Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, the Confession of Peter (translated from the Matthean

Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...

Latin section title: ''Confessio Petri'') refers to an episode in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

in which the Apostle Peter proclaims

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

to be the

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

( Jewish Messiah). The proclamation is described in the three

Synoptic Gospels The gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Mark, and Gospel of Luke, Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical ...

: Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–21.''The Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament'' by Robert J. Karris 1992 pages 885-886 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', (Matthew 16:16), or 'God's Messiah' or 'The Christ of God' (Luke 9:20). The proclamation of Jesus as Christ is fundamental to

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

; 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. In this New Testament narrative, Jesus not only accepts the titles Christ and '' Son of God'', but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his Father in Heaven had revealed it to Peter, unequivocally declaring himself to be both Christ and the Son of God. In the same passage Jesus also selects Peter as the leader of the Apostles, and states: "Upon this rock I will build my church." Most

Christian denominations A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

agree that the statement applies to Peter, but they diverge on their interpretations of what happens after Peter. 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.''Pocket Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship'' by Brett Scott Provance 2009 page 59''Exciting Holiness: Collects and Readings for the Festivals'' by B. Tristam Canterbury Press 2003 pages 54-55

Gospel accounts

Narrative comparison

The following comparison table is primarily based on the New International Version (NIV) English translation of the New Testament.

Background and setting

In the New Testament, this pericope and the account of the

Transfiguration of Jesus The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is Transfiguration (religion), transfigured and becomes radiant in Glory (religion), glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) r ...

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.''The Christology of Mark's Gospel'' by Jack Dean Kingsbury 1983 pages 91-95''The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels'' by Stephen C. Barton pages 132-133 In Matthew and Mark, the setting is near Caesarea Philippi, northeast of the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

and within the Tetrarchy of Philip, and is at the beginning of the final journey to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

which ends in the Crucifixion and

Resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus () is Christianity, Christian belief that God in Christianity, God Resurrection, raised Jesus in Christianity, Jesus from the dead on the third day after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion, starting—or Preexis ...

. Luke does not mention the location. 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?" The disciples provide a variety of the common hypotheses at the time, ranging from

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

to Elijah,

Jeremiah Jeremiah ( – ), also called Jeremias, was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, book that bears his name, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with t ...

, or one of the (other)

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

s. 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 The Book of Jeremiah () is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and the second of the Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. The superscription at chapter Jeremiah 1#Superscription, Jeremiah 1:1–3 identifies the book as "th ...

came first of the Prophets, following the

books of Kings The Book of Kings (, ''Sefer (Hebrew), Sēfer Malik, Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Is ...

." Earlier in the Gospel narrative, these hypotheses about Jesus' identity were provided in Mark 6:14-16 by those in the court of Herod Antipas when he wondered if Jesus was John the Baptist restored to life.

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". 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:

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

In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titles ''

'' and '' Son of God'' which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his Father in Heaven had revealed it to Peter.''One Teacher: Jesus' Teaching Role in Matthew's Gospel'' by John Yueh-Han Yieh 2004 pages 240-241 In this assertion, by endorsing both titles as divine revelation, Jesus unequivocally declares himself to be both Christ and the Son of God. 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.''Jesus God and Man'' by Wolfhart Pannenberg 1968 pages 53-54

Selection of Peter

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus then continues:

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.

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.''Peter: Disciple, Apostle, Martyr'' by Oscar Cullmann 2011 page 20 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.''The Gospel of Matthew'' by Rudolf Schnackenburg 2002 pages 7-9 The "gates of hell" (of

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

) 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.''The Gospel of Matthew (Sacra Pagina Series, Vol 1)'' by Dainel J. Harrington 1991 page 248 The 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. Peter's authority is further confirmed by: "Whatsoever thou shalt 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.

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 Messianic Secret.

Denominational responses

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.''The People's New Testament Commentary'' by M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock 2004 page 69 In the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, Jesus' words "upon this rock I will build my church" are interpreted as the foundation of the doctrine of the

papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, whereby the Church of Christ is founded upon Peter and his successors, the Bishops of Rome.''Upon this Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church'' by Stephen K. Ray 1999 pages 11-15 Jesus' next statement, "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." are interpreted as the foundation of the doctrine of

papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...

.''Papal infallibility: A Protestant Evaluation of an Ecumenical Issue'' by Mark E. Powell 2009 pages 35-40 Some

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

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. Some 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 etrosand on this rock etraI will build my church.") The

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

and

Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysitism, Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian ...

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 infallibility of the Church as a whole, but that any individual, regardless of their position, can be subject to error. Ecumenical meetings among different denominations have taken place regarding these interpretations, but no final agreement has emerged.

Commemorations

The

celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter on 22 February in the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...

. In the General Roman Calendar of 1960, the feast is celebrated on 18 January. Some

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

churches celebrate the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter on 18 January. The Confession of Peter is the beginning of the '' Week of Prayer for Christian Unity'', actually an

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

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).

References

{{Matthew 16 Christian festivals and holy days Gospel episodes 1st-century Christianity Christian terminology Saint Peter Vulgate Latin words and phrases Christian messianism Banias Philip the Tetrarch