FACT CHECK: The Primacy of Peter in Scripture (Copy)

By: Nina Leone

Claim: The Papacy is a man made institution and is not taught in the Bible

Fact Check: False

In the midst of my conversion into the holy Catholic Church, the Church built upon the rock, I have frequently been asked the same question by my Protestant friends and followers online: “Where is the papacy in Sacred Scripture, and where does it say Peter was unequivocally set apart from the other apostles?” Protestants will contend that because the word “papacy” cannot be found in the Bible, then that means it does not exist. The words “Bible,” “Trinity,” and “Incarnation” also cannot be found in the Bible, yet we know they exist. This is the case with the Papacy, which is defined as the office or authority of the pope, the chief pastor on earth. In this article, I will dive into Sacred Scripture to showcase the origins of the Papacy established by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Every kingdom needs order, or chaos will reign inside of it. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25) In this article, we will explore both Old and New Testament Scriptures showing the origins of the Papacy, and when and where it was established in the New Testament to fulfill the throne of David in the Old Testament.

(If you see a word that is underlined, it will take you to a link of the scripture regarding that specific topic or passage.)

A Case for the Papacy

**Matthew 16:18-19** And I say to 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 to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

We read in the New Testament that Jesus had many followers. Many of these followers abandoned him after hearing His words about giving his body (his flesh) for the life of the world in John 6. At some point, Jesus chooses twelve men out of the many to be “apostles”. This was a significant office. After having chosen the twelve, Jesus is ready to teach them about who He really is. In Matthew 16, we read that Jesus questions the twelve about his identity. They responded that some people speculated that he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Let’s examine the passage:

Matthew 16:13-19 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. When Jesus asked them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to 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 to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

We see here that it was God the Father who revealed this to Peter, and that Peter did not figure this out on his own. In fact, no one figured it out. No one. Jesus’ identity was revealed only to Peter. Jesus then handed Peter the keys to His kingdom, and gave him the authority to bind and loose. Simon's name is changed to Peter in this exchange. Peter means "Rock". Any time in the Bible that someone underwent a name change, their mission in life was going to be of massive influence of the kingdom of heaven. For example, Abram to Abraham, or Jacob to Israel. In Matthew 18:18, we also read about Jesus giving the apostles the authority to “bind and loose” on heaven and on earth, as we saw above in Matthew 16. These are rabbinical terms of infallible authority. “Binding and loosing” is a Jewish phrase for the authority to interpret Scripture and make dogmatic decisions. George Lamsa, Aramaic Biblical scholar, writes in Old Testament Light, “‘He has the key,’ means he can declare certain things to be lawful and others unlawful; that is to bind or to loose, or to prohibit or to permit, or to forgive.”

Jesus did not give this authority to all people, but to his apostles and their successors. This is an official office, which the Catholic Church calls the papacy. However, Jesus gave Peter alone the keys to the kingdom, and founded His Church upon Peter (Rock). In Matthew 16 when Jesus says, “Thou art Peter” using the name Peter for the first time, it is synonymous with saying, “Thou art Rock”. "The word-play and the whole structure of the passage demands that this verse is every bit as much Jesus' declaration about Peter as vs. 16 was regarding Peter's declaration about Jesus. “Of course, it is on the basis of Peter's confession that Jesus declares his role as the church's foundation, but it is to Peter, not to his confession, that the rock metaphor is applied," says R. T. France in The Gospel According to Matthew. In Greek, the word rock is a feminine noun, unlike in Aramaic. Jesus would not have changed Simon’s name to Peter at all if Peter was not the rock on which the Church would be built. What would the point be? And why Peter alone instead of the other eleven apostles? Tim Staples, former Protestant pastor, writes,

