Well, my friends first of all thank you for visiting my blog, it looks like your curisoity has led to explore why Catholics believe that Pope like our present Holy Father Benedict XVI - Joseph Ratzinger is the successor of Peter. As most will argue that Church has no earthly head and was never meant to have one. Than, by sure Papacy has to be an invention of the Catholic Church, because Christ did not established the Magisterium .
“Papacy is a reuse; at worst, a work of the devil”
Furthermore, why would the papacy be formed in Rome when Peter was never in Rome and so could not have been the first Pope.
Well, if this still sounds interesting, than please read further. I will explain all these arguments and give you concrete answers as to why do Catholics believe that Pope is the successor of Peter.
The question if Peter was ever in Rome or even if he crucified is inconsequential. His being in Rome does not prove that the existence of the Papacy. Because the Papacy was instituted by Christ in the first place and after Jesus’ Ascension to Heaven, the Apostles started their missionary work and travel to the end to proclaim the word. So, in other words Apostles did not get together one evening and said hey lets all go to Rome and we’ll build St. Peter’s Basilica and start the Papacy and Church.
The argument that you hear against the Catholic faith is mainly to find even the smallest claim that could proof to be correct would help undermine psychologically if not logically that Catholic Church/faith is wrong on this and many other historical points, which would conclude it is wrong on the Papacy and other doctrines.
Now, I would say that the New Testament does not say “Peter did went to Rome” or “Peter did not go to Rome”, in fact very little is said about where he , any of the Apostles other than Paul, did go in the years after the Ascension.
However, At the end of Peter’s Epistle there is a greeting.
“The Church here in BABYLON, united with you by GOD’s election, sends you here greeting, and so does my son Mark” (1 Peter 5:13).
BABYLON is a code word for ROME.
Let me quote Karl Keating books Catholicism and Fundamentalism
“Consider the other New Testament citations: “A second angel followed, who cried out, BABYLON, great BABYLON is fallen; she who made all nations drunk with the maddening wine of her fornication” (REV 14:8)
“The great city broke n three pieces, while the cities of the heathens came down in ruins. And GOD did not forget to minister a draught of his wine, his avenging anger, to BABYLON, the great city” (REV 16:19)
“There was title written over his forehead, The mystic BABYLON, great mother-city of all harlots, and all that is abominable on earth” (REV 17:5)
“And he cried aloud, BABYLON, great BABYLON is fallen” (REV 18:2)
“Standing at a distance, for fear of sharing her punishment, they will cry out, Alas, BABYLON the great, alas, BABYLON the strong, in one brief hour judgment has come upon you” (REV 18:10)
“So, with one crash of ruin, will BABYLON fall, the great city” (REV 18:21)
Well, my friends the above reference to BABYLON is NOT to the BABYLONIAN EMPIRE. Because Babylon was already reduced by status, military defeat, and political subjugation; it was no longer a “great city”. It played no important part in the recent history of the ancient world. The only true “great city” in New Testament times was ROME. (Karl Keating)
Also, we see the mention of Peter traveling to Rome, establishing a Church in Rome in the writing of the early Christian writers. Where I am going to given you a quick snapshot of what their writing pertained. “They mention that Peter came to Rome during the reign of Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 AD. Peter the first apostle chosen by Christ came to Rome, preached, converted many to righteousness, did miracles, established a steadfast temple of GOD, was apprehended often and thrown into prison and treated with ignominy, and at last was crucified in Rome.
Furthermore, Eusebius Pamphilius gives precise account stating that in 42 AD “(he actually said that “second year of the two hundredth and fifth olympaid” “The Apostle Peter after he has established the Church in Antioch, is sent to Rome, where he remained as bishop of that city, preaching the Gospel for twenty five years (25 YEARS)” He further talks about Nero persecution against the Christians, in which Peter and Paul died gloriously at ROME.
Now, let’s look at the New Testament scriptures that gives us evidence that Peter was first in authority among the Apostles.
Peter almost always headed the list in Matthew 10: 1-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13)
Sometimes it was only Peter and his companions written clearly in Luke 9:32.
Peter was the onw who generally spoke for the Apostles (Matthew 18:21; Mark 8:29; Luke 12:41l Jn 6:69)
On Pentecost he was the very first to speak (Acts 2:14-40)
He was the first to work the healing (Acts 3:6-7).
I think I have given enough versus that support that Peter was the first Apostle chosen by Jesus Christ to lead his Church on earth.
