The Primacy of Peter 2

The first Pope in the Roman Church was the Apostle Peter.  Peter was the Bishop of Rome for about 25 years, and Rome was where he was martyred.  The seat of Peter is in the Roman Church.  One of the main reasons that the Greek Orthodox Church separated from us was because of papal authority.  They believe that all bishops are equal in authority.  The Filioque was the final straw, and separated from us in 1054, and this became known as the Great Schism. Shortly afterwards, we both excommunicated each other. In 1964, there was a mutual lifting of the excommunication by Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI. 

Christ built His Church on a man....the Apostle Peter. It was not built on a place. Today, the seat of Peter is in the Roman Church.  Christ made Peter the leader of the Apostles.  All Apostles were supposed to adhere to his leadership.  Sacred scripture shows the primacy of Peter.  


1. Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. The rock (Greek, petra) is St. Peter himself, not his faith. Jesus is the Architect who “builds.” Today, the overwhelming consensus of biblical commentators of all stripes favors this traditional Catholic understanding. St. Peter is the foundation-stone of the Church, making him head and superior of the family, but not founder of the Church; administrator, but not Lord of the Church.

2. Peter alone received the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which symbolized authority. The “power of the keys” (according to many Bible commentators) has to do with ecclesiastical discipline and administrative authority with regard to the requirements of the faith, as in Isaiah 22:22 (cf. Is 9:6; Job 12:14; Rev 3:7). This entails the use of excommunication, absolution, imposition of penances and legislative powers. In the Old Testament a steward, or prime minister is a man who is “over a house” (Gen 41:40; 43:19; 44:4; 1 Ki 4:6; 16:9; 18:3; 2 Ki 10:5; 15:5; 18:18; Is 22:15, 20-21).

3.Matthew 16:19 . . . whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. “Binding” and “loosing” were originally technical rabbinical terms, which meant to “forbid” and “permit” with reference to the interpretation of the law, and secondarily to “condemn” or “acquit.” Thus, St. Peter (and by logical extension, future popes) is given the authority to determine binding rules for the Church's doctrine and life. “Binding and loosing” represent the legislative and judicial powers of the papacy and the bishops (Mt 18:17-18; Jn 20:23), and the power to absolve. St. Peter, however, is the only apostle who receives these powers by name and in a singular sense, making him pre-eminent.

4. St. Peter's was always first whenever the 12 Apostles were listed in the Bible(Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13). Matthew even calls him the “first” (10:2). Judas Iscariot is invariably mentioned last. This means something.

5. Peter always acted as the spokesman for the Apostles (Matthew 15:15, 17:23, 18:21; Mark 10:28 and John 6:69).

6. It was on Peter's boat whom Christ preached to the crowd, and that was not a coincidence that He chose Peter's boat, Christ teaches from Peter's boat, and a miraculous catch of fish follows (Lk 5:1-11): perhaps a metaphor for the pope as a “fisher of men” (cf. Mt 4:19).

7. John was the first person to reach the tomb of Christ, but he didn't enter it. He waited for Peter out of respect because Peter was the leader. Thus, Peter was the first apostle to enter the empty tomb of the risen Jesus (Jn 20:6).

8. Peter alone among the apostles is mentioned by name as having been prayed for by Jesus Christ in order that his “faith may not fail” (Lk 22:32).

9. Peter alone among the apostles is exhorted by Jesus to “strengthen” the Christian “brethren” (Lk 22:32).

10. Jesus paid the temple tax only for Himself and for Peter. (Matthew 17:24-27)

11. After Christ's ascension, it was Peter who made the decision to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15-23)

12. St. Peter was the first to speak after Pentecost, and to “preach the gospel” (Acts 2:14-36).

13. Peter is regarded by Jesus as the Chief Shepherd after Himself (Jn 21:15-17: “Feed my lambs . . . Tend my sheep . . . feed my sheep.”), singularly by name, and over the universal Church, even though others have a similar but subordinate role (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:1-2).

14, Peter works the first miracle, healing a lame man (Acts 3:6-12).

15. Peter was the first traveling missionary, and the first to exercise the “visitation of the churches” (Acts 9:32-38, 43). Paul's missionary journeys begin in Acts 13:2.

16. Peter was the first to receive the Gentiles into the fellowship of the Catholic Church, after a revelation from God (Acts 10:9-48).

17. At the Council of Jerusalem, it was Peter who presided over and is pre-eminent in the first Church-wide council of Christianity (Acts 15:7-11). Peter spoke FIRST and then James spoke AFTER Peter. James agreed with Peter. 

18.  Peter was the first Apostle who saw the risen Christ (Luke 24:33-34).

19.  Peter was the first person after Christ to raise the dead (Acts 9:40)

20. St. Peter's name is mentioned more often than all the other disciples put together: 191 times (162 as Peter or Simon Peter, 23 as Simon, and 6 as Cephas). John is next in frequency with only 48 appearances.