“For Catholics, this text is clear. All twelve apostles were present, yet Jesus promised to give to Peter alone the keys of the kingdom, symbolizing the authority of Christ—the authority of heaven—over the kingdom of heaven on Earth, which is the Church. Yet millions of Protestants believe that there is a distinction in meaning in the Greek text between the two “rocks” that would eliminate Peter from consideration for being the rock. Thou art petros and upon this petra I will build my church . . .” The first rock, petros, is claimed to refer to a small, insignificant rock: Peter. The second, petra, is claimed to mean a massive boulder: that would be either Jesus or Peter’s confession of faith. The argument concludes Jesus did not build his church upon St. Peter but either upon himself or Peter’s faith. Matthew, we have pretty solid evidence, was originally written in Aramaic. Both Sts. Papias and Irenaeus tell us as much in the second century. But even more importantly—and more certainly—Jesus would not have spoken his discourse of Matthew 16 in Greek. Greek was the dominant language of the Roman Empire in the first century, but most of the common Jewish folk to whom Jesus spoke would not have been fluent in it. Aramaic was their spoken language. Moreover, we have biblical evidence—John 1:42—that also points to Jesus using Aramaic in the naming of Peter: “[Andrew] brought [Peter] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas’” (which means Peter).
The name Cephas is an anglicized form of the Aramaic Kepha, which means simply “rock.” There would have been no “small rock” to be found in Jesus’ original statement to Peter.
Even well-respected Protestant scholars will agree on this point. Baptist scholar D. A. Carson, writes, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary:
[T]he underlying Aramaic is in this case unquestionable; and most probably kepha was used in both clauses (“you are kepha” and “on this kepha”), since the word was used both for a name and for a “rock.” The Peshitta (written in Syriac, a language cognate with a dialect of Aramaic) makes no distinction between the words in the two clauses.
In Koine Greek (the dialect of Greek used by the authors of the New Testament), petros and petra are masculine and feminine forms of words with the same root and the same definition—rock. There is no “small rock” to be found in the Greek text, either.
So why did St. Matthew use these two words in the same verse? Petra was a common word used for “rock” in Greek. It’s used fifteen times to mean “rock,” “rocks,” or “rocky” in the New Testament. Petros is an ancient Greek term that was not commonly used in Koine Greek at all. In fact, it was never used in the New Testament, except for Peter’s name after Jesus changed it from Simon to Peter.
It follows that when St. Matthew was translating, he would have used petra for “rock.” However, in so doing, he would have encountered a problem. Petra is a feminine noun. It would have been improper to call Peter Petra. This would be equivalent to calling a male “Valerie” or “Priscilla” in English. Hence, petros was used instead of petra for Peter’s name.

It is undeniable that Jesus meant to change Simon’s name to Peter, just as God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, or Abram’s name to Father Abraham. Peter is being named the Rock of the New Covenant Church. From this point on, biblical authors will frequently address him as Cephas, which is the Greek transliteration of Kepha, recognizing his new title and status in the the Church of Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham received a name change, so Peter receives one. Peter is the New Abraham of the New Covenant. As Abraham became a father of a multitude, so Peter will go from being a mere fisherman to being the chief fisher of men. As Abraham is recognized as the Rock of the Old Covenant (Isaiah 51:1–2), so Peter is the Rock of the New Covenant.

Additionally, in the Greek, after saying, “You are Peter,” Our Lord then says, “Kai epi tautee tee petra.” This is a term with a unique emphasis. In English, it is literally, “And upon this VERY rock,” or, “And upon this SAME rock.” In other words, “You are Peter, and on this same rock,” or, “You are Peter, and on this very rock I will build My church.” The grammar contextually shows that the rock being mentioned is Peter himself. And Jesus doesn’t say, “You are Peter, BUT on this rock” which would indicate a different point of reference. He says, “AND on this rock.” Or more precisely, “And on this very/same rock.”

Another place where you see the keys referenced showing authority is Revelation 20:1-3

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”

Above, Satan has the key to the bottomless pit. To hell.

Matthew 16 also directly mirrors Isaiah 22 in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 22:15-23 15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house. 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. 20 In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father.

Peter in Matthew 16 and Eliakim in Isaiah 22 have many parallels. Their names appear first on the list of their kings’ servants (2 Kings 18:18; Matt. 10:2). Eliakim replaces the evil and corrupt Shebna as chief steward, and Peter is designated as chief steward in Cesarea Philippi in front of an evil and corrupt pagan temple. Eliakim is likened to a fastened unmovable peg, and Peter likened to an unmovable rock. Isaiah 22:22 directly mirrors Matthew 16. Israel’s head steward Shebna is soon replaced with Eliakim. Isaiah 22:22 states that Eliakim would have “the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” Peter’s authority granted by Christ fulfills the prophecy of the keys of David. According to Sacred Scripture in the New Testament, Jesus will sit upon the throne of David and inherit from him his kingdom. God made a covenant with David for the purpose of creating His kingdom, which is why Jesus is called the Son of David. This is why Peter says in Acts 2 that Jesus will sit upon David’s throne:

Acts 2:30-32 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

In the Gospel of Luke 1:32 it says, “And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father.” Jesus’ kingdom is his Church. His kingdom fulfills prophecy and the kingdom of David. Let’s examine Samuel 7:

2 Samuel 7:11-17 Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

In this passage, the Lord is making a covenant with King David telling him that he will build a permanent kingdom. “Your throne shall be established forever.” This does not mean until a few centuries after Jesus resurrected and ascended in to Heaven. Protestants make claims such as, “Well it was the true church until Babylonian paganism took over.” “It was the true church but thank the Lord for the Protestant reformation because the Church became corrupted.” No. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If our Lord said the throne would be established forever, rest assured he meant it. Our Lord founded one body. He has one bride. This bride does not contain false doctrines since God is all Truth. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) When Protestants begin their own denominations with their own doctrine, they are inverting these words, and essentially saying they are the way, the truth, and the life, and that they have the right to interpret Scripture outside of the Church Jesus Christ himself founded. 1 Timothy 3:15 states, “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of truth.” Since there are 45,000 Protestant denominations, all claiming to have the truth, we know there can only be one true Church. That is the Catholic Church. The Church established by our Lord in 33 AD, in which he said the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

The household of God mentioned in 2 Samuel 7 is the Church of the living God as mentioned above in 1 Timothy 3:15 by Paul. The house that God says he will build in 2 Samuel 7 is the Church. Jesus is the fulfillment of David as the King of Kings. He is the descendant of David, and he builds his Church in the New Testament. He says he will be with it in every age, and never leave it as an orphan. What church has existed since Christ and still exists till this day? The holy Catholic Church.

Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Ephesians 3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

Among the Hebrew people, keys were a sign of authority and domain. They still are to this day, if you think about what it means now to have keys to a house or a business. It is commonly argued by Protestants and modern reformers that the Papacy is an insult to Jesus and removes His authority. This could not be further from the truth. In the Old Testament when there was a kingdom, a steward would oversee that kingdom. This did not remove authority from the King, who gave the steward’s authority himself. Other than Eliakim in Isaiah 22, another great example of this is Genesis 39, where the famous story of Joseph and his brothers occur.

Genesis 39:4-5 describes this position: “So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field.”

Joseph was able to interpret the King’s dream for him after God revealed what the dream meant to him, just as God alone revealed to Peter who Jesus truly was in Matthew 16. In Genesis 37:39, it says, “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.” Likewise, God revealed to Peter alone who Jesus was out of the twelve in Matthew 16. Pharaoh then gave Joseph authority over all of Egypt. Did this remove authority from Pharaoh himself? By all means, no. Pharaoh was Joseph’s superior, and yet following Pharaoh, Joseph was the most powerful man in all of Egypt. Psalm 105 says:

Psalm 105:17-22 He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to instruct his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.

Jesus is the King of his kingdom, and he gave Peter the authority to bind and loose on earth. Jesus was still Peter’s superior authority. James Cardinal Gibbons states it well: "There are others who pretend, in spite of Our Lord’s declaration to the contrary, that loyalty to Peter is disloyalty to Christ, and that, by acknowledging Peter as the rock on which the Church is built, we set our Savior aside. So far from this being the case, we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, as well as the Divine Architect of the building. The true test of loyalty to Jesus is not only to worship Him, but to venerate even the representatives whom he has chosen. Will anyone pretend to say that my obedience to the Governor’s appointee is the mark of disrespect to the Governor himself? I think our state executive would have little faith in the allegiance of any citizen who would say to him, “Governor, I honor you personally, but your officials orders I shall disregard.”