Jesus on his first meeting with Peter gave Simon a new name “PETER”; which translated as ROCK (Jn 1:42)
The most imazing thing is that in the Old Testament GOD was called a ROCK. The word was never used as a proper name for a man. Jesus Christ never gave meaningless gestures and neither did the Jews as a whole, when it came to names. Giving of the a new names meant that status of an individual was changed for example Abram to Abraham (Gen 17:5), Jacob to Israel (Gen 32:28); Elacism to Joakim (2 King 23:34); and Daniel , Ananias, Misael and Azarias to Baltassar, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago (Dan I:6-8)
When Jesus first saw Simon, “Jesus looked at him closely and said. “Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas’ (Jn 1:42) (which merely the transliteration of the Aramaic Kepha into Greek, Kepha means rock. (Karl Keating)
And only Peter was the one who professed his faith to Jesus: “Thou are the Christ, the son of the Living God” (Mt 16:17) And what did Jesus say to Peter that the Holy Spirit has revealed that to him the Jesus Christ was the one and only son of the living GOD.
And then came the clincher and Jesus told his Apostles “Whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19)
Here Peter was singled out for the authority that provides for the forgiveness of sins and the making of disciplinary rules.
Peter was also the only one who was promised by Jesus Christ “I will given to thee [singular ] the keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19) In ancient times keys were the hallmark of authority.
Finally, my friends when Jesus appeared to his Apostles after his resurrection and what did he ask Peter. “Dost thou love me” (Jn 21:15-17) and Jesus asked him three times similary as Peter denied him three times. Jesus asked him threefold affirmation of his love to Christ. Then, Jesus gave Peter the authority and told Peter to “Feed my Sheep” (Jn 21:17)
Lastly, I would like to close with this verse which will tie all the loose ends in explaining why Peter was chosen as the first Apostle, and given the status of the Rock, given the key to the Heaven and told to lead his flock on earth and feed his sheep.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has claimed power over you all, so that he can sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for thee [singular], that they faith may not fail; when, after a while, thou hast come back to me [after the denials], it is for thee to be the support of thy brethren” (Luke 22:31:32).
Christ prayed for Peter that his faith will never fail, that he would become the guide of this people on earth, and Christ’s prayer, being perfectly efficacious, was sure to be fulfilled. Here we see the roots of papal infallibility ans the primacy that is the Bishop of Rome’s (Karl Keating)
Furthermore, Jesus told Peter "Thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18). Peter was aware of his name that he is Peter, why did Jesus put his emphases? Because my dear friends, Simon given the name "Peter" means itself "ROCK".
In fact elsewhere in the Bible a different methaphor called the "Cornerstone" (Eph 2:20; I Peter 2:3-8) was used which does not disapprove that here Peter is the FOUNDATION. Christ is naturally the principal but after Christ's ressurection Peter had to be the secondary because he and his successors had to remain on earth as a visible foundation.
"Peter can be a foundation oly because first Christ is one" (Karl Keating)
The New Testament contains five different metaphors for the foundation of the Church (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:5–6, Rev. 21:14). One metaphor that has been disputed is Jesus Christ’s calling the apostle Peter "rock": "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). (Patrick Madrid)
Some have tried to argue that Jesus did not mean that his Church would be built on Peter but on something else. (Patrick Madrid)
Some argue that in this passage there is a minor difference between the Greek term for Peter (Petros) and the term for rock (petra), yet they ignore the obvious explanation: petra, a feminine noun, has simply been modifed to have a masculine ending, since one would not refer to a man (Peter) as feminine. The change in the gender is purely for stylistic reasons. (Patrick Madrid)
These critics also neglect the fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic, and, as John 1:42 tells us, in everyday life he actually referred to Peter as Kepha or Cephas (depending on how it is transliterated). It is that term which is then translated into Greek as petros. Thus, what Jesus actually said to Peter in Aramaic was: "You are Kepha and on this very kepha I will build my Church." The Church Fathers, those Christians closest to the apostles in time, culture, and theological background, clearly understood that Jesus promised to build the Church on Peter. (Patrick Madrid)
Sorry friends, this is the longest blog I have written beside my MBA thesis and papers. It was important to get into the details of this subject and provide adequate and concise supporting scriptural references which proves that Peter and Papacy was established by Christ on earth.
GOD BLESS, hope this strenghthens your faith in Christ.
References:
Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating.
