The Servant of the Servants of God

Certainly among the most controverted doctrines of Christianity are those involving the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ, the Servant of the Servants of God, his holiness, the pope. Talks of ecumenism are today healing centuries old wounds, yet the papacy almost always serves as a major stumbling block. This is of course, quite understandable. If the Catholic position is untrue, the pope is surely the most presumptuous man alive. To claim absolute authority to rule in the name of Christ when no such authority exists is tantamount to blasphemy. And, as if that weren't enough, consider how thick the "lies" are laid on by the New York Catechism, as snickeringly quoted by Greg Litmer of the Church of Christ in his anti-Catholic magazine Catholicism Examined: "The pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth...by divine right the pope has supreme and full power in faith and morals over each and every pastor in his flock. He is the true Vicar of Christ, the head of the entire Church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author and judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one (and here's the kicker!) God himself on earth."

Such a claim cannot be ignored. If the claim is true, then the Christian is honor bound to consider what his relationship with the pope must be. Should the claim be found false, then the pope must be exposed for what he is. The Reformers of the sixteenth century did not hesitate to announce that the pope was the Anti-Christ, and that the Church that Christ founded had become Revelation's dreaded Whore of Babylon. Today, many who deny the pope's authority are honest and charitable enough to recognize how ludicrous the above claim is. Yet, many are not. Search the writings of many of today's Evangelical anti-Catholics, such as Dave Hunt, James G. McCarthy, and Greg Litmer, and one finds the same accusations of diabolical papal connections. Arguments which have been answered and destroyed infinite times rise forth again, claiming as victim any Catholic who is unfamiliar with the answers.

 The Challenge

After masterfully tearing apart the papacy using arguments which Protestant scholars have abandoned for the better part of a century, apostate Catholic author James McCarthy offers this challenge: "But certainly, if it were God's intention that the Roman Catholic Pope and bishops were to rule over the Church, God would have made that fact clear in the Scriptures. Since this clearly is not the case, we must conclude that the power of the Pope and bishops does not come from God." To the average Catholic, something along these lines probably comes to mind: "But, wait! Isn't there something about...I don't know. A Church on some rocks or something?" Then, the fallacy of that reasoning hits the Catholic, and he falls victim to the war of the anti-Catholic, armed with his free will and the Word of God, against the ignorant Romanist, with his Magic God-Bread and happy little rosary beads. However, as smug as the anti-Catholic may be, a closer examination of the "Church on some rocks or something" passage uncovers the full doctrine of the papacy directly from the lips of Jesus himself. Matthew 16 is a passage rich with symbolism. When one deciphers the symbolism, one finds right there in the Bible the papacy.

  A Church on Some Rocks or Something: Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of to 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."

Caesarea Philippi is the setting for these very important words of Jesus. This is a place featuring an enormous wall of rock. From this are flows the Jordan River. High on the rock is a sanctuary for the god Pan. Sacrifices to Pan were thrown into a pit at Caesarea Philippi, once thought to be bottomless, known as the gates of the netherworld or the jaws of death. Caesarea Phillip was an evil place, home to the darkest powers of Satan. Surely, the demons must have shuddered as this most unwelcome guest, Our Lord, arrived. Approaching the rock of Pan, Jesus paused to inquire of his apostles what his public image was; his approval rating, if you will. The answer is one of confusion. Some have confused Jesus with St. John the Baptist. Others have confused him with the prophets Elijah and Jeremiah, both of whom ancient Jews and the Church Fathers expected to return to the earth before the Day of Wrath. Jesus is satisfied to allow the general public to remain in confusion for the time being, but he is prepared to reveal his identity to his apostles, who are, indeed, the primitive Church. To this primitive Church, Our Lord asks, "Who do you say that I am?"(v.15)

"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (V.16 KJV) While the apostles may have suspected that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (Christ/Anointed One) of the prophets, they did not know for a fact until it was revealed to them. How did Simon know? Let Our Lord answer this question.

"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." The most fundamental truth of the Christian faith was revealed to the Church by a revelation of God to Simon. Though Our Lord was standing among them, he did not teach them himself, but let Simon, guided by the Spirit of God, teach in his place with his authority. Here is Simon, in the presence of God, speaking for God while God remains silent. The word ‘vicar' certainly comes to mind.

 Sticks and Stones...

After Jesus revealed his identity to his apostles through Simon, he pronounced a unique blessing on him. "And so I say to you, you are Peter." (V.18) Christ chose to rename Simon Peter or Cephas, which means "the rock." What Jesus literally said was "You are the rock." It is very likely that no man had ever been named Rock before. Since Jesus, the Son of God and God the Son, chose to take the time to change Simon's name to one which had never been used before, there must be some significance to the event. The name Rock is symbolic to be sure, but of what? In calling Simon the Rock, the Lord did him a great honor. Had it not been recently revealed to him just who Jesus was, Simon may have justifiably thought his Master to be a blasphemer. If Jesus were not God Incarnate, he would have no right to give the title Rock to Simon, for in so doing he was comparing Simon to God himself. All throughout the Old Testament, the imagery of the Lord as Rock abounds. "Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God! The Rock--how faultless are his deeds!" (Deuteronomy 32:4) "Of me the Rock of Israel said, ‘He that rules over men in justice...is like the morning light." (2 Samuel 23:3) "Come let us sing joyfully to the LORD; cry out with joy to the Rock of our salvation!" (Psalm 95:1)

