A Apostle Peter question

  • Thread starter Thread starter d_maximus5
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

d_maximus5

Guest
Hello again everyone,

I’ve been getting some great assistance to questions that I’ve had on the faith. My next question is on the Apostle Peter being the first pope.How can I best learn about this for my own edification and for people I know who have the same question.

How do I prove this?

Also would that be the start of the catholic church?

I know Christ told Peter the he was the rock he would build his church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But I think I need more information for me to understand this and possibly help others understand.

Thank you in advance.
 
I think it was on this forum that someone mentioned the symbology of the Keys. The keys are the symbol of a Steward (like in Gondor in LOTR), who makes laws binding or upon people or can rescind laws in the absence of the King. The King of course is Jesus, and the steward is the Pope, who rules with all the authority of the King (ie Jesus) while the King is not here (ie until the Second Coming).
 
d_maximus5 said:
Hello again everyone,

I’ve been getting some great assistance to questions that I’ve had on the faith. My next question is on the Apostle Peter being the first pope.How can I best learn about this for my own edification and for people I know who have the same question.

How do I prove this?

Also would that be the start of the catholic church?

I know Christ told Peter the he was the rock he would build his church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But I think I need more information for me to understand this and possibly help others understand.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
The Origins and Primacy of Peter as Pope – Biblical References

Matthew 16:13-20

**When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, **“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

By establishing His church, Jesus was fulfilling the will of His father in heaven. The church was a key element of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind, because it was commissioned to spread the gospel message after the ascension. Therefore, Jesus spent three years preparing the first leaders of the church, the Apostles and disciples, for their work, and in this passage, the gospel writer recorded the appointment of Peter as the head of the church.

The Gospel of Matthew was written many years after these words were actually spoken by Jesus. By this time, much of the core of Christian belief was already firmly established. Matthew, one of the twelve disciples, recorded the words of Jesus as he had heard them and as the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, reminded him. (cf. Jn 14:26) If the early church had held the position that the “rock” upon which Jesus wanted to build his church was not Peter personally, but rather the “revelation” of Jesus as the Son of God, then the Gospel writer could have stated that theological nuance more clearly by choosing other words to express his meaning. But in fact, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the author wrote precisely what God the Father wanted understood about His church for the coming millennia; namely, that Peter (and anyone who held his position) was to be the visible representative of Christ on Earth.

The primacy and importance of Peter is demonstrated by the fact that Peter’s name is mentioned 195 times throughout the New Testament – more than all the other disciples combined. Whenever a group of disciples are named, Peter is always mentioned first (cf. Mt 17:1). Moreover, the scriptures themselves provide additional evidence that Peter was first among the disciples.

Luke 22:31
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Two remarkable things can be gleaned from this passage. First, we know that Satan sought to strike the shepherd knowing that then the sheep would be scattered, and this certainly applies to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. However, the same strategy was apparently planned against Peter who would become the shepherd of the flock after Jesus was ascended. The book of Job reveals that Satan appeared before God seeking permission to “sift” or test the faith of men. So, it is revealed that Satan himself recognized that Peter was a central figure in God’s plans. Second, Jesus directs Peter to strengthen his brothers once he has recovered from his moment of doubt. Doesn’t the one who is stronger come to the aid of those who are weaker? In this way, Jesus clearly positions Peter as leader among the other disciples.

(cont.)
 
John 21:15-19
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said**, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”**** He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, **“Follow me!”

At the time of Jesus’ arrest, all of the disciples fled. However, Peter had gone further by actually denying three times that he even knew Jesus. This denial had been foretold to all of the disciples by Jesus at the last supper. Therefore, after the resurrection, it was necessary for Jesus to reinstate Peter. The three questions of Jesus parallel the three denials of Peter, and three times Jesus tells Peter to feed or care for his sheep. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus had referred to himself as the Good Shepherd and to those who recognized his voice as his sheep. In this passage describing his last moments on Earth, John records the passing of responsibility for the faithful flock from one shepherd to another.

Historians and scholars believe that John was the only one of the original twelve apostles who was not martyred for his faith and that he died of old age as an exile on the island of Patmos. It is also believed that John’s gospel was the last written, possibly as late as the 80’s or 90’s AD. Therefore, by the time that John wrote, Peter, Paul, and all of the original disciples had been killed. This would explain John’s special insight into Jesus’ prophecy of the death of Peter.

By the time of his writing, John had outlived Peter, Linus, and possibly Cletus – the first three popes of the Catholic Church. The fourth, Clement I, may have been pope when the book of Revelation was being penned. Clearly, if anyone had the apostolic authority to correct any errors in the Church’s understanding of Peter’s role and the role of subsequent popes within the leadership of the early Christian church, it would have been John, the last survivor of the original twelve. But he did not make any corrections; instead, he emphasized Peter’s special commission.

In the passage above, Jesus is speaking with Peter – but in what setting and why? The following verse provides the answer.

John 20:20

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.

Jesus and Peter were walking along the beach and John was following behind them. Jesus had called Peter aside because he wanted to be sure that Peter was clear about his role as the shepherd of the fledgling church. Fifty years later, John, the beloved disciple, faithfully recorded Jesus’ words imparting his final instructions to Peter, the first pope.
 
