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| St. Peter on the right side of Christ. The Place of honor and primacy together with St. Paul and the Early Church Fathers |
Peter is ‘the Rock’
Jesus was able to see the anarchy and divisions that Satan can create in the only one church He instituted. It was the great desire of Jesus that His followers must be united together. (Jn. 17:11) “Holy Father, watch over them…that they may be one just as we are.” He decided to make Peter the leader, so that all be united under Him.Mt. 16:18-19 – “And I tell you, you are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus spoke in Aramaic and nicknames Simon “Kepha” (Cephas) which means ‘the Rock.’ Anti-Catholics try in vain to misinterpret it as the ‘Rock’ here is Jesus, not Peter. Jesus was not speaking to himself but to Simon, ‘you are Peter’ (the Rock) and upon you ‘this rock’ I will build my church. Here, ‘this rock’ is Peter not Jesus. The next sentence clarifies it. I will give ‘you’ the keys and what ‘you bind’ on earth will be bound. This word of the Lord supports beyond doubt that Peter is ‘the rock’ upon which Jesus built His church. To confuse people and to escape from the authority of Peter, anti-Catholic ministers will start to quote all the Bible passages where the word ‘rock’ comes. Usually, they use 1 Cor. 10:3-4 where comes a word “they drank of that Spiritual Rock…and that Rock was Christ.” This sentence has nothing to do with the institution of the church. They simply misuse this out of context just to support their lie.
More than that, if we accept their claim, it never contradicts the position of Peter. Catholics always believed Jesus is the invisible head or the spiritual rock of the church because the church is His body. But we consider the Pope as its visible head. When God the Father made a covenant with Abraham, He made Abraham the Father of Generations. But it didn’t take away the Fatherhood of God (Isa. 51:2). He remained the Spiritual Father forever.
Anti-Catholics may play another funny verbal gymnastic. When Jesus said ‘Rock,’ he used the Aramaic word “Kepha” which means only ‘rock.’ But when it is translated into Greek, it may get a gender change ‘pebble’ or ‘chip of rock.’ They may try on this word to show Peter is only a pebble. But the next sentence will correct them: “I will give you (not me) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever ‘you’ (not ‘me’ Jesus, but Peter) bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
“Pope” means father. It is an affectionate title that the apostles used to express their responsibility to the faithful. St. Paul calls himself as ‘father’ (1 Cor. 4:14-16) “You are my beloved children….For I became your father in Christ.”
More than that, if we accept their claim, it never contradicts the position of Peter. Catholics always believed Jesus is the invisible head or the spiritual rock of the church because the church is His body. But we consider the Pope as its visible head. When God the Father made a covenant with Abraham, He made Abraham the Father of Generations. But it didn’t take away the Fatherhood of God (Isa. 51:2). He remained the Spiritual Father forever.
Anti-Catholics may play another funny verbal gymnastic. When Jesus said ‘Rock,’ he used the Aramaic word “Kepha” which means only ‘rock.’ But when it is translated into Greek, it may get a gender change ‘pebble’ or ‘chip of rock.’ They may try on this word to show Peter is only a pebble. But the next sentence will correct them: “I will give you (not me) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever ‘you’ (not ‘me’ Jesus, but Peter) bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
Peter is the Shepherd
In St. John 21:15-19, we find clear scriptural evidence that Peter was commissioned by Jesus to care for His flock. “Simon, son of John….shepherd my sheep! Simon, son of John….sheep.” We know Jesus is the good shepherd (Jn. 10:11) but here, he gives authority of the shepherd to Peter. So we call Peter and his successors, the Pope – Supreme Universal Church.“Pope” means father. It is an affectionate title that the apostles used to express their responsibility to the faithful. St. Paul calls himself as ‘father’ (1 Cor. 4:14-16) “You are my beloved children….For I became your father in Christ.”
Did Peter Have A Successor?
As the Bible says, Peter and the apostles appointed their successors through imposition of hands.2 Tim. 1:6 - “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”
Apostle Paul himself was ordained by imposition of hands in the church of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3). When Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, apostles elected Matthias: “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his house become empty; may no one live in it.’ It is also written, ‘May someone else take his place of service.’ “- (Acts 1:20) The apostolic succession was by election and imposition of hands.
We have the clear historic evidence that the office of Peter was at Rome, where he became a martyr in 64 AD. His office in Rome was succeeded by Linus the 2nd Pope (67-76 AD) according to historians. In 96 AD Pope Clement sent a strong letter to the church at Corinth resolving a dispute there. The bishop of Rome interferes in the problem of another church, showing his authority to do so.
On his way to martyrdom in Rome in 110 AD, Ignatius of Antioch praised the Church of Rome “stamped with the Father’s name.”
The historian Eusebius, who lived in Caesarea in 265-340 AD, in his ‘church history’ writes: “After the martyrdom of Paul and of Peter, Linus was the first to obtain the episcopate of the church at Rome. Paul mentions him, when writing to Timothy from Rome, in the salutation at the end of the epistle…In the second year of his reign, Linus, who had been bishop of the church of Rome for twelve years, delivered his office to Anencletus…In the twelfth year of the same reign, Clement succeeded Anencletus after the latter had been bishop of the Church of Rome for twelve years.”
This unbroken chain of successors continues and reaches to Pope Benedict XVI the 265th successor of Peter. The historical evidence of this succession is more reliable than 2000 years history of any other country or kingdom in the world today. Obedience to Pope is obedience to Jesus, as the Holy Scripture supports it. - knowthecatholictruth Blog
We have the clear historic evidence that the office of Peter was at Rome, where he became a martyr in 64 AD. His office in Rome was succeeded by Linus the 2nd Pope (67-76 AD) according to historians. In 96 AD Pope Clement sent a strong letter to the church at Corinth resolving a dispute there. The bishop of Rome interferes in the problem of another church, showing his authority to do so.
On his way to martyrdom in Rome in 110 AD, Ignatius of Antioch praised the Church of Rome “stamped with the Father’s name.”
The historian Eusebius, who lived in Caesarea in 265-340 AD, in his ‘church history’ writes: “After the martyrdom of Paul and of Peter, Linus was the first to obtain the episcopate of the church at Rome. Paul mentions him, when writing to Timothy from Rome, in the salutation at the end of the epistle…In the second year of his reign, Linus, who had been bishop of the church of Rome for twelve years, delivered his office to Anencletus…In the twelfth year of the same reign, Clement succeeded Anencletus after the latter had been bishop of the Church of Rome for twelve years.”
This unbroken chain of successors continues and reaches to Pope Benedict XVI the 265th successor of Peter. The historical evidence of this succession is more reliable than 2000 years history of any other country or kingdom in the world today. Obedience to Pope is obedience to Jesus, as the Holy Scripture supports it. - knowthecatholictruth Blog
AB-Philosophy undergraduate at Notre Dame of Marbel University.
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