Here at Caesarea Philippi, the rock of Pan and the gates of the netherworld, God the Son, the Rock of Israel, the Rock of salvation, the faultless Rock, by his own divine right, bestows on Simon the highest of titles. Simon is the Rock. Anti-Catholics harshly criticize the Church for giving to a mere human being the metaphorical title "God himself on earth." They contend that it is blasphemous to grant to a man the authority to speak and rule in God's place. But it was not the Church who first did this. It was God himself, in the presence of the primitive Church and the dark powers of Satan, who gave to Simon what is in essence the title of "God on earth." The conclusion is unavoidable. The Ancient of Days, the Rock of Israel, grants his authority to Simon, the Rock of the New Israel. If Simon Peter is not the Vicar of Christ, that is, one who rules under Christ and in Christ's stead, then he is not the Rock. Jesus dismisses that possibility, however with his words, "Blessed are you Simon...You are the Rock."

There is a second treasure of truth to be found in the title of Rock. When God was preparing to form his first qahal (Hebrew:chosen,called out), the first Israel, he also gave to a man his own divine title. The prophet Isaiah instructs the people of Israel: "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, to the pit from which you were quarried; look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When he was but one I called him, I blessed him and made him many." Abram, chosen by God, became Abraham, the Rock and Patriarch of the first Israel. Christ, the omnipotent God of all creation, chose Simon for his new qahal (Greek, ekklesia) to become Peter, the Rock and Patriarch of the second Israel, the Church. Just as Abraham the Rock is the beginning of the Hebrew people, to whom they cry out "Father Abraham!", so Peter the Rock is the beginning of the Christian people to whom we cry out "Father Peter!" (Or, to be more precise Abba Abraham! Papa Peter!) The role of Peter, like Abraham, as the foundation of God's people is made clearer in the next phrase of Christ.

 The Wise Man Built His House...

"You are Peter," begins Jesus. "And upon this rock I will build my Church." (V.18) Having just gone through the trouble of changing Simon's name to Rock, Jesus promises that he will build his Church upon this rock. Protestants go to all lengths to find an explanation other than the obvious one: St. Peter is the foundation of the called out, chosen people of God.

One common tactic is to focus on the difference in words for "rock" in the "original" Greek. Author Robert Harkrider, in his workbook Examining Popular Doctrines explains this long defunct argument: "The words Peter and rock are translated from two different Greek words. This fact alone should settle the issue! Peter in Greek is petros and usually means a detached stone which can be tossed. Rock in Greek is petra and usually means a mass of stone, a cliff, or ledge of rock. The rock on which the Church is built is the fact that Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God.' (Matt. 16:16)" It is then often concluded that Jesus was calling Simon a pebble, but on the great rock of faith the Church would be built.

Does this fact alone settle the issue, as Mr. Harkrider triumphantly proclaims? First of all, consider the absurdity of the notion that Christ was insulting Simon by calling him a small pebble. "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah! You are an insignificant little pebble!" What kind of blessing is that?

Secondly, the difference in meaning of the Greek words is deceptive. In classical Greek poetry, petros was used for small stone, as opposed to petra for a large mass of rock. But this difference had passed from usage centuries earlier. By Christ's time, the two words meant the same, while the word lithos was used for a small stone.

Thirdly, the difference in the "original" Greek is irrelevant. Greek is not the original language. Our Lord spoke Aramaic, and early testimony offers evidence that the Gospel of Matthew was also composed in Aramaic. In the Aramaic language, no difference occurs. "You are kepha, and upon this kepha I will build my Church." This is evidenced by the account of the same event in John 1:42. "You are Simon the son of John, you will be called Kephas." Indeed, this slight difference in Greek words, a fact which "alone should settle the issue," is absolutely irrelevant.

Honest Protestant scholars admit as much. Consider this excerpt from the Zondervan NIV Commentary: "[M]any have attempted to avoid Peter as the rock on which Jesus builds his Church yet if it were not for Protestant reactions against extremes of Roman Catholic interpretations (sic), it is doubtful whether many would have taken ‘rock' to be anything or anyone other than Peter."

Just as the first Israel was built upon Abraham the Rock, the second Israel, the Church, was built upon Peter the Rock. St. Peter is the Patriarch and foundation of our faith as Christians. It is undeniable, then, that Peter was the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, the Servant of the Servants of God. What remains to be demonstrated is the permanency of the office.

