Confession of Peter
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The Confession of Peter is a statement made by Saint Peter the Apostle in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30, and Luke 9:18–20, in which he emphatically acknowledged Jesus as the "Messiah" or "Christ" (meaning the Anointed One).
The Confession of Peter is also the name of a liturgical feastday celebrated by some Christian churches.
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[edit] According to the Gospels
The Gospel of Matthew gives the most complete narrative of the events upon the arrival of Jesus on the coast of Caesarea Philippi. More truncated versions of the story are told in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.
Jesus asked his disciples: Whom do men say that I (the Son of man) am? The disciples varied in their answers, claiming that Christ was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.[1]
Then Jesus asked them: But whom say ye that I am? Only Simon Peter answered Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.[2]
Matthew alone recounts that Jesus blessed Peter, stating:
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell 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.[3]
All three of the Synoptics end the account with Jesus telling the disciples not to reveal that he was the Messiah to anyone.[4]
[edit] Theological interpretation and context
[edit] Interpretations and meanings
This passage can be seen in several contexts. For one, it could be argued that the diciples did not yet know who Jesus really was. Even though they walked with him and believed in his teachings they did not understand at this time that Jesus was the Christ. This theory is supported by other biblical verses. Matthew 8:23-27 is such a passage. When Jesus rebuked the sea and waves, it is written that the diciples were amazed and said, What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him? (verse 27). At this point, they did not know that the living God himself was present among them.
Saint Peter displays tremendous insight given by the Holy Spirit, and Jesus tells him that this insight was given to him by God, not from man. Immediately following these passages, Jesus explains what sufferings and travails the Messiah has to go through. Peter objects to this, and Jesus admonishes him, saying that Peter can only keep his mind on earthly things.
[edit] "Upon this rock I will build my church"
In the Roman Catholic Church, Jesus' words, "upon this rock I will build my church" are interpreted as the foundation of the doctrine of the papacy, whereby the Church of Christ is founded upon Peter and his successors, the Bishops of Rome. Jesus' next statement, "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." are interpreted as the foundation of the doctrine of papal infallibility.
The Eastern Orthodox Church interprets the verse differently and disagree with the Roman Catholics with regard to the language He was speaking and therefore affecting the meaning. The Roman Catholics believe he was speaking Aramiac, where there would be no distinction in gender. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that the "rock" Christ refers to is not the person of Peter, but the faith of Peter (the Greek construction, παύτη τη πέτρα, uses the feminine demonstrative pronoun and article; Jesus would have used the masculine if he were referring to Peter's person)[5]. They see Jesus' words, "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" as simply bestowing first upon Peter what was later bestowed upon all of the Apostles collectively (John 21:23, cf. Matthew 28:18). Orthodox see Peter's immediate fall into error, when he opposes the suffering Messiah and is rebuked by Jesus (Matthew 16:21-23), as proof of Peter's fallibility. The Orthodox believe in the infallibility of the Church as a whole, but that any individual, regardless of their position can be subject to error or even heresy in their teaching.
[edit] Annual commemorations
[edit] Liturgical commemorations
The Catholic Church prior to the Second Vatican Council liturgical reforms celebrated the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter on January 18th. Since the liturgical reforms the feast is celebrated on February 22. The Catholic Church never celebrated a feast under the title of the "Confession of Peter."
In the Anglican, and Lutheran churches the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is celebrated as the Feast of the Confession of Peter on 18 January. The name of the feast was changed from the Chair of St. Peter as that title emphasises the role of St. Peter as the first pope and his universal authority over the Christian Church by virtue of the Keys.
[edit] Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The Confession of Peter is the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, is actually an octave rather than a week and was originally known as the Octave of Christian Unity. It is an international Christian ecumenical observance that began in 1908. It spans from 18 January to 25 January (the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul).
This date is observed in remembrance of how Saint Peter the Apostle was impelled by Divine grace to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, and is a date when current Christians acknowledge Jesus as Lord, God and Saviour.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:28; Luke 9:19 (KJV).
- ^ Matthew 16:15-16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20 (KJV).
- ^ Matthew 16:18-19 (KJV)
- ^ Matthew 16:20, Mark 8:30 (KJV).
- ^ (1999) The Orthodox New Testament, Vol. I: The Holy Gospels. Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 105. ISBN 0-944359-13-2.