King David in 1 Kings 4 in the Davidic Kingdom appoints twelve royal ministers which Jesus later appoints twelve disciples to sit on twelve thrones and rule the twelve tribes of Israel. They all have apostolic authority, but only one is the prime minister under the king. Check out this brief clip of Dr. Scott Hahn, former Presbyterian pastor, discussing this:

“The name given to an office of state of great importance in both kingdoms (1 Kings 4:6; 18:3), in fact the highest office of all and one so vastly superior to all others (Is 36:3, 37:2), that it was sometimes filled by the heir to the throne (2 Chronicles 26:21)... The person ‘who was over the house’ had the whole of the domestic affairs of the sovereign under his superintendence, and was therefore also called the socēn or administrator, as standing nearest the king.” -Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Isaiah Vol. 7, pg. 398

Where in Scripture does it say Peter is supreme?

A perpetual yet insufficiently researched Protestant argument is that Peter had no greater authority than any of the other apostles. It was Peter alone that Christ handed the keys to in Matthew 16 as we see above. Let’s examine the accounts in the Gospel where Peter is mentioned, in comparison to the other apostles. Peter’s accounts remain unmatched. This is a list of how many times each apostle is mentioned:

Peter: 195 times
John: 29 times
James: 29 times
Philip 14 times
Andrew: 11 times
Thomas: 10 times
Bartholomew: 9 times
Matthew: 7 times
James son of Alphaeus: 4 times
Judas: (Thaddaeus): 4 times
Simon the Zealot: 3 times
Judas Iscariot: 20 times

The names of all of the apostles combined amount to far less than St. Peter’s. Every account where all twelve apostles are all listed shows a unique order. Every time, St. Peter is mentioned first, and Judas the traitor, the least of the apostles, is mentioned last. The order of the apostles in between is not the same:

Mark 14:15-19: He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Matthew 10:2-4 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Luke 6:14-16 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

The Greek word for first in Matthew 10:2 is “protos” which means “chief, first, or principal.” Andrew was the first disciple to follow Jesus, so this is not meant to number the apostles. It is meant to give authority over the twelve. In the Greek translation it is read, “The chief, Simon, who is called Peter.” Paul also singles out Peter from the rest of the twelve:

1 Corinthians 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

We also see this occur in The Book of Acts, and the Gospel accounts:

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Mark 1:36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him
Luke 9:32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

After the Resurrection of Jesus, the angels even single out Peter from the twelve. After Jesus’s Resurrection is when Peter began to rule the church, not prior.

Mark 16:7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee, there you will see him, as he told you.

Our Lord teaches from Peter’s boat in Luke 5. Peter is referred to as a fisher of men. That is also what the pope is supposed to serve as, and the Catholic Church founded by our Lord Jesus, the ark that saves as it did in the flood in the days of Noah. From the earliest centuries following the death and Resurrection of Christ in 33 AD, the Church has referred to herself as the ark.

St. Jerome, original translator of the Bible from Greek to Latin, writes in the 4th century, “Whoever is outside the Ark of Noah will perish in the flood.” Up until the 11th century, there was only ONE church, the holy Catholic Church. This is a matter of historical fact. In the 11th century a schism of the Catholic Church occurred, the Orthodox Church, and just 500 years ago, Protestantism arrived. In this passage, Jesus is with the first pope (Peter) in Peter’s boat (ark), and catching a multitude of fish, which is a metaphor for being a fisher of men.

Luke 5:3-11 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.

In the following example, in John 21, we see a few key things. We see Jesus say specifically to Peter after he has risen from the dead, “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.” He tells Peter to be a shepherd to his sheep, and to tend to them and to his flock.

Tend in the Greek is: Ποίμαινε (Poimaine)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular of Shepherd.
Strong's 4165: To shepherd, tend, herd; hence: rule, govern. From poimen; to tend as a shepherd of. Jesus is asking Peter to rule his flock by shepherding them. Tend, (Poimaine) is used throughout Revelation in the Greek translation to show Jesus’s authority. Here is an example:
Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Jesus gave Peter alone chief authority over his church and his flock.

John 21:10-17 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

St. Jerome, born in 347 AD, was renowned for writing many biblical commentaries, enough volumes to essentially fill a library. In his Commentary on Ezekiel 47, Book 14, he noted that, according to Greek zoologists of the time, 153 was the number of known species of fish in the days of the Apostles, representing all of humanity. Jerome writes, "It was thought at that time that there were only 153 species of fish in all the world. Hence, the disciples caught 153 fish, signifying that men of every class and time would be saved through the Gospel."

