Authority of the Magisterium

Apostolic Succession

From Catholic Answers:

Well, that explanation sounds absolutely legitimate. I’m almost convinced of their authority. However, before we take that blind leap, let’s explore whether or not its true that the Roman church fathers followed the teachings of the apostles.

Passover

We will use, as one example, the change to the observance of Passover to show that the Roman church did not continue in the ways of the Apostles, but rather made up their own ways according to the desires of their own hearts.

By the mid-second century, Christians in Rome had begun celebrating Passover (Pascha in Aramaic) on the first Sunday following the first full moon after Spring Equinox. They began referring to it as “the day of the resurrection of our Savior”.

The early Christians in Jerusalem and Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), however, continued observing YHWH’s Appointed Times. They held their Passover feast on the 14th day of the 1st month at the beginning of Unleavened Bread, as Exodus 12:14 commands we are to do forever. The Roman Christians, who believed themselves superior, labeled those faithful to YHWH, quartodecimani, which is Latin for “fourteenthers”.

Exodus 12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to YHWH; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Among the faithful quartodecimani was Polycarp, disciple of the Apostle John and Bishop of Smyrna (c.69-c155). Polycarp travelled to Rome to discuss the issue with the Bishop of Rome, who at the time was Anicetus. The early church father, Eusebius (c. 260-339) wrote about their encounter:

So, is it true that the Church Fathers from the West, “appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine,” or were they the heretics? Eusebius, writing as a Roman Christian, knew that Polycarp and the eastern bishops were following the teaching of the apostles, where as the Roman bishops of the West were following traditions set down by the “elders” who falsely claimed their tradition came from Peter and Paul. How do we know this claim of succession from Peter and Paul was false? Paul instructed, in his letter to the Corinthians, that we are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, just as YHWH commanded us.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

If Paul or Peter were to have taught against keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread, they would have been teaching contrary to YHWH, which means they would have been false prophets.

Leviticus 23:4-8 These are the appointed feasts of YHWH, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is YHWH’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to YHWH; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to YHWH for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.

Apollinarius, a contemporary with the Apostles, wrote a poem that illustrates that the Apostles were keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread just as YHWH commanded; which means the Bishop of Rome, and the other Western Bishops who followed His lead, were wrong in changing YHWH’s Appointed Times, and were not following apostolic succession.

In AD 193, Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, presided over a council at Ephesus, which was attended by the Eastern Bishops. They discussed the issue and decided that they would reject the Bishop of Rome’s authority and continue following YHWH’s authority instead. Polycrates was emphatic that they were to continue in the tradition passed down to them by those who came before him. Eusebius gives us a copy of the letter from Polycrates:

The Bishop of Rome, Victor, then attempted to strong-arm Polycrates into submission by excommunicating the Bishops of the East. However, some Western Bishops convinced him to follow the path of his predecessors and not allow a schism to occur among the assemblies over the date of the holiday.

The First Council of Nicaea, lead by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, made the decision that the date of Passover be calculated independently of the erroneous Jewish calendar. The Christians of the fourth century had realized that the first new moon of the year needed to be after the Spring equinox, according to scripture, but the Jewish calendar often had it begin before. So they had started their own calendar calculating it correctly. At Nicaea, the bishops decided that Christians were to use their own calculations and not follow the Jewish calendar. Whether to celebrate on the fourteenth or on the first Sunday after was not discussed, and the practice was still varied within the church and continued to be for many years.

Therefore, it is ironic when the author from Catholic Answers says, “The Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, regularly appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine. This was necessary because heretics simply put their own interpretations, even bizarre ones, on Scripture. Clearly, something other than Scripture had to be used as an ultimate test of doctrine in these cases.“

Sabbath

We will look at one more example of how the Roman church disregarded the teaching of the Apostles to go their own way, and that is the keeping of the Sabbath. The command to rest on the Sabbath has existed since creation.

Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Leviticus 23:3 There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to YHWH.

Yeshua taught to keep YHWH’s commandments.

Matthew 15:3  He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Matthew 15:7-9 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

The Apostolic Church of the first century kept YHWH’s seventh-day Sabbath. We see this in the New Testament scriptures and in the writings of the early church fathers.

Luke 23:54-24:1 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

Ignatius (AD 30-107), who was a contemporary of Peter, Paul, John, and the other apostles, wrote:

The Jews had traditions of what was lawful to do on the Sabbath that had nothing to do with YHWH’s law, Ignatius said we are not to adhere to Jewish traditions. He contrasts the traditions of the Jews with the commands of YHWH.