Peter – The Rock and the Keeper of the Keys

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-19)
  1. Peter’s understanding that Jesus was the Son of God did not come from working it out on his own. Instead, God the Father infused this revelation into Peter’s mind thus imprinting His seal of approval upon this humble fisherman. Jesus recognized that Simon had already been anointed by His Father in this way and declared, “Blessed are you.” The Father had blessed Simon with knowledge of the Son.
  2. Jesus gave him the name, “Kepha”, an Aramaic word that means “rock”. In the original, the passage would read, “You are kepha, and on this kepha I will build my church.” Jesus also announces the establishment of His Church, and clearly delineates Kepha as its leader. Although Jesus spoke Aramaic, the New Testament was written in Greek, and “Kepha” would have been translated into the Greek words for “rock” which are “petra” or “petros”. “Petra” is the feminine form of the masculine word, “petros”. Petros is more suitable for a man. Therefore, from “petros” we derive the English name, “Peter”. For us modern readers then, Jesus’ pronouncement reads, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.” What is it about Peter’s character that caused Jesus to compare him to something as solid as rock? Isn’t this the same Peter who Jesus called “Satan” just a few verses later? (cf. Mt 16:23) Isn’t this the same Peter who would deny the Lord three times after his arrest? (cf. Lk 22:34) Surely this unstable character is anything but solid rock upon which a Church could be built; yet, Jesus sees something deeper in Peter’s character, and His choice would be vindicated when Peter ultimately received a martyr’s crown via crucifixion.
  3. The Church to be built was not of human origin. Jesus did not say, “You are Peter, and upon this rock you must build a church.” He said, “I will build my church.” Inaugurated by the Father, built by the Son and led by the Holy Spirit, the Church is a human institution of divine origin.
  4. For this reason, “the gates of Hell will not overcome” the Church, and for over 2,000 years the Church, lead by the Apostolic Successors of Peter, has faithfully borne witness to the gospel.
(cont.)
 
  1. Jesus gives to Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. This alludes to the prophecy of Isaiah that reads, "In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Isaiah 22:22) In ancient times, a king might choose a second in command or prime minister who literally wore a large key as a symbol of his office and who spoke with the authority of the king. Jesus gives Peter the authority to speak in His name and extends his authority beyond the earthly realm when he gives Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”
  2. Finally, Jesus reveals the infallible nature of the Church when he declares, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." What does this passage mean? There are two possible interpretations. First, if God reciprocates the binding and loosing of Church on earth with an identical binding or loosing in heaven, then the binding and loosing done on earth must of necessity be free from all error. If this were not so, God would have put himself in the impossible situation of affirming that which is not true. A second interpretation would be that the authority of the church is to carry out the will and decisions of God upon earth as they have been established in heaven. This is in perfect accord with the way Jesus instructed us to pray: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Thus, the Church must either be prevented from teaching error in order that God may ratify its decisions in heaven or the Church must be proclaiming here below those things that are already true in heaven. Either way, the decisions and actions of the Church can be seen to be infallible with regard to matters of faith and morals. Anything less would make Jesus a liar for He also declared, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13) and “I am with you always till the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)
 
Peter’s Role as Vicar of Christ’s Church Proved from Scripture

In John 21:15-19, the resurrected Christ, commands Simon Peter three times to “feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep.”

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed (bosko)* my* lambs.” 16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of (poimanao) my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, "Feed (bosko)my sheep.

In this passage, we can see that Jesus leaves Peter in charge of feeding, tending and caring for His sheep. Who feeds, tends and cares for sheep? A shepherd!

Unfortunately, many non-Catholics object to the Catholic understanding that Peter was given this unique leadership position, and they cite a passage from earlier in this same Gospel wherein Jesus presents Himself as the Good Shepherd, and says there is to be but “one flock and one Shepherd.” (John 10:11-16) Therefore, the immediate question springs to mind: If Christ is the Good Shepherd, why can’t He “feed” and “tend” His own sheep?

Of course, Jesus is God, and He is clearly capable of taking care of His own flock – even after He ascends to heaven. So, why does He appoint Peter to this role? Obviously, all sheep belong to Christ, and they do not cease to belong to Jesus after the ascension. Yet, Peter is told to “feed” and “tend” them. Jesus commissions Peter to act as His “stand-in” or “vicar” after the ascension. Jesus will remain the one Shepherd, yet Peter will “feed” and “tend” the sheep, in the sense that Jesus will not be physically present to do it. Thus, Peter will be the visible, vicarious shepherd of the flock.

Because of the implications of this earthly authority and the unique Catholic claims for the papacy, non-Catholics seek alternative explanations for Jesus’ words. One attempt is to claim that Peter simply has the same authority to care for the flock of Christ that all of the other apostles had. However, this argument fails for two reasons.

