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Our Lord Jesus said, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hades [not the hell of the damned, but “the powers of death”] shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (St Matt. 16:18f).
The Calendar tells us that it is the Feast of St Peter and St Paul and the beginning of their Octave -- eight days of celebration. But except for the Second Collect, the Propers today are all about St Peter. And when we look at the work and witness of St Peter (as I intend to do) the first witness we must call is Holy Scripture. The question we must ask Holy Scripture is, “What is St Peter's role, and is it in any way different from the rest of the Apostles?” To-day’s Gospel is the ideal place to begin.
1. There can be no question that in addition to what the Apostles had in common, something sets St Peter apart and makes him unique. Discounting self-references (e.g. St Peter and St Paul naming themselves in their own Epistles), St Peter's name appears more often in the New Testament than any other Apostle, including St Paul. St Peter is always named first in the lists of the Apostles in the Gospels of St Matthew, St Mark and St Luke, and in St Luke’s Acts of the Apostles (Matt. 10:1-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:12-16; see also Acts 1:13), and this in spite of the fact that St Peter’s brother St Andrew was called before him (according to John 1:40-42). St Matthew’s Gospel even uses the word "first" to describe St Peter in his list. Sometimes the Apostles are simply referred to as "Simon/Peter and those who were with him" (Luke 9:32, Mark 1:36 & 16:7, Acts 2:14, 1 Cor. 15:5). He frequently acted as their spokesman (Matt. 16:13-16 & 17:24, Mark 8:27-29, Luke 12:41, John 6:67-69), and because of this he was the first publicly to proclaim the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-40). The Lord Jesus Himself says that it was His Father in heaven who directly revealed to St Peter that He is the Messiah (Matt. 16:17). Similarly it is by St Peter that the Lord brings about the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Church, a truly momentous event for us (Acts 10:9-48)! Clearly, then, Holy Scripture testifies that there is something different about St Peter and his role in the Church.
2. Let’s explore this difference. Who gave Simon Bar-Jonah, the fisherman, this unique place among the Twelve Apostles? The most obvious place to begin is with Simon's name. Our Lord changed it. In St Matthew 16:18 He said, "And I tell you [Simon], you are Peter [Petros/Rock], and on this rock [petra] I will build My Church [My Body, My Bride], and the gates of Hades [the powers of death and deception] shall not prevail against it." The unfailing Church of Jesus Christ, in other words, is built upon Simon the Rock/Peter. There is no indication that anyone else was ever called Rock/Peter before Our Lord changed Simon’s name. As God changed the names of the Patriarchs from Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5) and Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32:28), so our Lord changes Simon’s to Rock/Peter thus bestowing on him a new identity, the unique position as the Rock on which the Church is built.
By the way, some people find a problem here. The word Peter (Petros in Greek) is masculine in gender, and it is not exactly the same as the other word for rock (petra in Greek), which is feminine in gender. So maybe (some claim) the rock on which Jesus' Church is built is not Simon Peter, but Simon's confession of faith in Jesus, or perhaps Jesus Himself. But that argument doesn’t wash. The Petros/petra distinction is due to the fact that in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, the same word, “kepha”, would have been used in both places. But how can we know with certainty that Jesus was speaking Aramaic and not Greek when He renamed Simon? St John’s Gospel confirms it: "So you are Simon the Son of John?” our Lord says, “You shall be called “Kefas” [“Kefas” is “Kepha” in Greek letters]"(John 1:42). St John then explains to his readers, "[Kefas]…means Petros/Rock." So using the Aramaic term, St Matthew 16:18 reads, "And I tell you,” says our Lord, “you are Kepha, and upon this Kepha I will build My Church." No one denies that both St Peter's confession and Jesus are truly and legitimately called "rock", but Simon Peter himself is the primary rock, the foundation that Jesus is talking about in St Matthew 16:18.
3. A similar thing occurs in the next verse (St Matthew 16:19): Our Lord says to St Peter, "I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." "Binding and loosing" -- the authority to make binding decisions and to forgive sins -- is a gift of God later given to all the Apostles (Matt. 18:18), but St Peter alone is singled out for "the keys". He is their sole recipient. So something is common to all Apostles [“binding and loosing”], but something is unique to St Peter [“the keys”]. We must not equate St Matthew 16:19 with 18:18 where our Lord gives all the Apostles the power of binding and loosing.
