# Peter and the rock

Whether Peter himself is the rock on which the church is built, and whether this grants a unique papal office, has divided Christians for centuries and continues to shape understandings of church authority.

Source: https://manybibles.app/articles/peter-and-the-rock — ManyBibles. Scripture is quoted from the New Consensus Bible, an AI rendering. The article is AI-generated from ManyBibles' records of how each tradition reads these passages; it describes their positions and does not rule between them.

## The passage (Scripture)

### Matthew 16:13-20

> [13] Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" [14] And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." [15] He says to them, "But you, who do you say that I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. [18] And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. [19] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven." [20] Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

Study the chapter: https://manybibles.app/study/matthew/16

## The question

Is Peter the rock on which the church is built, and does the papacy rest on this?

## Background (historical background)

Matthew 16:13–20 is set at Caesarea Philippi, a city associated with the shrine of Pan and with Herod Philip. Jesus asks his disciples about popular opinion and then their own confession. The Greek text records a wordplay between Petros (a masculine noun meaning 'stone') and petra (a feminine noun meaning 'rock'); many scholars think Jesus spoke Aramaic, where both would be kepha, so the distinction is not as sharp in the original language. The word Jesus uses for 'church' or 'assembly' (ekklesia) appears here for the first time in Matthew and only once more in the Gospels (Matthew 18:17). The phrase 'gates of Hades' and the binding/loosing language evoke Jewish idioms; 'bind' and 'loose' are rabbinic legal terms for prohibiting and permitting, and the 'keys' echo the steward's authority in Isaiah 22.

The passage has been received very differently. In the early centuries, patristic writers interpreted the 'rock' as Peter, as his confession, or as Christ himself; the claim that this text establishes a perpetual papal office of universal jurisdiction developed later, especially in Latin theology, and was defined by the First Vatican Council in 1870. The Reformation traditions rejected that reading, while Eastern churches had never accepted it. Modern historical scholarship asks whether verses 17–19 originated with Jesus or were shaped by the early community to ground Peter's authority.

## How the traditions read it (each tradition's interpretation)

### Catholic: Peter himself is the rock, and the keys establish his primacy.

The First Vatican Council defined that verses 18–19 confer on Peter a primacy of true and proper jurisdiction over the whole Church. The keys are read against the Davidic kingdom, especially Isaiah 22:22, where the key of the house of David is given to a steward who acts with the king's authority. Catholic tradition also preserves patristic readings that the rock is Peter's confession or Christ himself, but the Magisterium synthesizes these: the Church is built on Peter the person because of the faith he confessed. The binding and loosing authority is exercised in teaching, absolution, and governance, and is believed to continue in the pope as Peter's successor.

### Eastern Orthodox: The rock is the orthodox confession of faith, not Peter's person or a papal office.

Following Chrysostom and other Greek Fathers, Orthodoxy reads 'this rock' as the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Origen extends this: every believer who makes this confession becomes a rock. The keys and binding/loosing are understood as sacramental authority given to Peter as a representative of the apostles, and then equally to all the apostles (Matthew 18:18; John 20:23). This authority resides collegially in all bishops who maintain the orthodox faith, not in a single bishop with universal jurisdiction. The primacy of Peter is a primacy of honor, not of government.

### Oriental Orthodox: The rock is the unshakeable orthodox faith, not Peter's person.

Oriental Orthodox Fathers, including Cyril of Alexandria and Severus of Antioch, insist that 'this rock' is the orthodox confession of Christ's divinity, not Peter's individual person. The passage is read in light of Miaphysite Christology: Peter confesses the one who is both Son of Man and Son of the living God. The keys represent the authority of the priesthood to bind and loose sins, shared by all apostles and their successors who hold the orthodox faith, and not a papal prerogative.

### Anglican / Episcopal: The rock is Christ or Peter's confession; some hold a primacy of honor but not universal jurisdiction.

Reformation Anglicans such as John Jewel argued that the rock is Christ himself or the confession of faith, not Peter as an absolute monarch, and that the keys were granted to all the apostles for the preaching of the gospel. Richard Hooker situated binding and loosing within the church's broader ministry of spiritual discipline and absolution. Later Anglo-Catholics and ecumenical dialogues have explored a limited Petrine primacy of honor or service, but the tradition as a whole does not affirm papal jurisdiction. The keys are exercised by priests in absolution and by the church in discipline.

