View source for Religion:Confession of Peter

{{short description|Episode in the New Testament in which the Apostle Peter proclaims Jesus to be the Christ}}
[[File:Peter proclaims Jesus.jpg|thumb|[[Engineering:Stained glass|Stained glass]] window of the ''Confession of Peter'' in Luke 9:20: "''But who do you say that I am''?" Peter answered: "''The Christ of God''".<ref name=Kingsbury >''Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology'' by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 {{ISBN|0-664-25752-6}} page xvi</ref>]]

In [[Religion:Christianity|Christianity]], the '''Confession of Peter''' (translated from the Matthean [[Religion:Vulgate|Vulgate]] Latin section title: ''Confessio Petri'') refers to an episode in the [[Religion:New Testament|New Testament]] in which the Apostle Peter proclaims [[Biography:Jesus|Jesus]] to be the [[Religion:Christ (title)|Christ]] (Jewish Messiah). The proclamation is described in the three [[Religion:Synoptic Gospels|Synoptic Gospels]]: Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–21.<ref name=Kingsbury /><ref name=Karris >''The Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament'' by Robert J. Karris 1992 {{ISBN|0-8146-2211-9}} pages 885-886</ref> Depending on which gospel one reads, Peter either says: 'You are the Messiah' or 'the Christ' (Mark 8:29); or 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God',<ref name=Kingsbury /> (Matthew 16:16), or 'God's Messiah' or 'The Christ of God' (Luke 9:20).<ref>Note that some translations add a few words to Luke's version, namely 'You are' and 'sent from [God]' or 'whom [God] has sent'. Similar to the other gospels, some translations render Χριστὸν as 'Anointed One' rather than 'the Christ' or 'the Messiah'. {{Cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/luke/9-20.htm |title=Luke 9:20 |work=Biblehub.com |date=2011 |accessdate=8 January 2021}}</ref>

The proclamation of Jesus as Christ is fundamental to [[Religion:Christology|Christology]]; the Confession of Peter and Jesus' acceptance of the title "Messiah" form a definitive statement in the New Testament narrative regarding the person of Jesus Christ.<ref name=Rudolf7 /><ref name=Yueh /> In this New Testament narrative, Jesus not only accepts the titles Christ and ''[[Religion:Son of God|Son of God]]'', but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his [[Religion:God the Father|Father in Heaven]] had revealed it to Peter, unequivocally declaring himself to be both Christ and the Son of God.<ref name=Yueh />

In the same passage Jesus also selects Peter as the leader of the [[Religion:Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]], and states: "Upon this rock I will build my church." Most Christian denominations agree that the statement applies to Peter, but they diverge on their interpretations of what happens after Peter.<ref name=Boring69 />

The Confession of Peter is also the name of a liturgical feastday celebrated by several Christian churches, often as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.<ref name=Brett >''Pocket Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship'' by Brett Scott Provance 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-8308-2707-7}} page 59</ref><ref name=Tristam >''Exciting Holiness: Collects and Readings for the Festivals'' by B. Tristam {{ISBN|1-85311-479-0}} Canterbury Press 2003 pages 54-55</ref>

==Gospel accounts==
=== Narrative comparison ===
The following comparison table is primarily based on the New International Version (NIV) English translation of the New Testament.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/niv/ |title=Online Bible – New International Version |work=Biblehub.com |date=2011 |accessdate=8 January 2021}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable float-left" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10"
|-
!scope="col"|Passage
!scope="col" style="width:30%" | Matthew
!scope="col" style="width:30%" | Mark
!scope="col" style="width:30%" | Luke 
|- valign="top" style="background-color:OldLace;"
|''What people say''
| Matthew 16:13–14<br />
* When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples: 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
* They replied: 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
| Mark 8:27–28<br />
* Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them: 'Who do people say I am?'
* They replied: 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.'
| Luke 9:18–19<br />
* Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them: 'Who do the crowds say I am?'
* They replied: 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.'
|- valign="top" style="background-color:Ivory;"
|''What the disciples say''
| Matthew 16:15–16<br />
* 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'
* Simon Peter answered: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'
| Mark 8:29<br />
* 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'
* Peter answered: 'You are the Messiah.'
| Luke 9:20<br />
* 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'
* Peter answered: 'God's Messiah.'
|- valign="top" style="background-color:MintCream;"
|''Jesus selects Peter''
| Matthew 16:17–19<br />
* Jesus replied: 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the [[Religion:Keys of the kingdom|keys of the kingdom]] of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'
|
|
|- valign="top" style="background-color:Azure;"
|''Jesus silences the disciples''
| Matthew 16:20<br />
* Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
| Mark 8:30<br />
* Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
| Luke 9:21<br />
*Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
|}