It is also noted that, according to Roman records, there were 153 nations in the world at the time of Jesus and the Apostles, as well. Fr. David Carter, commenting on St. Jerome’s studies, writes, "This signifies that all nations of people were to be caught in the net of the Gospel. A variation upon the theme, was that there were known to be 153 nations of people in the world at that time. And this number would have signified that the whole world was to be caught by the Apostles’ work of preaching the Gospel – A universal mission." Fr. Roger Landry further notes, based on his studies of St. Jerome's works, "153 had symbolic significance: it was both the number of known nations in the world at that time and what the ancients believed was the number of species of fish. For that reason, the early saints of the Church interpreted it as Jesus’ showing that he was sending them out as “Catholic” as “universal” fishers of men to all 153 nations, to catch all “153” types of men, women, boys and girl (fish)." So we see that the number 153 carries great significance of a universal scope.

In John 10, we see Jesus explaining how there should be only one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:1 – 18 But Jesus warned, "Amen, amen I say to you: He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath let out his own sheep, he goeth before them: and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers."

"This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke to them. Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers and the sheep heard them not. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flieth: and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep: And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep

“And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”

It is clear. Jesus warned us about other sheepfolds. He even said he had sheep in those other folds, that he must bring into his fold. This is why he established the papacy. He did not want dissension in His kingdom. Protestants dismiss these words too lightly. There is one fold, and one shepherd. Jesus made Peter the first pope, chief and shepherd of his flock. Paul says,

Ephesians 4:3-6 Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of All.

ONE.

One sheepfold. One shepherd. One Lord. One body. One faith. One baptism. Not 45,000. There are currently 45,000 Protestant denominations. We are called to all have one doctrine handed down to us by the apostles. One interpretation of how salvation is achieved. The only way to be united is to unite in one body with one faith in one church. It matters, or we would not have been warned against heresies. Heresies would not matter. How can you tell if your church is Holy Spirit inspired or heretical? Especially when it was founded by men, with no apostolic succession. Deceptions and 45,000 sects are the number one reason that stand in the way of people being brought into the body of Christ. Confusion reigns outside of the Catholic Church. In John 17 Jesus prays to His Father that his people would remain one so the world would know the truth. Pope St. Pius X says, “It is an error to believe that Christ did not teach a determined body of doctrine applicable to all times and to all men, but rather that He inaugurated a religious movement adapted, or to be adapted, to different times and different places.”

(Sgs. 6:8) proclaims: ‘One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one, the chosen of her who bore her,’ and she represents one sole mystical body whose Head is Christ and the head of Christ is God (1 Cor. 11:3). In her then is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph. 4:5). There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed.” ~Pope Boniface VIII, “Unam Sanctam”, 1302 A.D

In Luke 22:24-25, the apostles are in a dispute in regards to who is the greatest among them.

Luke 22:24-32 A dispute also arose among them, which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 “You are those who have continued with me in my trials; 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

In verses 31 and 32, Jesus speaks directly to Peter an says ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” The you is written in the plural in the original Greek text, though it is not in many English translations. Jesus prays for Peter specifically, knowing Peter will deny him soon after, but prays Peter alone will strengthen his Christian brethren here after. This passage is broken up into three components. The first part being that Jesus is essentially telling the apostles that asking who is the greatest among them isn’t a great question. The right attitude is to be a servant. He let’s them know they will all have authority, and that that should be enough for them. Then at the end Jesus, specifically sets apart Peter and commands him to “Strengthen his brothers.” Its important to note that this is all uninterrupted and our Lord doesn’t pause in between addressing the twelve and addressing Simon Peter.

Peter is known by people as the authority of Christianity:

Acts 5:15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

In Acts 10:9-48, Peter receives the gentiles into the full fellowship of the Catholic (universal) Church after a revelation from God. In Acts 10, Cornelius is instructed by an angel to go to St. Peter for instruction in regard to the faith:

Acts 10:21-22 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say.”

