Are we misusing the iconic Catholic verse?

[Link0126]

Listening to Father Barron’s sermon from a couple weeks ago on the “gates of hell”: wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons/Sermon-Archive-for-2011/Sermon-554-The-Gates-of-Hell-21st-Week-of.aspx

In the last couple minutes he mentions his interpretation is not that of an infallible promise to the Church against the offensive nature of Satan but rather a call to action for the Church against worldly injustice and sin.

Then of course there is Francis Turretin’s blog on the verse in which he, in typical protestant fashion, applies complete spiritualism and says it is about the resurrection of all believers: turretinfan.blogspot.com/2009/04/gates-of-hell-shall-not-prevail-against.html

Both Barron and Turretin, in their critique of the traditional stance provide the compelling reason that gates are not an offensive weapon but are only used defensively in warfare and so how can it be that the Church is being guarded against “the gates of hell”?

So, have we been wrong all along? Is the quintessential Catholic verse not really “Catholic” after all?

 

[TimothyH]

My understanding is that in referencing “The rock”, jesus was referring to the foundation stone upon which the Jerusalem temple was built.

Jewish belief at the time of Jesus was that the rock upon which the temple was built capped off a long shaft which led down to “The pit” or “Sheol”, the dark abode of the dead. In this way, the Jerusalem Temple was situated half way between heaven and hell and the very stone upon which it was built was what kept the darkness, chaos, error, and danger of Sheol from entering the world. God himself, living in the temple, was guarantee that the “Gates of the netherworld” would not open to let the chaos of Sheol enter Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.

In calling Peter “The Rock”, Peter himself by divine decree of Christ, was now the guarantee that the “Gates of the Netherword” would not open to let hell enter the world. Just as the mosaic law written on stone tablets did not make anyone holy, the foundation stone of the temple did nothing to prevent the powers of Sheol from entering the world. Jesus, by divine decree, was removing the temple and the priests from the offices to which they were appointed at Mt. Sinai and placing Peter and the his new Church in charge of his kingdom. Peter was thus the new rock and the new Church where God dwells with man was now gaurantor of the promise, the precident being set in Isaiah.

***Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.*I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
(Isaiah 22:19-23)

I’ve not watch Fr. Barron’s sermon and just wanted to offer what I have always understood as what the Jews who were present would have understood based on their actual belief at the time.

-Tim-

 

[Goldrock]

In the last couple minutes he mentions his interpretation is not that of an infallible promise to the Church against the offensive nature of Satan but rather a call to action for the Church against worldly injustice and sin.

I have read somewhere that some Fathers and Doctors of the Church interpret the “gates of hell” as heresies. So this passage is indeed about the infallibility and indefectibility of the Church, as it is saying that heresies will not prevail against the Church.

 

[Nate13]

gates of Hades = powers of death and deception

 

[Nate13]

We should also look at passages in the book of Revelation to shed light on this passage:

Rev 1:18- Jesus talks about having the keys of death and Hades right after he is talking about how he died and then rose again. The keys signify power over death.
Rev 3:7 - References the key of David. Symbolizes the authority and power that Jesus has.
Rev 9:1- key of the shaft of the bottomless pit. This references the idea that the the temple was built on a stone that covered up a bottomless pit that led to Hades.
Rev 20:1-yet again we see the key to the bottomless pit i.e Hades. Hades = Sheol = the pit = purgatory. Hell = lake of fire. That passage should be translated as gates of Hades not gates of Hell. There is a difference.

In summary the key represents power over death as well as the authority of the House of David.