First, the extent of the authority Jesus gave to Peter can be seen quite clearly in the original Greek. For example, the word which is used for “feed” in John 21 is bosko – a word which the Jewish historian Philo of Alexandria, and other 1st Century writers, use to denote “spiritual nourishment.” Similarly, the word “tend” is poimanao – the same Greek word which is translated as “rule” in passages such as Matt 2:6, Rev 2:27, Rev. 12:5, and Rev. 19:15, where it is applied to Jesus Himself. Peter, like Jesus, is to “rule” over the sheep, and to “supply them with spiritual nourishment.” Thus, Peter is established as the vicarious shepherd (i.e., “supreme pastor”) of the Church in Christ’s physical absence.

While it may be argued that any shepherd would have similar responsibilities for his sheep and that the Bible is full of passages using the relationship between sheep and shepherd as a metaphor for our relationship with God, in the context of the New Testament, only Peter received this unique appointment directly from Christ Himself. Jesus took great care to identify Peter’s new responsibility as head of the Church with His own role as Head of the Body, the Church. No other Apostle received this focus.

(cont.)
 
Second, in Luke’s Last Supper account, we see quite clearly that Peter was singled out to play the role of a leader and unifier among the Apostles. The passage is as follows:

Luke 22:31-32
“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers. 33But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

In Luke 22:31-32, Satan sought to destroy all of the Apostles, but Jesus prayed for Simon Peter alone that Peter might strengthen all of the other Apostles whose faith would be shaken, as well. Clearly, Peter is not merely “one Apostle among others.” Rather, he is also responsible for the welfare of all. That is a special ministry – the ministry of the vicarious shepherd. No other Apostle is given the responsibility for caring for the Twelve in this way, and this assignment is all the more significant when we consider that in the following verses (v. 33-34), Jesus predicts Peter’s three-fold denial. Despite Jesus’ foreknowledge of Peter’s denials, Jesus prays for and assigns to Peter the task of caring for the others.

This brings us to the refutation of another non-Catholic argument against Peter’s position as leader of the Christian Church: Jesus was simply re-instating Peter in John 21 by mirroring Peter’s three denials with three questions, “Do you love me?” Yet, we see from Luke 22:31-34, that Peter’s three-fold denial is contrasted, not with Peter’s apostleship, but rather with Peter’s special ministry to strengthen and unify the other Apostles …and this before he denies Christ three times. Thus, if Peter is restored to anything in John 21, it must include the commission he was given in Luke 22:31-32 – namely, to be the one to strengthen those other Apostles whose faith was flagging.

In Luke 22:31-32 and John 21:15-19 Peter is commissioned, and then re-commissioned, as the vicarious shepherd over the entire flock in Christ’s physical absence.

In summary, we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that there is one Shepherd and one flock (cf. John 10). Yet, in the passage from John 21, we can see that Jesus leaves Peter in charge of feeding, tending and caring for His sheep. Peter becomes the shepherd who will lead the flock after Jesus’ ascension. Therefore, while Jesus is forever our Good Shepherd reigning from heaven, He has made provision for us by naming someone else to stand in His place, to be His vicar, here on earth. The Vicar of Christ established by Jesus is the Pope of the Catholic Church.

Not only does Peter (and his successors, the Popes) hold the keys to the kingdom of God (cf. Mt 16:18, Is. 22:22), but he holds the shepherd’s crook or crozier, as well.
 
d_maximus5 said:
Hello again everyone,

I’ve been getting some great assistance to questions that I’ve had on the faith. My next question is on the Apostle Peter being the first pope.How can I best learn about this for my own edification and for people I know who have the same question.

How do I prove this?

Also would that be the start of the catholic church?

I know Christ told Peter the he was the rock he would build his church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But I think I need more information for me to understand this and possibly help others understand.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Wow…Randy gave you very exhaustive proof. My additional comments;

Name Change…in the Bible, when a name is changed, it means a change of status, and someone being given authority.

Abram to Abraham…God’s command-Abraham fathered or built nations

Jacob to Israel…God’s commant-to build the nation of Israel

Simon to Cephas/Peter-God’s command-to build and be the foundation of His Church.

Also: Mark 16:5-7 (King James Version)

5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

7But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

See the Lord’s angel, as a “young man sitting on the right side” calls out Peter’s name and only Peter’s name among the disciples. This is the only instance in all the Gospels where the name of an apostle is mentioned at the tomb after the resurrection. The significance is the angel mentioning Peter by his new name, not Simon. This means Heaven has acknowledged the name change and the role Peter will play in building Christ’s church. So you have heavenly approval also.
 
I want to thank everyone for helping me with my quesiton. Especially Randy, that was a very thorough and easy to understand breakdown. Thank you very much. And Pablope, that was also an excellent observation, first time I’ve heard of that point.

Good Bless everyone.
 
The primacy of Peter in the leadership of the Church was:
  1. foreshadowed in the Old Testament in Isaiah 22:15-24.
  2. promised by Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:15-19.
  3. prayed for by Jesus Christ in Luke 22:31-32.
  4. counseled by Jesus Christ in Luke 12:41-46.
  5. confirmed by Jesus Christ in John 21:15-17.
  6. lived out by Peter in the chapters 1 thru 12 and 15 in the Acts of the Apostles.
  7. pointed out in the list of apostles in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Act 1:13, where Peter’s name is listed first among the apostles.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top