Peter was the first missionary to visit the churches. These churches were not different denominations with different doctrines, since Sacred Scripture explicitly warns against false sects and churches of perdition (see my article One Body One Faith). Paul’s visitations begin a few chapters later. (Acts 9:32-38-43) (Acts 13:2) We also know after Pentecost, Peter was the first to preach the gospel in the Church (Acts 2:14-36). In Acts 5:1-11, Peter inflicts the first punishment on Ananias and Saphira. Peter is the first to enter the tomb of Our Lord after Jesus resurrects in John 20:3-6. In Acts 3, Peter performs the first miracle among the apostles:

Acts 3:6-7 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

In Acts 1:13-26, Peter heads a meeting which elects Matthias. You’ll see Peter mentioned first out of the apostles, and Peter standing up among 120 people and among the apostles. When Judas’ seat became vacant, they filled the position in the significant office. This is also what they do with the papacy, and what they have done for over 2000 years. Click here to see every pope since St. Peter, including Pope Linus and Pope Clement who are also mentioned in Sacred Scripture.

In Acts 8, Peter excommunicates the first heretic, Simon Magnus. This authenticates that we are not all the body. There is only one body and one faith, because Jesus, the Head of the Church, cannot be one with error. He is the head, we are the body. The two are attached, never to be severed. That one body and one faith is inside the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. In Acts 15, Peter leads the first council in Jerusalem and then pronounces the first dogmatic decision. Let us examine it’s context.

Acts 15:1-19 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. (All of the Church leaders are gathered to make a decision on behalf of the Church to figure out how to deal with the gentile converts in regard to circumcision.) 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16 “‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
     and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
    and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
     says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 is a fulfillment of the council that existed during the reign of King David in 1 Chronicles. They were both councils in Jerusalem. The council of Acts 15 is comprised of all of the elders and apostles of the Church. In 1 Chronicles 28:1, we see that all of the chief men were assembled in Jerusalem:

1 Chronicles 28:1 David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors.

Later in chapter 28, it shows that they’ve met in order to discuss how to build the temple (The house of God) in the Old Testament. See passages 2 Corinthians 6:16 , Hebrew 3:6 , and 1 Peter 2:5 to see a connection between the Old Testament temple of God and the New Testament Church of God. King David gave his son Solomon these plans:

1 Chronicles 28:11-12 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat. 12 The plans contained everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things,

This prefigured the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. In Acts 15:16, there is a reference to a prophecy in Amos 9:11:

Acts 15:16 After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and the ruins thereof I will rebuild, and I will set it up

Amos 15:16 In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be

The tabernacle of David was the tent in which they stored the Arc of the Covenant. Before the construction of the temple, it was a forerunner to the temple. In Acts 15:16 with the conversion of the gentiles into the church, while being discussed by the apostles and elders at the council, the prophecy of the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David and the temple of God (the Church) is fulfilled. In 1 Chronicles 28:2, we read the following:

1 Chronicles 2:28 Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.
Acts 15:7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

The one who stood up in the midst of the assembly in those days of the council in the Old Testament was the king because he had authority over Israel. In the New Testament in the first church council of Jerusalem, Peter stands up among them because he is the leader and the authority of the church council, the very first pope. He is leader of the new Israel, the Church (see Galatians 6:16). Let’s continue to look at the parallels between these two councils:

In 1 Chronicles 28 we read that King David say’s the following:

1 Chronicles 28:4 Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever.

Acts 15:7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

It could not be more clear. Acts 15 describes Peter in the new church council the same way it describes King David in the Old Testament council in Jerusalem concerning the temple (the house of the Lord.) In 1 Chronicles 28:4 King David says out of the whole house of is Father, God chose him. In Acts 15:7 Peter says, out of all of you, the apostles, and elders among us, God chose my mouth. In Greek translations, the word for assembly which is used in 1 Chronicles 28 is ekklesia, which means church. Both David and Peter stand up amongst the church (the assembly.)

Just as I mentioned earlier that the official office would have it’s seats filled and that Peter would have successors to his throne, so did King David. God chose Solomon to succeed David in his office, just like our Lord chose Peter to be the rock of the church, and was given the keys to the kingdom in conjunction with the Key of David.

