I say to you, you are Peter (Kepha), and upon this rock (kepha)I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

Protestant Quotations (Some Protestant agree with the Catholic Position)

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.

[MC Just]

Tertullian

"But if you are near Italy, you have Rome, where authority is at hand for us too. What a happy church that is, on which the apostles poured out their whole doctrine with their blood; where Peter had a passion like that of the Lord, where Paul was crowned with the death of John [the Baptist, by being beheaded]" (Demurrer Against the Heretics 36 [A.D. 200]).

Eusebius of Caesarea

"[in the second] year of the two hundredth and fifth Olympiad [A.D. 42]: The Apostle Peter, after he has established the church in Antioch, is sent to Rome, where he remains as a bishop of that city, preaching the gospel for twenty-five years" (The Chronicle [A.D. 303]).

[MC Just]

Viva Il Papa!!!!!

[IXpenguin21]

and isn't the Church actualy built ON PETER? like, the vatican?

Jesus' statment was so profound, that centuries later, we see it's comming full circle. not only was his statment figurative, but He knew that the church would be built ON Peter!

for those of you unfamiliar with this, there has been an excavation done underneeth the vatican where a tomb was uncovered with the words 'here lies peter, deciple of christ' or something of that nature. further examinations were done on the actual bones, revealing that sections of the outer-most wrist bones were missing... hmm... this was because peter was crucified upside-down, causeing those bones to break...

GO JESUS! :D :D :D

[Trooper4DaHolyG]

Thanks heaps MC JUST! very nice post! Thanks for all the references.

I believe in Peter as a vessel but not a foundation for one Church.

[Trooper4DaHolyG]

The Community Built on This Foundation Will Prevail (16:18)

Ancient teachers from Greek philosophers to Qumran's founding teacher established communities of followers to perpetuate their teachings (as in Culpepper 1975:123; compare Albright and Mann 1971:195; Flusser 1988:35). The Qumran community described themselves as the qahal, the Hebrew word for God's congregation in the exodus narrative, which the Greek versions sometimes translate as ekkl h sia or "church." Jesus thus depicts his followers, his church, as the true, faithful remnant of God's people in continuity with the Old Testament covenant community (Ridderbos 1975:328; F. Bruce 1963:84). What marked it as new, however, was Jesus' specific designation "my community" (Ladd 1974b:110; France 1985:255).

Biblical tradition had often spoken of "building up" the community of God (as in Ps 51:18; 69:35; Jer 24:6; 31:4, 28). The gates of Hades is a familiar Semitic expression for the threshold of the realm of death. The words used here suggest that death itself assaults Christ's church, but death cannot crush us (Ladd 1974b:116). The church will endure until Christ's return, and no opposition, even widespread martyrdom of Christians or the oppression of the final antichrist (compare Jeremias 1968:927), can prevent the ultimate triumph of God's purposes in history

here is something to think about. Peter's great attribute was receiving the devine revelation that Jesus is Christ. Seeing we also have that attribute. We are all Armanian Peters and Jesus wants us to be his foundation of the Church....

[jasJis]

Thanks heaps MC JUST! very nice post! Thanks for all the references.

I believe in Peter as a vessel but not a foundation for one Church.

Trooper, that's almost exactly it! You are almost exactly correct and your terminoligy is a great explanation

Peter is the VESSEL for the Foundation. As Jesus pointed out, it isn't the flesh and blood intellect of Peter that figured that out, but GRACE from God that revealed it. It is the Grace of knowing the FAITH by GRACE ALONE!! Peter's still human. Peter still has free will. But the Foundation that is ROCK (kephas) solid is the revealation of God.

Foundations do not disappear or leave. The Church established by God the Son with God the Father is built with the Foundation of God the Holy Spirit that abides in it forever. There is always a vessel for the Foundation. The vessel may fail human standards. But God's standards and abilities are much different.

A Catholic's confidence is not the the person of the Pope, but the VESSEL who is the Pope and happens to be this or that human throughout the history of Christ's Church. I have utter confidence that the Vessel will serve God, dispite of any human shortcomings of the Vessel. Why? Because Jesus wills it to be so.

[Trooper4DaHolyG]

I guess your faith in the Pope stregthens this. Well I hope he leads you guys effectively! he is a role model to many people! he better behave! hahahaha....

thanks JasJis, I am slowly understanding this for myself which rocks.

I still translate Peter as a Small rock, which makes sense, we are all small rocks working to be like Jesus THE ROCK! we are all vessels! wooohooo...

[Anna]

The Qumran community described themselves as the qahal, the Hebrew word for God's congregation in the exodus narrative, which the Greek versions sometimes translate as ekkl h sia or "church."

Did not Jim Jones describe his Jonestown People's Temple community in the same manner?

What did Jesus say about the Qumran?

Are the Qumran named in Scripture?

No. But Peter is. Many times.

here is something to think about. Peter's great attribute was receiving the devine revelation that Jesus is Christ. Seeing we also have that attribute. We are all Armanian Peters and Jesus wants us to be his foundation of the Church....

Jesus wasn't referring to Peter's attribute, but to Peter himself. A man. A leader. An authority figure.

Jesus didn't say, "your divine revelation is a rock, and upon this rock I will build My Church," or, "your attribute is a rock, and upon this attribute I will build My Church."

He said "You (Peter) are Rock. And upon this Rock...etc." YOU means Peter. Not Divine revelation.

Funny how people want to twist the Scriptures to mean what THEY want it to mean.

But historically, traditionally, and Scripturally, the fact remains, that Christ build One Church.

That One Church was built by Christ, upon Peter.

Any others who claim that they are the authoritative True Church founded by Christ are deceivers, and are deceiving themselves as well.

[Anna]

Thanks heaps MC JUST! very nice post! Thanks for all the references.

I believe in Peter as a vessel but not a foundation for one Church.

Jesus: "YOU ARE Kepha, and upon this kepha I will build My Church."

What else can anyone say?

[cmotherofpirl]

THe setting for this gospel story is also important. Jesus was standing at Caesarea Phillipi which has a huge rock with a pagan temple perched on it.

THe caves beneath it were called the gates of sheol because they have deep bottomless pits in them.

And Jesus turns to Peter and tells him He is the rock, and upon him he will buld his Church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

God is a great set designer.

[jasJis]

I still translate Peter as a Small rock, which makes sense, we are all small rocks working to be like Jesus THE ROCK! we are all vessels! wooohooo...

We can disagree about the Peter and Small rock thing, but...

The Catholic Church also teaches we are all small rocks. We (Christians) are all individually anointed as Priests, Prophets, and Kings through the Graces of God. The Pope is the one who must serve everyone. We only have to worry about our neighbor.