AJTC - More on Peter

A couple tidbits on Peter before we get into the scriptures and all that jazz... According to Scott Hahn:

"There is absolutely no archeological evidence from antiquity for anybody having been named Peter before Simon. In other words, Jesus was taking a word that had never been used as far as all the many records we have are concerned, never was used to designate an individual person and Jesus gives that name, gives that word to Simon."(1)

Also, according to Stephen K Ray:

"In the Torah and in Jewish tradition, a name change meant a change in status. Abraham, the father of the Jews who received the covenant sign of circumcision, had his name changed by God from Abram meaning "father", to Abraham meaning the "father of nations" (Gen 17:1-5).(2)

Keep in mind this is not the only place this happens. A couple other examples would be when God changes Jacob to Israel, Eliakim to Jehoiakim, and Saul to Paul.

Just something I thought was interesting. Now... It is also interesting to find that Peter is generally listed first among the apostles(3), and is sometimes the only one even named among the apostles, such as when the woman with an issue of blood touched Christ's robe and the collective group of disciples is referred to as "Peter and they that were with him"(4).

It was Peter alone who showed enough faith to step out onto the water when Christ appeared to the disciples during a storm at sea (Matthew 14:28), it was Peter who spoke up on behalf of the disciples asking for clarification on Jesus' teaching (Matthew 15:15), it was Peter who first proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), and it was Peter to whom Christ gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19). And that's just in three chapters!

Peter was often the one that spoke up offering suggestions or, was recognized as taking a leadership role among the disciples(5). In Matthew 26:40, when the Peter and the sons of Zebedee had fallen asleep in the garden instead of helping Christ keep watch it was Peter alone that he held accountable.

In Matthew 17:24-25 it is Peter that the tax collector approaches for Jesus' tax. Peter is the spokesman for Jesus Christ.

It is Peter who is charged to "strengthen his brethren" in Luke 22:32.

After Jesus had risen, Peter and "that other disciple, whom Jesus loved" ran to the tomb. The other disciple arrived first, but waited for Peter and did not go in. After Peter came and entered the tomb, then the disciple who arrived first also entered (John 20:4-8). This is a very common sign of respect.

In John 21:15, in front of the apostles, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus "more than these," which refers to the other apostles and then three times charges him to "feed my sheep."

In Acts 1:15-26 Peter initiates the selection of a successor to Judas right after Jesus ascended into heaven, and no one questions him. Further, if the Church needed a successor to Judas, wouldn't it need one to Peter?

During the story of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-11), it was Peter who the took the offering, who had the administrative role, and who announced the consequence of death for "lying to the holy spirit."

In Acts 5:15 it says that "They brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid [them] on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them." It was not so that the disciples shadows could pass over them, but Peter specifically. It was also Peter who took told the poor beggar "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I will give you."

Simon recognized the authority of Peter when Peter cast judgment on him, and asked Peter to intercede to the Lord on his behalf so that "none of these things which ye have spoken come upon [him]" in Acts 8 17-24.

It was Peter who was given the vision from God telling him to admit gentiles into the Church (Acts 10:9-48), which could have been quite scandalous considering the relationship that Jews had with the gentiles. It was unlawful according to Peter who says in Acts 10:28 "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." But there was not even a disagreement among the apostles when they heard these things. In fact Acts 11:18 says that they "held their peace, and glorified God."

Later on, when the subject of circumcision came up and "there had been much disputing," Peter stood up to speak, and after he spoke "then all the multitude kept silence." Peter's stance on the issue ended the debate. There was no one who questioned him (Acts 15:7-12).

When Christ rose from the dead, it is said that he first appeared to Peter, then to the twelve, and then to about 500 people at once. (1 Corinthians 15:5-6)

According to Galatians 1:18-19 Paul spent fifteen days with Peter privately before beginning his ministry, even after Christ's revelation to Paul, but some of the other disciples he did not see at all with the exception of James.

In 1 Peter 5:1, Peter fulfills a leadership role by writing to the other elders of the Church, exhorting and encouraging them to "feed the flock of God."