### Lutheran: The rock is the confession of Jesus as the Christ, and the keys belong to the whole church.

The Book of Concord, especially Melanchthon's Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, argues that Peter speaks as a representative of the entire apostolic assembly, so the keys are granted to the whole church, not to a singular bishop. The rock is the confession of faith, not Peter's person or an institutional office. The Office of the Keys, as taught in Luther's Small Catechism, is the peculiar church power given by Christ to forgive sins and administer discipline, exercised publicly by called ministers on behalf of the congregation.

### Reformed / Presbyterian: The rock is Christ himself, and the keys are the spiritual government of the church.

Calvin and the Reformed confessions read 'this rock' as the truth of Peter's confession—Christ himself—not Peter or a papal monarch. The keys of the kingdom are understood to establish the spiritual government of the church: the preaching of the gospel and the administration of church discipline by appointed officers. The Westminster Confession and Heidelberg Catechism identify these keys as opening and shutting the kingdom through declaring God's forgiveness to the penitent and applying censures to the impenitent. Authority resides in church courts, not a single vicar.

### Baptist: The rock is Christ, and the keys belong to the local gathered congregation.

Baptists historically argue that the rock is Christ or the substance of Peter's confession, not Peter's person. Direct revelation from the Father (v. 17) is the paradigm for regenerate church membership, and the keys of the kingdom are democratized to the local congregation. John Gill insists the rock is Christ, and John L. Dagg articulates that binding and loosing are exercised in congregational decisions about membership and discipline, not by a hierarchy.

### Methodist / Wesleyan / Holiness: The rock is Christ or Peter's confession, and the keys are for preaching and discipline.

John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes, interpreted the rock as either Christ himself or Peter's confession, firmly rejecting papal supremacy. The keys are understood as the authority to preach the gospel and exercise church discipline within the church. Wesley also used the chapter to warn against spiritual pride and to emphasize the daily practice of taking up the cross.

### Anabaptist / Mennonite: The keys are given to the local congregation; the rock is the confession or Christ.

Early Anabaptists like Balthasar Hubmaier argued that the authority to bind and loose belongs to the visible, local congregation of baptized believers, not a clerical hierarchy. This authority is exercised through communal discernment and church discipline to maintain a pure community. The confession of Christ is foundational, and cross-bearing is understood literally as nonresistance and willingness to suffer rather than inflict harm.

### Classical Trinitarian Pentecostal: The rock is the revelation of Jesus as the Christ, and the keys are delegated spiritual authority.

Pentecostal scholars like Stanley M. Horton interpret the rock as the divine revelation of Jesus Himself as the Christ, not Peter's person. The keys and binding/loosing are understood as the delegation of spiritual authority to the church for prayer, deliverance, and ministry. Believers actively 'bind' demonic influences and 'loose' healing and the Holy Spirit, seeing the promise about the gates of Hades as assurance of victory.

### Seventh-day Adventist: The rock is Christ, and the keys are the declarative authority of Scripture.

Adventists note the Greek distinction between Petros (a stone) and petra (bedrock) to argue the church is built solely upon Christ. Ellen G. White teaches that the keys of the kingdom are not ecclesiastical authority in a human hierarchy, but the words of Christ—the Holy Scriptures—which bind and loose by declaring the divine terms of salvation. The confrontation with Peter in vv. 22–23 is read as Satan's attempt to turn Jesus from the cross, part of the great controversy.

### Restorationist / Churches of Christ: The rock is the Good Confession of Jesus as the Christ, not Peter.

Alexander Campbell and others identified Peter's statement in verse 16 as 'the Good Confession,' the only necessary basis for fellowship. Commentators like J.W. McGarvey stress that the rock is not Peter but the truth Peter confessed. The future tense 'I will build' is used to argue the church did not yet exist in the Old Testament but was established later at Pentecost. The keys are not a hierarchy but the authority of the gospel message.

### Latter-day Saint: The rock is continuing revelation, and the keys are priesthood authority.

Latter-day Saints understand the rock as the principle of continuing divine revelation: a true witness of Christ comes only through the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith taught that the Church is built upon the rock of revelation. The keys of the kingdom are literal priesthood authority to govern the Church and administer ordinances, given to Peter, James, and John, and restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the latter days.

