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Augustus24
Guest
Because historically speaking, the belief that the Bishop of Rome is the sole successor of Peter and has complete jurisdiction over all the other Churches and has the power to declare doctrine and bind all christians to that doctrine under penalty of mortal sin took centuries to develop, and the entire East still had never heard about it a thousand years later. If the early church did not believe it, then it is a new and novel doctrine and should be rejected.From what authority do you get the interpretation of this “confession” being the “rock?”
Also the 28th Canon of Chalcedon gave Constantinople equal authority to that of Rome.
In the Greek the other interpretation makes less sense. And 2 chapters later Jesus gives all the Apostles the same power of binding and loosing, without regard of whether they are in union with Peter or not. Therefore, all the apostles were equal in authority, all had the power of binding and loosing, not Peter alone.
And in the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, Peter himself was only one of many Apostles speaking, and James rendered the final decision, therefore the Apostles didn’t consider Peter to have the final word on matters of doctrine.
Also many of the Church Fathers agreed that Peter’s confession was the rock of the Church including Augustine and Chrysostom.