Ignatius was living and teaching at the same time as the Apostles, so his teaching would be part of this “Apostolic Succession”, yet this is not the direction that the Roman church went. In AD 364, around 30 clerics met at the Council of Laodicea, to determine what would be considered Canon, and what would be included in the Bible and read at church. In total, 60 Canons were published at this council, thus codifying church doctrine.

We covered the Sabbath earlier in this study and you can also see our study, What Day is the Sabbath for even more details.

We can see the disgusting irony in the claim that “The Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, regularly appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine. This was necessary because heretics simply put their own interpretations, even bizarre ones, on Scripture.” Apostolic succession means that they follow the teachings of the apostles, but we have seen in two very important doctrines, that the Roman church disregarded the apostolic teachings to follow their own heretical traditions!

Hierarchical Church Structure

We must first define “hierarchy” in English to ensure that we are all on the same page.

An hierarchical church structure places individual people or groups of people into ranks based on level of authority, with each rank subordinate to the rank above it. This hierarchy is not within individual local assemblies, but encompasses all assemblies within their organization as a whole. Let’s compare a few hierarchical church structures that we find within Roman Christianity. We will assume that God is the head of all hierarchies, and that the charts only show the human elements.

The first three hierarchies that we will look at are the Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox, because these three are virtually identical. All three have a single person at the top of the hierarchy: Supreme Pontiff, Supreme Governor, and Patriarch respectively; and all three have individual people representing geographical areas within each layer.

The final three church hierarchies that we will illustrate are the Mennonite, Presbyterian, and Pentecostal. The layers of all three hierarchies are made up of groups of people that represent different geographical areas: congregations, synods, conferences, and assemblies. The first three churches that we illustrated have individual people in the roles: deacons, priests, bishops, etc.; whereas, these three churches have groups of people in the roles: conferences, assemblies, congregations, etc.

What do we know about the organization of the Assembly of Messiah according to the New Testament authors? First, we know that Messiah Yeshua is the head of the church, which we assume is true for all of the church hierarchies we covered above, but does scripture give a human hierarchy beyond the local assemblies?

In the beginning, Yeshua had chosen twelve disciples, also called apostles, to learn directly from Him.

Luke 9:1-6 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. ³ And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. ⁴ And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ⁵ And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” ⁶ And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Later, Yeshua had increased the number of apostles and sent them out just as he had the original twelve.

Luke 10:1-3 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ² And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³ Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

After Judas Iscariot betrayed Yeshua, the remaining eleven disciples chose his replacement among the twelve disciples.

Acts 1:21-25 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” ²³ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴ And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The apostles were the chosen primary messengers of the gospel; chosen directly by Yeshua Messiah.

Luke 24:44-49 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

These people laid the foundation for the Assembly of Messiah. They had the authority to lay the foundational doctrines of the church because they had been taught directly by Yeshua Messiah during his earthly ministry. Based on all the corrections the New Testament authors had to give to the local churches in their letters, it is safe to say that when the apostles were not physically present in a local church, the saints started going off the rails quickly, following false doctrines. It is not a surprise then, that by the opening of the second century, the Assembly of Messiah had many false doctrines seeping insidiously into the church, and these false doctrines are what the Roman church considers its source of apostolic authority.

We see in scripture a hierarchy of sorts within each local church group, but the Roman hierarchical church structure, is a hierarchy that moves beyond the local level to encompass the church nationally and internationally. We must not confuse apples and oranges, sure, they are both fruit, but they are not the same fruit. The Roman church hierarchy is a ladder of authority that is climbed, whereas the hierarchy in Christ’s Church is an ever-increasing burden of responsibility that weighs the believer down.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

Mark 10:42-45 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 4:10-16 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

There are seven roles of responsibility in the early church, not counting the apostles and Christ. None of these were intended to be titles, and none are part of a hierarchy of authority. We cover this topic in much more detail in our study The Way, The Truth, & The Life. These roles, their definitions (without the Roman Christian influence), and their responsibilities (not an exhaustive list) are as follows:

