Peter is the Rock on which the Church is built.
At a quick look there are two points that CARM makes that have not already been covered.
1. In Mt 16:18 although the Greek
petra rather than
petros is used for rock, in ancient Greek the distinction may have been significant (though some dispute even this), by NT times the two words were interchangeable. Moreover it would have been inappropriate for Peter to have been called by the feminine
petra rather than the masculine
petros. In addition there was a word in regular use for stone
(lithos – see Jn 19:13).
More importantly Jesus did not call Peter either
Petra or
Petros but the Aramaic
Kephas. (meaning Rock). So the above would have been “you are Kephas, and on this kephas I will build my Church”.
We know this because in John 1:42 Jesus renames Peter from Simon to Kephas (Rock)
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas”
Renaming someone is always significant in the Bible.
2. CARM claims that
kepha is not used as a name in Aramaic. But clearly it was used as a name by Jesus and others.
Jesus renames Simon in John 1:42. Also Paul refers to Kephas in 8 places in both his first letter to the Corinthians and in his letter to the Galatians. For example:
“
and that he appeared to Kephas, then to the twelve.” (1Cor 15:5)
“
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Kephas” (Gal 1:18)
“
and when James and Kephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars” (Gal 2:9)
This shows that Peter was generally know as
Kephas (or
Cephas).
By giving Peter the name Rock, a name that represents himself, Jesus was indicating that Peter was to be his representative before men.
This wasn’t the first time God chose someone to be his representative before people.
The Lord answered him [Moses], “
See! I have made you as God to Pharaoh" (Ex 7:1).
God made Moses as God to Pharaoh. In other words Moses was representing God to Pharoah,
In Mt 16:18 Jesus made Peter his representative before people, and he gives him authority represented by the keys in Mt 16:19, and the power to bind and loose, also in Mt 16:19.
The Pope, as the successor of Peter, is God’s representative before his people with his authority.