Living Stones

[Gregorian12]

"Come to Him, that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen to be precious: and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.” -1 Peter 2 4-6 (RSV-CE)

How do I counter the Protestant claim that this passage proves Peter thought of himself as just a pebble like all other Christians and not the rock on which Jesus built His Church?

I know all the arguements to defend Matt. 16, but I’m at a loss here. Any help?

 

[Mintaka]

Argh argh argh argh. Exactly wrong.

The whole point of “living stone” and other such analogies was that Jesus, the cornerstone of the Temple that the builders rejected, was a stone “not made with hands.” Peter is saying that we are also become stones “not made by human hands” – ie, blocks in Ezekiel’s prophesied eternal Temple. Christ has made us into Christs.

Ezekiel and the prophets did not describe anybody building an ideal Temple out of pebbles.

So yeah, anybody arguing this is a Biblical illiterate.

Now, a lot of patristic authors argued that there was a direct relationship between Christ as the Rock and Christ making Peter the Rock, just as there’s a direct relationship between Jesus in Revelation holding “the keys of death and hell” and his giving the keys of the prime ministership to Peter. Peter is Jesus’ vicar. He stands in Jesus’ place as a little Christ. He is more so than other disciples, and that is important; but just like everything said to Mary, everything said to Peter foreshadows the glory (lesser but still awesome) that ordinary believers will have in the Resurrection. To rip on Peter’s privileges in this way is to rip on the privileges of all the Apostles, but also of all believers.

So people who argue this way with you are arguing against their own hope of awesome eternal life. Sad.

Not made with hands: Something made by God. Also, the opposite of an idol, which is made by human hands. Bible references: Pretty much anything dealing with the “Messianic Temple” (like Ezekiel); but here are specific stone references:

Ps. 118:22; Isaiah 28 (the foundation stone laid); Daniel 2:34; Mk. 14:58; Acts 7:48; Acts 17:24; Col. 2:11; Heb. 9:11; Heb. 9:24; 2 Cor. 5:1; and a whole bunch of 1 Peter.

You can also link it to some of the Revelation stuff, where the saints become pillars in the eternal Temple. People do receive a small pebble in that one – a calculus, or in Greek, psephos.

 

[MarcoPolo]

How do I counter the Protestant claim that this passage proves Peter thought of himself as just a pebble

1 Peter 2:4 calls Jesus “that living stone.” The word there for stone is lithos. Then 1 Peter 2:5 goes on to call all Christians lithos. (see this page) By the Protestant’s logic, they would then have to conclude Jesus is nothing special either. Rather, Peter’s point here is a reference to the royal priesthood of all believers, something they share with Christ. Peter is included in that priesthood as well. The subject matter has nothing to do with the apostolic office referenced in Matthew 16:18.

And of course, in Matt 16:18, the word lithos isn’t there either. It’s petra, a term for a larger rock.

 

[Mintaka]

Yes, yes. A lithos is a big stone block for building, not a pebble. (And if your questioner has ever seen the HUGE blocks that make up the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, or the size a cornerstone is, he’ll quit talking pebbles.)

 

[DavidFilmer]

This passage integrates with Eph 2:20:

[the Church is] built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone

Protestants like to focus on the second part of that passage (which presents nothing contrary to Catholic doctrine, of course) but completely neglect the first part.

It’s not a question of Jesus OR the Apostles - it is Jesus AND the Apostles. And, of the Apostles, one of them was given the name which means “rock.”