Our Lord continued to reveal more about his Church to St. Peter. "I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (v. 18) The phrase "gates of the netherworld" in the NAB is variously translated: "gates of Hades" (NIV), "gates of Hell" (KJV), "powers of death" (RSV), and "gates of the underworld" (JB). Some have argued that this phrase simply means that those who live faithfully as saved members of Christ's Church, most often with an invisible idea of what the Church is, shall never have to fear death. They deny that the phrase is speaking about the powers of Satan and evil. This interpretation, while at face value quite plausible, fails to take into consideration the setting. Caesarea Philippi was an evil place. One of the prominent features of this place was a ‘bottomless" pit into which sacrifices were thrown to Pan and other evil spirits. This pit was called the gate of the netherworld, and it represented pure, sick, unadulterated evil in its blackest form. Those evil powers, promises Our Lord, will never overcome his Church. This is the basic definition of the Church's infallibility. The Church, says Christ, will never be allowed to fall away into apostasy. It shall always be a bastion of God's truth among the evil powers in the world. Notice the intimate connection between this guarantee and St. Peter. All three of the last promises were in the same sentence, building on one another. "You are the Rock, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

The promise of the Church's everlasting commitment to truth is connected to its being built on the Rock. This raises an important question. If St. Peter, the Patriarch of the Church and the Vicar of Christ died, how does the Church remain infallible? The Church is protected from the powers of evil, but only because of the Rock. A Church which continues into perpetuity requires a Rock which does the same. Abraham was not the last leader of the first Israel. He was succeeded Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the Judges, the Kings, and the High Priests. Is there anyone to succeed St. Peter?

 The Major Domo of the Kingdom

Christ's next words to Peter conjure up the quaint image of the saint checking people in at the gate to heaven. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Of course, the Kingdom of Heaven is not limited to the geographical place of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven, which is the Kingdom of God, is present on the earth in the form of his holy Church. The Kingdom of God on earth under the Old Covenant was ruled by a monarch of the house of David. The same holds true for the Kingdom under the New Covenant. Jesus Christ, born of the house of David, is the monarch of the Kingdom under the New Covenant. While the Kingdom was once limited to the land of Israel and Judah, the Kingdom is now bound by no limitations. The Kingdom encompasses Heaven, Purgatory, all the nations of the earth, every man, woman, and child, even our own inner thoughts. The Kingdom of God is not just among us, it is within us as well. The jurisdiction of the King, Our Lord, is absolutely universal. It is truly a Catholic Church.

The keys which Jesus gave to St. Peter are a symbol of authority. Few deny that, but rather they argue over exactly what type of authority it was. However, such an argument is unnecessary. The phrase "keys of the kingdom" identifies exactly what the nature of the authority was. The key to uncovering the mystery, if you'll excuse the pun, can be found in Isaiah 22. In the nation of Judah, a man named Shebna held the position of chancellor, major domo, or "master of the palace." (22:15) This position was one of second in command under the King. The chancellor would rule in place of the King, with the full authority of the King. Shebna was a disgrace to the high office, and so the Lord cast him our, raising up in his place Eliakim. "On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give him over to your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family; on him shall hang all the glory of his family: descendants and offspring, all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs." (V. 20-24)

The Kingdom of God is the House of David, which is the result of an oath the Lord made to King David. The keys of the Kingdom belong to one who rules in the place of the King, as a Vicar. Such an office is passed down to whomever God chooses. Just as Eliakim and his successors were fathers to the first Jerusalem, St. Peter and his successors are fathers to the New Jerusalem, the Church. In the Old Covenant Kingdom, God passed down the keys through heredity until he found the bearer unworthy. In the New Covenant Kingdom, the Church, God has ruled through the Church to pass the keys down to Peter's successors who lead the church at Rome.

It has already been established that the Rock foundation is necessary to safeguard the Church in perpetuity. Through the passing down of the keys to the bishops of Rome, that safeguard remains firm. For that reason, St. Paul may rightfully speak of "the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth."

 Early Papal Testimony

The knowledge that the Church was ruled, under Christ and in his stead, by an earthly head seated at Rome was held from the earliest times. The third successor of St. Peter, Pope Clement I, wrote an epistle c. 96 AD to the church in Corinth, in which his authority is apparent. He writes to Corinth, "But if some be disobedient to the words which have been spoken by (Christ) through us, let them know that they will entangle themselves in transgression and no little danger...So you will afford us great joy and happiness if you are obedient to what we have written through the Holy Spirit."

  Eusebius of Caesarea testifies that he has "evidence that in many churches this epistle was read aloud to the assembled worshipers in early days, as it is in our own."

St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 107 AD) describes the church at Rome as "worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in its holiness, and presiding in love." The common Protestant notion that the papacy was a later corruption of the fourth or fifth century does not stand the test of either scripture or history.

An Admonition

How shall we Christians, wrought by centuries of disunity, ever be one as Christ prayed? St. Irenaeus of Lyons c. 182 AD offers his advice: "For it is a matter of necessity that every church should agree with this church (of Rome), on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolic tradition has been preserved continuously by those (faithful men) who exist everywhere...In this order, and by succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of truth have come down to us. This is a most complete proof of the unity and identity of the life-giving faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now and handed down in truth."

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock." Matthew 7:24

Further Reading:

Surprised By Truth, Patrick Madrid, ed.
Jesus, Peter, and the Keys by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren, and David Hess
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating
The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy
Catholicism Examined by Greg Litmer
And On This Rock by Stanley Jaki
Examining Popular Doctrines by Robert Harkrider

February 10, 1998
Feast of St. Scholastica