===Background and setting===
In the New Testament, this [[Religion:Pericope|pericope]] and the account of the [[Religion:Transfiguration of Jesus|Transfiguration of Jesus]] which follows it appear towards the middle of the Gospel narrative and jointly mark the beginnings of the gradual disclosure of the identity of Jesus to his disciples.<ref name=KingsburyMark >''The Christology of Mark's Gospel'' by Jack Dean Kingsbury 1983 {{ISBN|0-8006-2337-1}} pages 91-95</ref><ref name=Barton132 >''The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels'' by Stephen C. Barton {{ISBN|0-521-00261-3}} pages 132-133</ref>

The setting is near Caesarea Philippi, northeast of the Sea of Galilee and within the Tetrarchy of Philip, and is at the beginning of the final journey to [[Place:Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] which ends in the [[Religion:Crucifixion of Jesus|Crucifixion]] and [[Religion:Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection of Jesus]].<ref name=Karris />

Peter's Confession begins as a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27 and Luke 9:18. Jesus begins to ask about the current opinions about himself among "the multitudes", asking: "Who do the multitudes say that I am?"<ref name=Karris /> The disciples provide a variety of the common hypotheses at the time, ranging from [[Biography:John the Baptist|John the Baptist]] to Elijah, Jeremiah,<ref>In Matthew's account only: {{bibleverse||Matthew|16:14|NKJV}}</ref> or one of the (other) [[Religion:Prophet|prophet]]s.<ref name=Karris /> The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, following Jewish medieval rabbi David Kimhi and theologican John Lightfoot, suggests that Jeremiah "is mentioned as a representative of the Prophets, because in the Jewish Canon the book of Jeremiah came first of the Prophets, following the books of Kings."<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/matthew/16.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Matthew 16; [http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jlc/matthew-16.html John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels] on Matthew 16 and on [http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jlc/matthew-27.html Matthew 27], all accessed 25 January 2017</ref>

Earlier in the Gospel narrative, these hypotheses about Jesus' identity were provided in Mark 6:14-16 by those in the court of [[Religion:Herod Antipas|Herod Antipas]] when he wondered if Jesus was John the Baptist restored to life.<ref name=Karris /><ref>''The Gospel of Mark, Volume 2'' by John R. Donahue, Daniel J. Harrington 2002 {{ISBN|0-8146-5965-9}} page 336</ref>

===Proclamation and acceptance===
In the three Gospel accounts, after asking about the views of "the multitudes", Jesus asks his disciples about their own opinion: "But who do you say that I am?" Only Simon Peter answers him: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God".<ref name=Kingsbury /><ref>''Christology and the New Testament'' by Christopher Mark Tuckett 2001 {{ISBN|0-664-22431-8}} page 109</ref>

Only in Matthew 16:17 Jesus blesses Peter for his answer, and later indicates this revelation is the foundational rock of the Church. This begins with:

<blockquote>
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
</blockquote>

In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titles ''Christ'' and ''[[Religion:Son of God|Son of God]]'' which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his [[Religion:God the Father|Father in Heaven]] had revealed it to Peter.<ref name=Yueh >''One Teacher: Jesus' Teaching Role in Matthew's Gospel'' by John Yueh-Han Yieh 2004 {{ISBN|3-11-018151-7}} pages 240-241</ref> In this assertion, by endorsing both titles as divine revelation, Jesus unequivocally declares himself to be both Christ and the Son of God.<ref name=Yueh />

The reference to "my Father" is distinguished in that in the New Testament, Jesus never includes other individuals in such references and only refers to ''his'' Father, however when addressing the disciples he uses ''your'' Father, excluding himself from the reference.<ref>''Jesus God and Man'' by Wolfhart Pannenberg 1968 {{ISBN|0-664-24468-8}} pages 53-54</ref>

===Selection of Peter===
[[File:Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino.jpg|thumb|Pietro Perugino's ''Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter'', c. 1482]]
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus then continues:
<blockquote>
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.
</blockquote>

The word "Peter" in this verse is, in Greek, "petros", while this "rock" is "petra". It is a play on words, but if the original language was Aramaic the word in both cases is simply "kepha". A distinction that ''petros'' meant a stone and ''petra'' a solid piece of rocky ground is sometimes suggested, but Greek use in antiquity seems to have been less precise.<ref name=Cullman >''Peter: Disciple, Apostle, Martyr'' by Oscar Cullman 2011 {{ISBN|1602584133}} page 20</ref> 

The word "church" (''ekklesia'' in Greek), as used here, appears in the Gospels only once more, in Matthew 18:17, and refers to the community of believers at the time.<ref name=Rudolf7 >''The Gospel of Matthew'' by Rudolf Schnackenburg 2002 {{ISBN|0-8028-4438-3}} pages 7-9</ref> The "gates of hell" (of [[Religion:Christian views on Hades|Hades]]) refers to the underworld, and the abode of the dead, and refers to the powers opposed to God not being able to triumph over the church.<ref name=Sacra >''The Gospel of Matthew (Sacra Pagina Series, Vol 1)'' by Dainel J. Harrington 1991 {{ISBN|978-0-8146-5803-1}} page 248</ref> The [[Unsolved:Keys of Heaven|keys of the kingdom of heaven]] refer to the metaphor of the Kingdom of Heaven being a "place to be entered" as also used in Matthew 23:13, where the entrance to it can be shut.<ref name=Sacra />