The crucial point is what do “the keys” represent? “The keys" equal authority. Consider the words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18: "I died, but now I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." What does Jesus mean when He says He holds "the keys"? The explanation is in St Peter's sermon in Acts 2, when, on the Day of Pentecost, surrounded by the eleven Apostles, he stands and preaches for the first time, saying, "It was impossible for [Jesus] to be held by [death]” (Acts 2:24). In other words, Jesus holds "the keys" of death, but death does not hold Jesus. It is Jesus who has authority or rights over death.
Now if “the keys" represent authority, what kind of authority is Jesus conferring on St Peter in Matthew 16:19? Jesus gives St Peter “the keys" to a Kingdom. St Luke tells us that at the Last Supper our Lord said that as His Father had assigned a kingdom to Him, so He assigns a kingdom to them. But what kind of King is Jesus? Jesus is a King in the line of David (Luke 1:32); He is great David’s greater Son: the Angel Gabriel, no less, announces to our Lady that “the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His Father David”. So the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus speaks of is the restored Davidic Kingdom for all the world, both Jew and Gentile. Jesus possesses "the key" of David (Rev. 3:7), and it is within His authority as the true Davidic King to give authority [“the keys”] to St Peter, which He does in Matthew 16:19. This is in keeping with the Old Testament practice of kings in the line of David -- King Jesus reigns through His ministers.
Let me explain that. Like other kings in the ancient Middle East, kings in the Davidic dynasty kept what we would call a "cabinet of ministers (or stewards)." For example, one man might oversee the treasury, another the military, another stores of food. From among these, one would be authorized as the Chief, or Prime, minister (vizier, major-domo, chamberlain), to direct and co-ordinate the administration of the other ministers in the name and service of the king. Along with this office he received a robe, a throne, the title father, and the royal keys of the House/Dynasty of David. The Patriarch Joseph once served in a similar capacity in Egypt (Gen. 41:37-46). There is an interesting example of this Office in Jerusalem in Isaiah 22. Shebna, an unworthy "master of the palace" (Isa. 22:15), is being replaced by Eliakim. Eliakim, as the new Prime Minister, is "father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah," holding "the key" of the House of David, and what he "opened and shut" remained so (Isa. 22:20-24). Only the king himself outranked his Prime Minister in authority (Gen. 41:40). When the Prime Minister died, another succeeded to his position just as in secular government today.
We cannot ignore the historical and biblical significance of "the keys of the kingdom." "Keys" were given only to one man at a time, giving him not simply honour, but a particular authority, over the rest of the king's ministers. Jesus gives "the keys" of His Kingdom to St Peter alone among the Apostles; "the keys" are not mentioned in passages like Matthew 18:18 (“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth…) nor in St John 20:23 (“Receive the Holy Spirit…”). The Apostles, familiar with Isaiah’s narrative and with Israel's history, would have understood the imagery Jesus evoked. It need not have been any more explicit.
4. Jesus singled St Peter out on other occasions as well. At the Last Supper, in the midst of foretelling Peter's betrayal, Jesus gives St Peter a particular positive mission. "Simon, Simon, behold Satan demanded to have you [plural: “all you apostles”] that he might sift you [plural: “all you apostles”] like wheat, but I have prayed for thee [singular: Peter] that thy faith fail not; and do thou when once thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31-32). Though St Peter unfortunately denied knowing the Lord three times, he did turn again, repent and strengthened his brethren. How did he do that? St Luke tells us that in the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost St Peter stood up among the brethren and said that, according to Scripture, a successor to Judas' office must be appointed (Acts 1:15-22) so that the original number of Apostles would not be diminished. St Peter was also the first to command the baptism of Gentiles (Acts 10:46-48), an action that increased the number of Christians by leaps and bounds. As mentioned previously, St Paul, who, in his list of resurrection appearances, considered St Peter the first witness to the Resurrection, wrote, “He appeared to Kephas/Peter; then to the twelve” (1 Cor. 15:5). On the day of Pentecost St Peter was the first boldly to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and preach the Gospel publicly (Acts 2:14-40).
5. St Peter is again singled out by Jesus in St John 21:15-19. Jesus asked St Peter if he loved Him. St Peter responded that he did love Jesus. This exchange is repeated. Finally, Jesus asked St Peter a third time if he loved Him. and St Peter said that Jesus knew everything, and knew that he loved Him. Each time Jesus is giving St Peter the particular charge to shepherd [govern] and feed Jesus' sheep. St Peter's personal failures in faithfulness, clearly emphasized in this passage, do not seem to have any effect on Jesus' choice: He still wants to entrust St Peter with His entire flock, and only St Peter is given this direct instruction. Jesus' last words in all four Gospels are directed to St Peter alone: "Follow me!" -- apparently referring to the cross St Peter will share with Jesus when he is crucified in Rome.
