What is meant by Matthew 16:18...and on this rock I will build my church?

At their first meeting, Christ authorize Simon that his name would thereafter be Peter, that translates as "Rock" (John 1:42). The startling thing was that—aside from the single all that Abraham is bellow a "rock" (Hebrew: Tsur; Aramaic: Kepha) in Isaiah 51:1-2—in the Old Testament exclusive God was called a rock. The comment rock was not control as a proper renown customary the antique world. If you were on turn to a companion and say, "From promptly over your name is Asparagus," people would wonder: Why Asparagus? What is the meaning connected with it? What go for it it signify? Indeed, motive call Simon the fisherman "Rock"? Christ was not parcel out to meaningless gestures, and none were the Jews as a whole when it came to names. Giving a new renown meant such the status of the individuality was changed, equally when Abram’s name was changed to Abraham (Gen.17:5), Jacob’s on Israel (Gen. 32:28), Eliakim’s on Joakim (2 Kgs. 23:34), or the names of the four Hebrew youths—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, also Azariah to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 1:6-7). But no Jew had regularly been bellow "Rock." The Jews would parcel out other names feed coming out of nature, comparable equally Deborah ("bee," Gen. 35:8), and Rachel ("ewe," Gen. 29:16), but forever "Rock." In the New Testament James and John were nicknamed Boanerges, meaning "Sons connected with Thunder," via Christ, but such was never regularly used customary place of their original names, and it dubiously was not given equally a new name. But in the scabbard of Simon-bar-Jonah, his new name Kephas (Greek: Petros) definitely replaced the old.

As Greek scholars—even non-Catholic ones—admit, the saying petros and petra were synonyms in primitive centennial
Greek. They meant "small stone" also "large rock" in unusual ancient Greek poetry, centuries before the time connected with Christ, but that distinction enjoy disappeared from the language via the all Matthew’s Gospel was rendered in Greek. The difference customary represent can exclusive be found in Attic Greek, but the New Testament was signed customary Koine Greek—an entirely different dialect. In Koine Greek, both petros and petra simply meant "rock." If Jesus had wanted to call Simon a small stone, the Greek lithos would have been used. The missionary’s argument didn’t work and showed a faulty knowledge of Greek. (For an Evangelical Protestant Greek scholar’s admission connected with this, see D. A. Carson, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984], Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., 8:368).

As you know, Aramaic was the lexicon Jesus also the apostles and integer the Jews in Palestine spoke. It was the common language of the place. most of the New Testament was signed in Greek, passing over not all. Many hold that Matthew was written in Aramaic—we know the indicated from register kept via Eusebius of Caesarea—but it was translated within Greek early on, perhaps via Matthew himself. In all scabbard the Aramaic original is lost (as are all the originals of the New Testament books), because all we have today is the Greek.

We experience that Jesus spoke Aramaic because unusual connected with his saying are perpetuate because us in the Gospels. Look at Matthew 27:46, point he make known coming out of the cross, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ That isn’t Greek; it’s Aramaic, and it means, ‘My God, my God, why enjoy you forsaken me?’

What’s more, customary Paul’s epistles—four occasion customary Galatians also four times in 1 Corinthians—we enjoy the Aramaic form of Simon’s new renown perpetuate because us. In our English Bibles it comes out as Cephas. That isn’t Greek. That’s a transliteration connected with the Aramaic comment Kepha (rendered as Kephas in its Hellenistic form).

And what does Kepha mean? It means a rock, the same as petra. (It doesn’t mean a limited grain or a pebble. What Jesus said to Simon in Matthew 16:18 was this: ‘You are Kepha, also over this kepha I will build my Church.’

When you understand what the Aramaic says, you show that Jesus was equating Simon and the rock; he wasn’t contrasting them. We show this vividly customary some coincident English translations, that supply the verse this way: ‘You are Rock, also upon this rock I will build my church.’ In French one word, pierre, has regularly been used both because Simon’s untrodden name also for the rock.

Beyond the grammatical evidence, the construction connected with the narrative go for it not allow for a downplaying of Peter’s office in the Church. Look on the way Matthew 16:15-19 is structured. After Peter gives a confession about the identity connected with Jesus, the Lord does the same in return because Peter. Jesus does not say, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and lineage enjoy not revealed the indicated to you, passing over my Father who is in heaven. And I authorize you, you are an significant pebble and on this rock I will build my Church. . . . I will parcel out you the code of the domain connected with heaven." Jesus is giving Peter a three-fold blessing, including the accomplishment connected with the keys to the kingdom, not undermining his authority. To say that Jesus is downplaying Peter sky out in the face of the context. Jesus is installing Peter as a form connected with ruling steward or prime minister governed the King of Kings by parcel out him the code to the kingdom. As can be seen customary Isaiah 22:22, majesty in the Old Testament appointed a chief steward on serve governed them in a position connected with great authority to rule over the inhabitants of the kingdom. Jesus quotes around verbatum coming out of the indicated traverse customary Isaiah, also so it is crystal what he has in mind. He is set Peter up equally a father cipher on the home connected with sureness (Is. 22:21), to lead them and show the flock (John 21:15-17). This authority connected with the prime minister under the king was authorize on from precise man to added down through the anicular via the giving of the keys, which were worn on the shoulder as a sign of authority. Likewise, the pizzazz of Peter has been authorize down because 2000 youth by fashion of the papacy.

There is ample evidence in the New Testament that Peter was first customary authority mid the apostles. Whenever they were named, Peter headed the list (Matt. 10:1-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, Acts 1:13); ever and again the apostles were incorporate to as "Peter also the particular
who were with him" (Luke 9:32). Peter was the one who generally spoke for the apostles (Matt. 18:21, Mark 8:29, Luke 12:41, John 6:68-69), and he figured in many of the almost dramatic scenes (Matt. 14:28-32, Matt. 17:24-27, Mark 10:23-28). On Pentecost it was Peter who first blow to the crowds (Acts 2:14-40), and he worked the primitive healing in the Church anicular (Acts 3:6-7). It is Peter’s sureness that will strengthen his sister (Luke 22:32) and Peter is given Christ’s gathering on teacher (John 21:17). An angel was sent on announce the resurrection on Peter (Mark 16:7), also the risen Christ primitive appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34). He headed the meeting that named Matthias on restore Judas (Acts 1:13-26), and he received the first converts (Acts 2:41). He inflicted the first punishment (Acts 5:1-11), and excommunicated the first heretic (Acts 8:18-23). He led the primitive powwow in Jerusalem (Acts 15), also make known the first dogmatic decision (Acts 15:7-11). It was to Peter that the revelation develop that Gentiles were to be term and accepted equally Christians (Acts 10:46-48).