The whole of the OT has relevance to the NT.
It has great relevance in the New Testament. Jews of the day would have known the scriptural significance in what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew chapter 6:18-18.
Yes. These words concerning the chief steward over the household of the Davidic King Hezekiah are very similar to the words and ideas used by Jesus when he addressed Peter, suggesting an imperfect Old Covenant foreshadowing of a perfect New Covenant reality, namely, that Davidic King Jesus intended to make Peter the chief steward over his household, the Church:
The earliest connection I could find at www.CCEL.org is in *An Inquiry Concerning Evangelical Churches *by John Owen (1616-1683), a Nonconformist Puritan. 2. Church-power, acted in its rule, is called “The keys of the kingdom of heaven,” by an expression derived from the keys that were a sign of office-power in the families of kings, Isa. xxii. 22; and it is used by our Saviour himself to denote the communication of church-power unto others, which is absolutely and universally vested in himself, under the name of “The key of David,” Rev. iii. 7; Matt. xvi. 19. (source) The marginal cross-reference “Isa. 22, 22” appears next to the entry “19. The keies,” in the Annotations section on Matthew XVI. in the 1635 Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible. (source, page 2146 / 2872)
Here are quite a few:Thanks, Todd977! You are a good researcher!
It looks like we see this being taught by the time of the Renaissance. The earliest you found was John Calvin refuting an association between Isaiah 22:22 and Matthew 16:19, but because he is writing it means that somebody must have been asserting a connection. Soon after that there are some writers referencing a connection.
Are there any writings associating the keys of Matthew 16:19 to governing power before the Middle Ages? Or is this the earliest that this connection was noted in writing?
Thank you. I see references to the keys of Matthew 16:19, but I don’t see any comparison of these keys to the power of the key of David in Isaiah 22:22 and Revelation 3:7. I guess I didn’t word my question well.
The only one I can find is St. John Cassian. This page has some info on it:
Homily on Our Lord
Aphraates - Demonstration 21
I found this…
Right on!The whole of the OT has relevance to the NT.
Seriously, though, yes it does. This is a Messianic prophecy which talks about the divine authority the Messiah would have, for only God himself has the ultimate authority to rule Israel, as well as the whole of humanity.
The key of the house of David upon his shoulder refers to one who has the authority to speak for the king. Jesus, being the scion King of the House of David passed that authority onto Peter. Jesus told his Apostles that they would have the authority to forgive or retain sins. The peg in a sure place refers to Jesus’ authority being sure and certain, which thus makes the authority of his Church the same. There’s more that can be drawn from this prophecy, but that’s it in a nutshell.
THANKS so very much!
Excellent Todd, THANKSYes. These words concerning the chief steward over the household of the Davidic King Hezekiah are very similar to the words and ideas used by Jesus when he addressed Peter, suggesting an imperfect Old Covenant foreshadowing of a perfect New Covenant reality, namely, that Davidic King Jesus intended to make Peter the chief steward over his household, the Church:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19)Key / Keys: Isaiah 22 has “the key of the house of David”; Matthew 16 has “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
Open and shut / Bind and loose: Isaiah 22 has “he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open”; Matthew 16 has “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Household-supporting peg (that would one day give way) / Church-supporting rock (against which the powers of death would not prevail): Isaiah 22 has “I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. And they will hang on him the whole weight of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a sure place will give way; and it will be cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”; Matthew 16 has “And I tell you, you are Peter, on this rock I will build my church. I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.”
The notion that Peter was to be the chief steward over Jesus’ Church is also supported by the exchange between Peter and Jesus in Luke 12eter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I tell you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. (Luke 12:41-46)And, in John 21:When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)
VERY GOOD!
Again … are you demoting our Lord and Savior [God] to a mere Steward?
You may want to disregard what Jesus said [a OT quotes less verbatim are widely accepted while this nearly verbatim quote from Isaiah is denied] - the Church does not and neither do I
What you see is Calvin refuting the the equating of Christ [the King\ with the King’s Representative and rightly so … Calvin then equates the holder of the keys with an office that resides lower than Christ in Matthew and uses Isaiah as the proof …Thanks, Todd977! You are a good researcher!
It looks like we see this being taught by the time of the Renaissance. The earliest you found was John Calvin refuting an association between Isaiah 22:22 and Matthew 16:19, but because he is writing it means that somebody must have been asserting a connection. Soon after that there are some writers referencing a connection.
Are there any writings associating the keys of Matthew 16:19 to governing power before the Middle Ages? Or is this the earliest that this connection was noted in writing?
Yeah… wow! That was impressive!Thanks, Todd977! You are a good researcher!
Susan,
Thank you. The article was helpful.
Happy to be of service
