Theologian in Training Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 (edited) And, I did decide to do it on St. Peter A couple of weeks ago we celebrated a very interesting feast known as the Chair of St. Peter. It is a feast that obviously does not reverence a chair, but what that chair stands for and is symbolic of, namely Peter’s authority and primacy as Pope. In fact, the Gospel of that day dealt with, what we, as Catholics, believe to be Peter’s commissioning by Jesus as Pope. Unfortunately, it is this same Gospel that causes much confusion with regard to just that. It is with this then that I want to introduce you to an apologetical understanding of this issue. [b]The layout[/b] In Matthew 16:13 and following, Jesus poses two questions to the disciples, who do people say He is and who do they say He is. Simon, not yet known as Peter, responding to the second question says: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus is obviously pleased with this answer and then does a few interesting things. First, He changes Simon's name, which in biblical terms, always signifies a change in status, a new mission, as it were. Second, Jesus gives Him keys, but not just any keys, keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which have a certain power attached to them, that is, the ability to bind and loose things in Heaven and on earth. [b]The challenge[/b] Some will argue, from the standpoint of translation that Jesus is merely referring to Simon Peter as a pebble and comparing him to the rock that is the Church. They do so by showing that Peter, translated from Greek (the language the Gospel of Matthew was written in) is "Petros," meaning rock against the Greek "petra" which means pebble, and therefore, Jesus was drawing a contrast between the two. Further, some will argue that the rock that is being referred to here, is Christ Himself. [b]The response[/b] In order to completely understand what is going on here, let us look specifically at those verses in Scripture 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." (Mt 16:18-19) While it is true that the Gospel of Matthew was translated into Greek, that was not the language Jesus and His disciples spoke, they spoke Aramaic. So, the issue of translation becomes quite difficult. First of all in the type of Greek during Matthew's day, the rendering of the words "Petros" and "petra," were seen to be synonymous. Furthermore, the Aramaic word for rock is "Kepha" and this is what the name Peter means as well. Therefore, Jesus was not contrasting the two, but rather making it clear that they were now one. This is why some bibles will translate this verse: "You are Rock and upon this rock I will build my Church." The difficulty is that in Greek, there is a masculine and feminine rendering of the words, which Aramaic does not have. So, the closest translation is Petros (the masculine) rather than petra (the feminine). Furthermore, as one apologist notes: "Aside from the single time that Abraham is called a "rock" (Hebrew: Tsur; Aramaic: Kepha) in Isaiah 51:1-2 in the Old Testament only God was called a rock. The word rock was not used as a proper name in the ancient world." [b]What Does It Mean?[/b] So, I am sure you are asking yourself why this matters and why you would ever need to know this. Truth of the matter is, it shows us that Christ did intend to commission and make Peter the head of the Church, the Pope as we have him today. Furthermore, during this commissioning he was given keys, and this is actually an important gesture, because, if you think about it, we personally would not let just anyone have keys to our car or house, rather, we have to know that they will use them and that those keys will be necessary for them, and we trust that they will take care of what those keys grant access to. When Jesus gives Peter the keys they are not keys to just anything, rather, they are keys to the kingdom. It is akin to the symbolic gesture of giving someone the keys to a city, since, in ancient times cities would be guarded and locked, it means they now have free entry in and out of that city and authority over it. Yet, Peter's key to the city is not just any city, it is the holy city, and along with the keys he is given power, specific power, to bind and loose, the power to forgive sins and to make disciplinary laws as he sees fit, which is given for here on earth and extends to heaven itself. And this authority, beginning with him is handed on to the bishops, who in turn delegate it to the priests. This is why, even today, the Pope is the head of the Church here on earth. [b]Scripture Passages[/b] Matthew 16:13-20 (The commissioning of Peter) Matthew 17:24-27 (Peter speaking on behalf of Christ) Mark 16:7 (Angel sent to announce the Resurrection to Peter) Luke 22:32 (Peter’s faith will strengthen others) Acts 2:14 (Led the Apostles in preaching at Pentecost) Acts 8:21 (excommunicated Simon Magnus) Acts 15:7 (Led the first council in Jerusalem) Acts 15:19 (Makes and pronounces the first dogmatic decision) 1 Peter 5:1 (Peter is presented as chief bishop and shepherd of the Church) Peter's name occurs 195 times in the New Testament, more than any other apostle [b]Book Recommendations[/b] If you are interested in some more resources about the Pope, where the Papacy developed, and other issues with regard to him, I recommend the following books: Patrick Madrid [i]Pope Fiction[/i] Stephen Ray [i]Upon This Rock[/i] Scott Butler [i]Jesus, Peter & the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy[/i] Edited February 28, 2007 by Theologian in Training Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N/A Gone Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 AWESOME!!! you recommend the steven ray book. Have you ever heard his lecture on the chair/rock/keys? I have it if you wanna borrow it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theologian in Training Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 [quote name='Revprodeji' post='1206050' date='Feb 28 2007, 10:26 PM']AWESOME!!! you recommend the steven ray book. Have you ever heard his lecture on the chair/rock/keys? I have it if you wanna borrow it.[/quote] No, I have not, but I would be interested...drop me a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessalonian Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 It's very good. I do think that the Is 22:22 passage is important in establishing succession of the office. Two things to note ni that passage. 1) Shebna was the steward in a long line of stewards. Also the use of the keys to denote succession and authority. I bought my house. When I did I got keys. They gave me control and access and authority over the house. I could delegate the keys to others, but the ultimate authority is mine. When I seel the house the interchange will be completed when I pass on the keys to the new owner. Just if you have a little room to add something. Other than that you have my approval. Not that you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffpugh Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Okay this is all good, but what if a protestant says they believe Peter just got the church started and there was no chair but a temporal authority or something to that extent? It sounds crazy but I am finding with Ecumenical Dialogue and Apologetics that many protestants find what we say way over their head. I was an Anglican up to roughly 13-14 and I don't remember ignorance in little details... anywho I'm going on a tangent that may or may not be relevant or understandable by people. Any way I could get help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessalonian Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 That issue is what my post is about. Succession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theologian in Training Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 [quote name='thessalonian' post='1206850' date='Mar 2 2007, 02:56 PM']It's very good. I do think that the Is 22:22 passage is important in establishing succession of the office. Two things to note ni that passage. 1) Shebna was the steward in a long line of stewards. Also the use of the keys to denote succession and authority. I bought my house. When I did I got keys. They gave me control and access and authority over the house. I could delegate the keys to others, but the ultimate authority is mine. When I seel the house the interchange will be completed when I pass on the keys to the new owner. Just if you have a little room to add something. Other than that you have my approval. Not that you need it.[/quote] Ah, you should have said something sooner. It has already been printed in the bulletin and translated... If anyone asks, I will bring it up individually with them... thanks and God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessalonian Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Sorry, with all the snow we've had, haven't been around much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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