Peter's authority is further confirmed by: "Whatsoever thou shalt [[Religion:Binding and loosing|bind on earth]] shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." As discussed below, various Christian denominations have assigned different interpretations to the authority granted in this passage.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

=== Jesus silencing the disciples ===
All three of the Synoptic Gospels end the account with Jesus telling the disciples not to reveal that he was the Messiah to anyone—an instance of the motif of the [[Religion:Messianic Secret|Messianic Secret]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021|reason=Needs reference. Moreover, if all Synoptics say this, how is this evidence of the Messianic Secret, which is an allegedly uniquely Markan trait?}}

==Denominational issues==

===Interpretations===
Various Christian denominations interpret Matthew 16:18 in different ways. Although most denominations agree that the statement applies to Peter, they diverge on their interpretations of what happens after Peter.<ref name=Boring69 >''The People's New Testament Commentary'' by M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock 2004 {{ISBN|0-664-22754-6}} page 69</ref>

{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 400

 | image1 = Saint Raphael Catholic Church (Springfield, Ohio) - stained glass, Upon this Rock, detail - St. Peter's Basilica.jpg
 | caption1 = Stained glass window in a Catholic church depicting St. Peter's Basilica in Rome sitting "Upon this rock," a reference to Matthew 16:18. Most present-day Catholics interpret Jesus as saying he was building his church on the rock of the Apostle Peter and the succession of popes which claim Apostolic succession from him.

 | image2 = AugsburgConfessionArticle7OftheChurch.jpg
 | caption2 = A 17th century illustration of Article VII: Of the Church from the Lutheran ''Augsburg Confession'', which states "...one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered." Here the rock from Matthew 16:18 refers to the preaching and ministry of Jesus as the Christ, a view discussed at length in the 1537 ''Treatise''.<ref>[http://bookofconcord.org/treatise.php#para22 ''Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, paragraph 22''] and following</ref>}}

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.<ref name=Rock >''Upon this Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church'' by Stephen K. Ray 1999 {{ISBN|978-0-89870-723-6}} pages 11-15</ref> Jesus' next statement, "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." are interpreted as the foundation of the doctrine of [[Religion:Papal infallibility|papal infallibility]].<ref name=Powell35 >''Papal infallibility: A Protestant Evaluation of an Ecumenical Issue'' by Mark E. Powell 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-8028-6284-6}} pages 35-40</ref>

Some Protestants believe that the verse states that Peter was the foundation stone of the Church, but do not accept that it applies to the continuous succession of popes, as the Bishops of Rome. The statement "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" is usually taken to mean that the Church will never become extinct.<ref name=Boring69 /><ref name=Powell35 />  Some [[Religion:Evangelicalism|Protestant evangelical groups]] adhere to the interpretation that it is Peter's "confession" itself that is "the rock on which will be built the Church of Jesus", i.e., the church will be built on Jesus alone as the foundation stone of his church. This interpretation usually uses the argument of the difference between ''petros'' and ''petra'' in Greek ("You are Peter [petros] and on this rock [petra] I will build my church.")

The Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches see Jesus' words "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" as bestowing first upon Peter what was later bestowed upon all of the Apostles collectively. The Orthodox believe in the [[Religion:Infallibility of the Church|infallibility of the Church]] as a whole, but that any individual, regardless of their position, can be subject to error.<ref name=Boring69 />

[[Religion:Ecumenical council|Ecumenical meetings]] among different denominations have taken place regarding these interpretations, but no final agreement has emerged.<ref name=Boring69 />

===Commemorations===
[[File:Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul 2012-09-28 18-07-29.jpg|thumb|left|Plaque at Nantes Cathedral: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church", in Latin]]

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter on 22 February in the [[Religion:General Roman Calendar|General Roman Calendar]]. In the General Roman Calendar of 1960, the feast is celebrated on 18 January. Some Anglican and Lutheran churches celebrate the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter on 18 January.<ref name=Tristam />

The Confession of Peter is the beginning of the ''Week of Prayer for Christian Unity'', 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).<ref name=Tristam />
{{-}}

==See also==
* [[Religion:Chronology of Jesus|Chronology of Jesus]]
* Denial of Peter
* [[Religion:Life of Jesus in the New Testament|Life of Jesus in the New Testament]]
* [[Religion:Transfiguration of Jesus|Transfiguration of Jesus]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{s-hou|[[Religion:Gospel harmony|Life of Jesus]]: Ministry|||}}
{{s-bef|before=Blind Man of Bethsaida<br><small>Miracles of Jesus</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Religion:New Testament|New Testament]]<br>Events}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Religion:Transfiguration of Jesus|The Transfiguration]]<br><small>Miracles of Jesus</small>}}
{{end}}

[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Christian messianism]]

{{Sourceattribution|Confession of Peter}}