The Peter of the Holy Bible VERSUS The Roman Catholic Version

THE PETER OF THE HOLY BIBLE

VERSUS

 THE ROMAN CATHOLIC VERSION

1.  Was Peter the Pope of Rome?

2.  Was Peter the Head of the Apostolic Catholic Church?

3.  Was Peter the model for Christians? (includes the church in Rome as the model

      for Christians?)

The following Scriptures from the Word of God, the Holy Bible will clarify the three

questions mentioned above.

Acts 15:7-21

-   The final speaker was James, the president of the Church Council. (v13)

-   James gave the final sentence.  (v 19) c.f  12:17

-   James calls Peter Simeon. Thus indicating James knows Jesus did not

    make Peter the head / president of the church and Vicar of Christ (Matt.16:18) as

    the Catholics claim.

Acts 12:17

-   There is no supremacy of Peter over the church (v 17).  James holds prominence

    instead.

-   Peter, the nearest ever got to, was to be one of the three pillars of the church.

     (Gal.2:9)

Mt.16:18

- Peter means a fragment of rock (Gk. Petros) V18.  ""And I also say to  you that

  you are Peter (Gk.Petros, a fragment of rock, a stone), and on this rock (Gk. Petra,

  a large mountain of rock, cliff; referring to Jesus Himself), I will build  My church".   

-  Jesus is the one the church is to be built upon. This could be seen in other

   Scriptures as follows:

              1 Cor. 3:10-11,  “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as

                                        a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and

                                        another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed

                                        how he buildeth thereupon.  For other foundation can no

                                        man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (KJV)

             - Here it says, the church is founded on Jesus Christ --- Jesus is the

               foundation.

             - Eph. 2:20-22, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and

                                       prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner

                                       stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together

                                       groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye

                                       also are builded together for an habitation of God through

                                       the Spirit. (KJV)

            - Here > describes from another perspective,

              that all > apostles and prophets as being the foundation, and Jesus the

              chief corner stone. (I.e. chief foundation. It is > architectural term. The

              chief corner stone > most important foundational stone, without which,

              other foundations / stones > collapse).

          - 1 Peter 2:4-6, “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed

                                   of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively

                                   stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to

                                   offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus

                                   Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture,

                                   Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:

                                   and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” (KJV)

                                   

                                 

            - Here, Peter himself said > Jesus > the chief corner stone (Chief

              foundation).              

          - The clear passages guide us to the interpretation of the unclear one.

           - In fact the unclear statement in Mt. 16:18 could be clarified when

             we go back to the original Greek Language through studying the

             meaning of two important words.

             Checking up the meaning of the two important Greek words would

             reveal what Jesus really meant, “you are Peter,” (‘petrous’ which means

             ‘a stone’ in the Greek), “and upon this rock,” (‘petra’ which means

             ‘a large mountain of rock; cliff’ in the Greek), “I will build my

             church.”

             We now see Peter (a stone) is not the one that the church is to be

             built upon, but the ‘rock’ (a large mountain of rock) is the one that the

             church is to be built upon. So who or what is this ‘rock?’ To clarify this

             we need to use another hermeneutical rule of contextualisation to be

             applied to throw light into it. That is, we need to read the whole passage or

             paragraphs to grasp the point of what it means in that verse.

            

             In the light of the preceding verses of  Mt.16:13-17, reveals that the ‘large

             mountain of rock’ that Jesus talked about was the confession, or the truths,

             that Simon Peter had just spoken by the revelation of the Father (Mt.16:16)

             when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is upon

             these truths (i.e. Jesus, the Son of the living God) that the Church is being

             built.

                      

- Hence, Jesus is the only foundation of the church where the church would be

  built, not Peter.   (cf. Isa. 28:16;   Psa.118:22)

- Peter was only one of the builders.   (Eph.2:20-22; 1 Pet.2:4-5; 1 Pet.5:1-8)

  Mt.16:19       

- The keys of binding and loosing are given to all.  (Mt.18:18)

   E.g. of using it, see Luke 13:11,16.

Roms.16:1-16

- Peter is not the 1st Pope of Rome.  In this list of greetings to the saints in Rome,

  Peter is not once mentioned.  According to the Papal Catalogue of Bishops of

  Rome, Peter was in Rome at this time.

Since he is not once mentioned by Paul, it is certain that he was not there; and this

makes the very foundation of apostolic succession by the Roman bishops fall to the

ground.  If he had been at Rome as bishop, he would have referred to.  It is therefore

a waste of time to consider further such groundless theory and fabrication.
It is in fact very likely Peter never even saw the city of Rome in all his life.

Colossians: A prison letter written in Rome about 64 A.D and sent with Ephesians and Philemon by Tychicus (Col. 4:7-11). In this letter, Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristachus, Marcus and Justus are all mentioned here and no doubt they were of the circumcision meaning they were Jews. This is further proof that Peter was not the Pope at Rome at this time. This book Colossian was written about A.D 64 during the very time Peter was alleged to be that Pope.  Some say that he was Pope from 29-67 A.D.  Either Paul totally ignored the so-called head of the church or they are wrong.

There is no proof that he was ever in Rome. But instead of going West, Peter wrote the letter 1 Peter from Babylon!  See, 1 Peter 5:12-14;  2 Peter 3:1

1 Thess.2:14

   There is still no reference in the N.T. to the church at Rome or of Peter as the 1st

   Pope being the model for Christians.  There is no such pre-eminence.  This honour

   instead belonged to the churches in Judea. Not one reference to Rome as a

   pattern is found in any Scripture.

1 Peter 5:1   What Peter Himself Claims to Be?  “... who am also an elder...”

   Greek: sumpresbuteros: a fellow elder, one on the same level with yourself.

   If Peter was the first Pope, the prince of the apostle, and the head of the church,

   he certainly missed the opportunity here to make it clear to the church.

Acts 16:4; 15:23-24; Acts 21:18-27                                                                              
   The Authoritative Apostolic Council was not in Rome But in Jerusalem, and James

   was the leader not Peter.

Gal.2:7-14

   Peter was not in-charge of Paul and the source of direction and instruction, but

   God was the instructor and director in Paul’s life and ministry. (v 7)

   Paul rebuked Peter for hypocrisy.  The Roman Catholic Church claims that

   the Pope is infallible. If Peter was the 1st Pope than God’s Word has

   proved that Peter was fallible indeed.  (v 11-14)

Acts 8:14; Acts 11

   Reveals Peter was not the pope or the sole leader in-charge of the church.
   The apostles sent Peter and John!    Acts 11:1-3,  Acts 17, etc.

   Peter was put on trial before the apostles and others for ministering to the gentile

   Cornelius.

Note: Recent discovery found the tomb of Peter in Palestine and not Rome.

         (Peter’s Tomb Recently Discovered In Jerusalem, by F. Paul Peterson, 4th.

          edition, 1971).

Conclusion: God’s Word, the Holy Bible tells us, that Peter was not the three

                   assumptions mentioned by the Catholic church. It was fabricated by the

                   Catholic Church.