Is the Catholic Church what Jesus refered to when he said upon this rock I will build my church?

Answer 1

There are at least two questions here (though related):
1) what is the "church" Jesus' said he would build?
2) what is the "rock" on which he promised to build it?

1) "Church" translates a Greek word for "assembly" that was used in the Bible especially to refer to the great assembly of God's people on Sinai. It refers then to the redeemed PEOPLE of God. The word by itself does not tell us anything about what sort of 'institutional structure' or structures might develop. So, to determine what the NT says (if anything) about the specific INSTITUTION we know as 'the [Roman] Catholic church' you will have to look at other passages. (I think not, though I also do not think 'church' is just 'spiritual' with no thought of structuring. On the contarry, the NT itself shows us the organization of local bodies under the leadership of elders, etc.)

2) the "rock" -- odd things are done with this. Protestants often say it refers to 'the faith' or confession Peter makes here; Catholics usually say it means Peter... well, actually they end up saying it means "Peter the pope AND his successors in the papacy".

I do not believe either is quite correct. "Rock" IS a play on "Petros" ('rock') so the man is certainly important, not JUST what he says. But it is esp about Peter's work AS he confesses Jesus as the Christ. This is supported by the striking contrast of the very next episode in which Peter FAILS to understand and accept Jesus' announced work as Messiah (viz, going to the cross) and even opposes his plans, and Jesus responds with, "Get behind me SATAN!" Also, language related to this passage (e.g., Paul's reference to the church being built "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets") connects it with the work of the other apostles as well. In fact, it is clear from several stories in Acts that Peter took the LEAD in key steps of the early church (Pentecost, Samaria, Cornelius). But NOWHERE does the N.T. speak of Peter somehow having one or more "successors" who act similarly as "foundation" (it it even makes sense to have this foundation to CONTINUE to be laid in this way in later generations).

Answer 2

According to the Roman Catholic Church it is. The "Rock" referred to was Simon Peter, one of the Apostles. He was renamed Peter, meaning rock and told that upon this rock I will build my church. Peter is revered as the first Pope.

Answer 3

Christ needless to say commonly used an business enterprise, the church that would not be prevailed against. It has the two human and divine factors, as did our Lord. That church is that physique which grew up in continuity with the early church. Branches, split-offs, "reestablishments" -- those at the instant are not the church based with the help of Christ. The eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic church homes have been one Church -- what grew to become into anciently stated as basically the catholic church -- for greater or less one thousand years. "eastern Orthodox" is a shortened version of that Church's call -- "Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church". it quite is plenty Christ's Church because of the fact the Roman Catholic Church is -- neither predates the different; the two, you spot, now have adjectives of their names, an acknowledgment that Christianity has been divided. From the Orthodox point of view, it grew to become into Rome that departed from the different patriarchates, and struck out with the help of itself, mistaking its rightful place of the pinnacle of the church homes interior the west to point that it grew to become into the rightful head of all the church homes. The heads of the different church homes did not agree. Orthodoxy has maintained the religion, without the additions of Rome, nor the subtractions of Protestantism. reward. /Orthodox

Answer 4

No, Jesus was refering to Simon Peter the first pope.

Matthew 16:17-19 states:

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

The Catholic Church believes the Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.

The Pope is the senior pastor of 1.1 billion Catholics, the direct successor of Simon Peter.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

What Jesus really meant was: ... and upon THIS rock will I build my church?

Let us remember that Peter was not, precisely, the truest of Jesus' followers. He was an illiterate, a coward and a traitor who even denied knowing Jesus on several occasions. More to the point, Jesus NEVER intended to build a church. What He wanted -in my very PERSONAL opinion- was to change the hearts of the people. It was Paul who saw the immense commercial benefits of creating a new religion who actually founded what we now know as the catholic church NOT Peter.

Answer 6

No not at all and all that Inquisition stuff wasn't so Christian in the name of Jesus Christ. Check in ur bible for the "whore monger" surrounded by the seven hills, then check Rome and Vatican City to see if it is surrounded by seven hills the only church in the world that is surrounded by the seven hillsis the Catholic Church in rome in Vatican City and there's ur answer.

Answer 7

Sort of... He was speaking of St. Peter who founded the modern Roman Catholic church.

Answer 8

No, and Peter is not the rock, Jesus is the Rock...

Matthew 16:13-18 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto 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 unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.


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"Christ spoke in the Syrian tongue, and therefore did not use this discourse to distinguish between Petros, which signifies Peter, and Petra, which signifies a rock, but in both places used the word Cephas: but his meaning is what is written in Greek, in which the different word endings distinguish between Peter, who is a piece of the building, and Christ the Petra, that is, the rock and foundation: or else he named him Peter because of the confession of his faith, which is the Church's as well as his...."
Geneva Bible Translation Notes

Answer 9

He was refering ot Peter which in Greek is petra, Christ's "nickname" for Simon.

Answer 10

no the Catholic church is not the rock but it is the whore monger - referred to in Revelations.