1 Chronicles 29:1 “And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God.” In Acts 15:12, the assembly falls completely silent after Peter is finished speaking, and the matter of doctrine is defined infallibly by the pope. It concludes with James, who becomes the Bishop of that location, instituting a temporary penance of abstaining from certain foods, but it is not a permanent dogma of the church. It was a discipline. (Acts 15:29)

The Council of Acts 15 is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Final Thoughts

Logically and historically, it only makes sense that there would be a hierarchy. Without one, chaos would reign and the kingdom would be divided , just as occurs within Protestantism, hence its 45,000 denominations. James Cardinal Gibbons makes another exceptional point:

“Every well regulated civil government has an acknowledged head. The president is the head of the United States Government. Queen Victoria is the ruler of Great Britain. The Sultan sways the Turkish Empire. If these nations had no authorized leader to govern them they would be reduced to the condition of a mere mob, and anarchy, confusion and civil war would inevitably follow, as recently happened to France after the fall of Napoleon III. Even in a well-ordered family, domestic peace requires someone to preside. Now, the Church of Christ is a visible society— that is, a society composed of human beings. She has, it is a true, a spiritual end in view; but having to deal with men, she must have a government as well as every other organized society. This government, at lead in its essential elements, Our Lord must have established for His Church. For was He not as wise as human legislators? And shall we suppose that, of all lawgivers, the Wisdom Incarnate alone left His Kingdom on earth to be governed without a head? But someone will tell me: “We do not deny that the Church has a head. God himself is it’s Ruler.” This is evading the rule question. Is not God the Ruler of all governments? “By me,” He says, “kings reign, and law-givers decree just things.” (Proverbs 8:15) He is the recognized Head of the Republic, and of every Christian family in the land; but, nevertheless there is always presiding over the country a visible chief, who represents God on earth. In like manner the Church, besides an invisible Head in Heaven, must have a visible head on earth. The body and members of the Church are visible; why not also the Head? The Church without a supreme Ruler would be like an army without a general, a navy without an admiral, a sheepfold without a shepherd, or like a human body without a head. The Christian communities separated from the Catholic Church deny that Peter received any authority over the apostles, and hence they reject the supremacy of the Pope. The absence from the Protestant communions of a Divinely appointed, visible Head is to them an endless source of weakness and dissension”

And what did the Son of Man will for his people in John 17:20-21? “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” There is one body, one faith, one sheepfold, one shepherd. Protestants will argue that we are all the body, yet we do not all have the same faith. We cannot agree on what is essential, and since we know Scripture is not a matter of private interpretation according to St. Peter himself in his epistles, no man made religion has the right to start their own church, or become their own pope. "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." (Matthew 12:30)

Again, the clearest and boldest testimony comes from St. Irenaeus, father of the Church Born in 120 AD in Asia Minor—died c. 203:
”We confound the heretics by indicating that tradition derived from the Apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul; as also by pointing out the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its pre-eminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolical tradition has been preserved continuously by those faithful men who exist everywhere.

And in the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop of the Church in Antioch, and disciple of John the Apostle of Jesus Christ, “You must all follow the lead of the bishop, as Jesus Christ followed that of the Father; follow the presbytery as you would the Apostles; reverence the deacons as you would God’s commandment. Let no one do anything touching the Church, apart from the bishop. Let that celebration of the Eucharist be considered valid which is held under the bishop or anyone to whom he has committed it. Where the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not permitted without authorization from the bishop either to baptize or to hold an agape; but whatever he approves is also pleasing to God. Thus everything you do will be proof against danger and valid.” (Saint Ignatius, Martyr and Bishop of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans) Click the link to read the letters of the early church fathers here.

We are called to one body, one faith, one baptism with one shepherd in one sheepfold with one bread. Peter himself says,

2 Peter 2:1-2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in sects of perdition and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their riotousness, through whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The Catholic Church is not only always under assault, but it is always spoken of as evil. Peter also warned us that scripture is not a matter of private interpretation, which means that no pastor or man made sect of perdition has the right to interpret Sacred Scripture as he sees fit. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.” 2000 years after His Church was established, the papacy remains. “Jesus, Our Lord, founded but one Church, which He was pleased to build on Peter. Therefore, any church that does not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the Church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is not the work of God.” - James Cardinal Gibbons

1 Timothy 3:15 If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

The apostles, St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome

Historical Evidence and Sacred Art

FACT CHECK: The Primacy of Peter in Scripture (Copy)

Don't all the Apostles receive the keys to the kingdom, making them equal with Peter?