“Upon This Rock”

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on the so-called Petrine text (Matthew 16:18–19) and its place in Catholicism as a rationale for the office of the papacy. Viewed historically, the text was not invoked until the end of the fourth century by a church leader (viz., Pope Damasus) to support claims to Roman primacy based on Peter. The chapter discusses these early developments with a focus on the interpretation of Jesus’ words, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church” (v. 18), noting its varied interpretations of “rock” from the early church to the present. This critical word was understood to refer to Christ, to Peter’s rocklike faith, and to Peter himself. The interpretive categories hardened following the Reformation: Catholics invoked the text as proof positive that the church was founded upon Peter and his successors, the bishops of Rome; Protestants maintained that “rock” referred to Peter’s faith or to Christ himself. The present-day general consensus is that “rock” refers to Peter, although the implications of that reference differ among Christian traditions.