### Jehovah's Witnesses: The rock is Jesus Christ, and Peter is a piece of rock; the keys open the way to three groups.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the rock (petra) is Jesus Christ, while Peter (petros) is a mere 'piece of rock.' This rejects papal primacy. The keys of the kingdom are the privilege given to Peter to unlock the knowledge and opportunity for entering the heavenly kingdom to three groups: the Jews at Pentecost, the Samaritans shortly after, and the Gentiles starting with Cornelius. Peter's confession is also used to show Jesus is the Son of God, distinct from Jehovah.

### Jewish: Judaism does not read this as Scripture, but recognizes the rabbinic legal terms 'bind' and 'loose.'

Because Judaism does not recognize the New Testament as Scripture, this chapter has no classical rabbinic or normative theological reception. However, Jewish scholars note that 'bind' and 'loose' are direct translations of the rabbinic legal terms asar and hittir, used for prohibiting and permitting. The chapter is analyzed academically for its preservation of first-century Jewish idioms and the diverse sectarian landscape, not as a source of religious authority.

### Historical-critical scholarship: Scholars debate whether verses 17–19 go back to Jesus or reflect later Petrine authority.

Form critics like Rudolf Bultmann argued that verses 17–19 are a post-Easter creation to legitimize Peter's authority, while Oscar Cullmann suggested they may trace to an authentic post-resurrection tradition relocated to Jesus' ministry. Ulrich Luz emphasizes that the original Matthean community likely saw Peter as a foundational guarantor of Jesus tradition and halakhic teaching authority, not as a pope. The passage's Wirkungsgeschichte shows how later centuries transformed this into a doctrine of papal succession.

## The text and its translation (historical background)

The Greek distinction between Petros and petra is often invoked, but the underlying Aramaic likely used the same word (kepha) for both; ancient Syriac versions reflect this. No significant manuscript variant affects the key words, though 'assembly' (ekklesia) is sometimes translated 'church'.

## Common ground (AI explanation)

All Christian traditions that read Matthew 16 as Scripture agree that Peter's confession in verse 16 is a foundational act of faith and that verses 18–19 bestow some form of authority for the community. They agree that the 'keys' and binding/loosing involve the administration of teaching, forgiveness, or discipline, though they differ sharply on who holds that authority and whether it is tied to a single office.

## Why it matters (AI explanation)

The interpretation determines church structure: whether there is a supreme pontiff, conciliar or congregational authority, how forgiveness is administered, and how continuity with the apostles is understood. It has shaped relations between Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants, and continues to affect ecumenical dialogue and internal church governance.

## Questions people ask

### Is Peter the rock on which the church is built?

Catholic teaching holds that Peter himself is the rock and that the keys confer a primacy of jurisdiction, continued in the pope. Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions read “this rock” as Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, or as Christ himself, with authority held by all bishops or by the whole church. All traditions that read the passage agree that Peter's confession in verse 16 is a foundational act of faith.

### What do the keys of the kingdom and “binding and loosing” mean?

The article explains that “bind” and “loose” translate rabbinic legal terms for prohibiting and permitting, and that the keys echo the steward's authority in Isaiah 22:22. Traditions agree the keys involve teaching, forgiveness, or discipline, but differ on who holds them: a single office, all bishops, or the local congregation. Catholic and Orthodox readers connect them with sacramental absolution, while Reformation traditions place them mainly in preaching and church discipline.

### Does Matthew 16:18 prove that the papacy was instituted by Jesus?

The article notes that patristic writers read the rock as Peter, as his confession, or as Christ himself, and that the claim of a perpetual papal office of universal jurisdiction developed later in Latin theology and was defined by the First Vatican Council in 1870. Reformation traditions rejected that reading, and the Eastern churches had never accepted it. Historical scholars also debate whether verses 17–19 go back to Jesus or were shaped by the early community to ground Peter's authority.

### Does the Greek wordplay Petros and petra settle the question?

The text uses Petros for Peter and petra for rock, but many scholars think Jesus spoke Aramaic, where both would be kepha, so the distinction is less sharp in the original language; ancient Syriac versions reflect this. No significant manuscript variant affects the key words. The article treats the wordplay as one piece of evidence among several rather than as a settled answer.