Was the Apostle Peter the First Pope?

According to Roman Catholics, based upon Matthew 16:18, the Apostle Peter was the first pope. But was he? Let’s examine this a little closer.

First, what does the word “pope” mean? It comes from the Latin word papas. However, the term wasn’t used until the 3rd century.

Matthew 16:13-20

In this passage, Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about Him. Their answers? Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, etc. Then Jesus turns to them and says, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Jesus responds: “… And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Jesus plays upon two words in the Greek. Peter’s name, petros (pebble, or stone), and “rock,” petra. What is the big rock (petra) Jesus is talking about? Three possibilities.

1. Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One)
2. Christ’s teachings
3. Peter himself

Why “Rock ” Does Not Refer to Peter

1. Although he was a spokesman for the apostles, we have no record that he exercised authority over them.
2. Paul once rebuked Peter in public (Galatians 2:11-14). Certainly, then, Paul didn’t recognize Peter’s papal authority.
3. Peter was a leader in the Jerusalem church, but other churches had leaders as well.
4. At the Council of Jerusalem, Peter submitted to James’s decision regarding Gentiles in the church and circumcision (Acts 15:7-21).
5. The apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter into Samaria (Acts 8:14) to preach the Gospel. If he had ultimate authority over the church, he would have done the sending out.
6. No Biblical record exists of Peter ever going to Rome.  We’ll examine this in the next post, due out after Christmas.

Who Founded the Church in Rome?

Short Answer: No one knows for sure. Although Peter played a role in founding the Jerusalem church, James, the brother of Jesus, served as its leader. According to the book of Acts, Peter ministered to the Jews in Palestine.

What about Paul? No, he didn’t establish the Roman church either. In Acts 18:2, we read that he met a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who were believers. Along with other Jews, they’d been kicked out of Rome by the Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. At this point in history, Christianity was still considered a Jewish sect. Thus, a Roman church probably existed before Paul visited it.

The Church’s Foundation

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:19-21, ESV).

The church is built upon the apostles’ and prophets’ foundation: their teachings and doctrine, with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone. The cornerstone binds all the other stones in a building. Without it, the building can’t stand straight and true. It’s the most important stone, as it’s where a stone building’s construction starts.

When we want a sure spiritual foundation, we must build it upon Christ, not Peter. Peter himself wrote that Christ is the church’s foundation: 1 Peter 2:6-8.

Bibliography

Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967

Hinson, E. Glenn, The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996.

Engelbrecht, Edward A., and Laura L. Lane, eds. The Church from Age to Age: A History from Galilee to Global Christianity. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2011.

Wilkins, Michael J. “Matthew.” In ESV Study Bible, edited by Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem, page 1999. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

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