To summarize then: of the Twelve Apostles (1) only St Peter received a new identity in the form of a new name from the Lord. (2) Only St Peter was the "Rock" on which Jesus promised to build His Church. (3) Only St Peter received the "keys" of prime ministerial authority from Jesus, an office that will be continued in his successors. (4) Only St Peter was charged by Jesus to strengthen his brethren. And (5) only St Peter was given the threefold charge of ‘feeding’ and ‘tending’ the lambs and sheep -- that is, shepherding/governing Jesus' flock. The language of St Peter's pre-eminence or primacy, in Scripture, is no mere "primacy of honour." St Peter is given crucial duties and responsibilities and authorized to carry them out. Jesus clearly makes St Peter a servant, leader, strengthener of the brethren, and unifier to all the Apostles and disciples—an Office that will continue as Bishops succeed the ministry of the Apostles who themselves made provision for this succession as St Clement of Rome tells the Corinthians when he wrote them a pastoral Letter about thirty years after St Peter’s martyrdom – a Letter that nearly ended up in the New Testament! As St Irenaeus (c 130-200), who knew St Polycarp, and who studied in Rome before going to Gaul, states, "It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own times, men who neither knew nor taught anything like what these heretics rave about" (Against Heresies 3:3:1 [A.D. 189]). In England the Archbishops of Canterbury who succeeded St Augustine (whom Pope St Gregory sent to convert the English) are recorded as Laurentius, Mellitus, Justus, Honorius, and so on. I was ordained deacon and priest by St Augustine’s 100th successor Archbishop Michael Ramsey. This then is the testimony of Holy Scripture and some of the early history about St Peter.
What does this five-fold testimony amount to? Well here is a quotation that to me sums it up.
Simon’s new name of Peter/Rock is:
“a title that designates [i.e., the name of an Office], a ministry Jesus confers on him, a divine election [by “My Father who is in heaven”, says Jesus], and [a] commission to which no one is entitled solely by virtue of his own character –- least of all Simon, who, if we are to judge by his natural character was anything but a rock. By nature he is that Peter who sinks into the waves when his faith fails; it is by the Lord and through the grace of the Lord that he is the rock on which the Church stands. We have grown accustomed to make a clear distinction between Peter the rock and Peter the denier of Christ –- the denier of Christ: that is Peter as he was before Easter; the rock: that is Peter as he was after Pentecost, the Peter of whom we have [sometimes] constructed an idealistic image. But in reality, he was at both times both of these.
“The pre-Easter Peter is already the Peter who, when many of the disciples were abandoning Jesus [because He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood or they had no life in them], spoke for those who remained faithful…who uttered the inexpressibly beautiful words: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and come to know, that Thou art the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69).
The post-Pentecost Peter, on the other hand, is that same Peter who, for fear of the Jewish party belied his Christian freedom [and in so doing rightly ticked off St Paul] (Gal 2:11-14): he is at once a rock and a stumbling-block. And has it not been thus throughout the history of the Church that the Pope, the successor of Peter, has been at once… both the Rock of God and the stumbling-block?” [Co-Workers of the Truth, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Ignatius, 1992]. That was written by the present 265th successor of St Peter, Benedict XVIth.
And it is true of us all -– again and again our pride is humbled when we realize that we can be both Rock and Satan/stumbling-block. As with St Peter, so we too have within us the most extreme opposites interwoven. Every Christian, knowing that he is very feeble, may by the grace of God profess a rock-like faith, but only as he depends on grace to sustain him, to bring him to repentance when he falls, and to start out again on the right road, no matter where that road leads. St Peter’s last road, an ancient tradition tells us, was back to Rome to be crucified upside down, because he said he deemed he was not worthy to be crucified as His Lord was. As a Roman citizen St Paul was beheaded at Aquae Salviae about three miles south of Rome and is buried nearby in the Church of St Paul Outside the Walls.
May both St Peter and St Paul, faithful apostles to the end, who shed their blood for Christ and for us that the Faith might continue, pray for us where now they live and reign with Christ in glory.
+Peter Wilkinson, OSG
Mr Steve Ray gave me permission to use his paper on the St Peter, June 2008.