And just to make sure I'm not merely being one-sided in the way I present this, let's check to see how often each of disciples are mentioned by name. (Yes, I know, some of them are not mentioned where they're not specifically named but we're just trying to get a ball-park figure here.) Peter was named 162 times, James (son of Zebedee) 21, John (the apostle) 36, Andrew 13, Philip 16, Nathanael/Bartholomew 10, Thomas 12, James (son of Alphaeus) 16, Thaddaeus/Lebbaeus 3, Simon (Zelotes) 4, and Judas 11. So, all the other apostles combined were named less than Peter. 142 times to be exact. Just something to think about.

ScriptureCatholic.com has some excellent points in their page entitled "The Church," some of which I have decided to include here.

2 Sam. 22:2-3, 32, 47; 23:3; Psalm 18:2,31,46; 19:4; 28:1; 42:9; 62:2,6,7; 89:26; 94:22; 144:1-2 - in these verses, God is also called "rock." Hence, from these verses, non-Catholics often argue that God, and not Peter, is the rock that Jesus is referring to in Matt. 16:18. This argument not only ignores the plain meaning of the applicable texts, but also assumes words used in Scripture can only have one meaning. This, of course, is not true. For example:

1 Cor. 3:11 - Jesus is called the only foundation of the Church, and yet in Eph. 2:20, the apostles are called the foundation of the Church. Similarly, in 1 Peter 2:25, Jesus is called the Shepherd of the flock, but in Acts 20:28, the apostles are called the shepherds of the flock. These verses show that there are multiple metaphors for the Church, and that words used by the inspired writers of Scripture can have various meanings. Catholics agree that God is the rock of the Church, but this does not mean He cannot confer this distinction upon Peter as well, to facilitate the unity He desires for the Church.

.....Matt. 16:17 - to further demonstrate that Jesus was speaking Aramaic, Jesus says Simon "Bar-Jona." The use of "Bar-Jona" proves that Jesus was speaking Aramaic. In Aramaic, "Bar" means son, and "Jonah" means John or dove (Holy Spirit). See Matt. 27:46 and Mark 15:34 which give another example of Jesus speaking Aramaic as He utters in rabbinical fashion the first verse of Psalm 22 declaring that He is the Christ, the Messiah. This shows that Jesus was indeed speaking Aramaic, as the Jewish people did at that time.

Matt. 16:18 - also, in quoting "on this rock," the Scriptures use the Greek construction "tautee tee" which means on "this" rock; on "this same" rock; or on "this very" rock. "Tautee tee" is a demonstrative construction in Greek, pointing to Peter, the subject of the sentence (and not his confession of faith as some non-Catholics argue) as the very rock on which Jesus builds His Church. The demonstrative (“tautee”) generally refers to its closest antecedent (“Petros”). Also, there is no place in Scripture where “faith” is equated with “rock.”

Matt. 16:18-19 - in addition, to argue that Jesus first blesses Peter for having received divine revelation from the Father, then diminishes him by calling him a small pebble, and then builds him up again by giving him the keys to the kingdom of heaven is entirely illogical, and a gross manipulation of the text to avoid the truth of Peter's leadership in the Church. This is a three-fold blessing of Peter - you are blessed, you are the rock on which I will build my Church, and you will receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven (not you are blessed for receiving Revelation, but you are still an insignificant little pebble, and yet I am going to give you the keys to the kingdom).

Matt. 16:18-19 – to further rebut the Protestant argument that Jesus was speaking about Peter’s confession of faith (not Peter himself) based on the revelation he received, the verses are clear that Jesus, after acknowledging Peter’s receipt of divine revelation, turns the whole discourse to the person of Peter: Blessed are “you” Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to “you,” and I tell “you,” “you” are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. I will give “you” the keys to the kingdom, and whatever “you” bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. Jesus’ whole discourse relates to the person of Peter, not his confession of faith.

Also, when Christ gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 16:19, he is believed to be quoting a well-known scripture, Isaiah 22:22, in which a transfer of authority and expectation of succession is give. But we'll cover that on another day.





1. Scott Hahn on the Papacy. Here.
2. From his book "Upon This Rock: St Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church. Here.
3. Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:16, Luke 6:14-16
4. Luke 8:45, Mark 1:36, Acts 2:37, 5:29
5. Matthew 17:4 & 24, 19:27,