Is Peter The Rock The Church Is Built On, And Does That Make Him The Pope?

Catholics claim that since the name “Peter” means “rock,” and since Jesus said “upon this ‘rock’ I will build my church” in Matt 16:18, that means Peter is the singular foundation of the church, the Pope. Is that conclusion warranted?

First, notice “Peter” is the masculine form of the word “rock” (petros in the Greek) while the “rock” the church would be built on in Matt 16:18 is “petra” (feminine in the Greek). Why would Jesus switch the form of the word “rock” in the same sentence if He intended to name Peter as the rock the church was to be built on?

But even if he were naming Peter as the rock/foundation the church would be built on, that wouldn’t single out Peter because the same thing is said about all the apostles in Eph 2:20 – “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” A foundation is the rock a structure should be built upon (Matt 7:24-25), and so the church was built upon the rock of the apostles and prophets, that is, God’s revelation through them.

Jesus explains Peter role in the church in the very next verse (Matt 16:19) – “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,” and the exact same thing is said about all the apostles (not just Peter) in Matt 18:18 – “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” So Peter’s role is the same as the other apostles; it would be a mistake to elevate him above the rest. BTW, those two verses are not saying Peter and the rest of the apostles get to decide what’s right and wrong under the New Testament dispensation, but that God would reveal to them what He (God) had determined would be right and wrong; they (the apostles) would pass that new covenant law on via the Holy Spirit’s revelation through them (John 16:13).

So Peter is not the “rock” the church is built on anymore than any of the other New Testament prophets are the rock. God’s New Testament “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) was revealed on an equal basis through all of them. That’s makes them all the rock/foundation of the church together.

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