1. Saints
   • Greek word: ἅγιος (hag’-ee-os); sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):—(most) holy (one, thing), saint.
   • Responsibilities: personal holiness (1 Pet. 1:15-16, Gal. 5:22-23), community involvement (Acts 2:44-45, Heb. 10:24-25), spread the Gospel (Matt. 28:19-20, Matt. 5:13-16), stewardship (1 Pet. 4:10), and obedience (John 14:15). Love God and love your neighbour as yourself (Matt. 22:34-40).
   • also called priests in the order of Melchizedek
   • the Roman churches have perverted the words saint and priest into things unrecognizable compared to their Biblical meaning.
2. Servants
   • Greek word: διακονέω (dee-ak-on-eh’-o); to be an attendant, i.e. wait upon:—(ad-)minister (unto), serve.
   • Greek word: διάκονος (dee-ak’-on-os); to run on errands; an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties):—servant.
   • Responsibilities: serving, attending, miracles, healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues (Acts 6:2-6, 1 Pet. 4:7-9)), plus all the responsibilities of saints.
   • also called pastors, deacons, and ministers in scripture, however, the Roman churches have perverted those words into titles that have no connection to their Biblical meaning.
3. Shepherds
   • Greek word: ποιμήν (poy-mane’); a shepherd (literally or figuratively):—shepherd.
   • Responsibilities: watch over Yeshua’s flock (1 Pet. 5:2), leading with knowledge and understanding (Jer. 3:15), to equip Yeshua’s people for works of service (Ephesians 4:11-12), carry each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2); and all the responsibilities of saints and servants.
   • also called pastors in scripture, however, the Roman churches have perverted that word into a title that has no connection to its Biblical meaning.
4. Elder/Overseer (used interchangeably)
   • Greek word: πρεσβύτερος (pres-boo’-ter-os); older; as noun, a senior; specially, an Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the celestial council) or Christian “presbyter”:—elder(-est), old.
   • Greek word: ἐπίσκοπος (ep-is’-kop-os); a superintendent:—overseer.
   • Responsibilities: give instruction in sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine, care for the church of God (Acts 20:28-32); and all of the responsibilities of saints, servants, and shepherds.
   • sometimes translated “bishops”, however, the words bishop and elder have been perverted into titles that have no connection to their Biblical meanings.
5. Preachers
   • Greek word: εὐαγγελιστής (yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace’); a preacher of the gospel:—evangelist.
   • Responsibilities: making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19); proclaim the Word of God (Acts 13:1-5); and all of the responsibilities of saints, servants, shepherds, and overseers.
6. Teachers
   • Greek word: διδάσκαλος (did-as’-kal-os); an instructor (genitive case or specially):—doctor, master, teacher.
   • Responsibilities: teach the Word of God (2 Tim. 4:2); and all of the responsibilities of saints, servants, shepherds, overseers and preachers.
7. Prophets
   • Greek word: προφήτης (prof-ay’-tace); a foreteller (“prophet”); by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet:—prophet.
   • Responsibilities: (Acts 2:17-18, 1 Cor. 14:1-3) revelation of God’s will (1 Pet. 4:11), call to repentance, pursuit of justice (Amos 5:24), speak God’s truth into present circumstances (Matt. 10:19-20); and all of the responsibilities of saints, servants, shepherds, overseers, preachers, and teachers.

All those who follow Yeshua Messiah are saints, not just those few people that fit select criteria invented by the Roman church.

Philippians 1:1-2 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The New Testament also teaches the “priesthood of all believers.” This principle indicates that every follower of Christ has direct access to God through prayer and worship, participating meaningfully in the life of the church.

1 Peter 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 1:6  and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The apostles/disciples became aware that there was too much work for them to handle on their own, and that they would need the assistance of people who were less mature in their knowledge, but still knowledgeable enough to assist in serving the saints.

Acts 6:2-6 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

They called these saints, servants (deacons), and they took on the responsibility of serving, ministering, and attending to the church body.

Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 

The role of leadership, from a biblical standpoint, exists to equip the saints for service, not to dominate or exclude believers.

Acts 21: 8-9 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 

Despite being women, Philip’s daughters had reached the heaviest burden of responsibility attainable in the hierarchy of Christ’s Church—prophets. This is evidence that the early church did not limit the role of women, or anyone else, as long as they had the knowledge (education) level necessary for the responsibilities of the roles. (Most women of that time were not educated).

Philip had been one of the original seven servants from Acts 6, but over the years he had gained heavier responsibilities, and by Acts 21, had become an evangelist. This, along with what Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, shows that people were not meant to remain in the introductory levels of responsibility, but rather to grow in their responsibility as their knowledge would allow.

1 Corinthians 12:37-41 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way.

We can see that the burden of responsibility is added at each level, and the responsibility of the previous level also remains. The weight just keeps increasing. Peter, while addressing the elders said they were still to be shepherding the flock (shepherds) while exercising oversight (elders/overseers). They did not cease being shepherds when they became overseers.

1 Peter 5:1-4 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The prophets were gifted by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the word of God, giving timely exhortation, especially in new church communities.

Acts 13:1-5 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.

Claims of the Papacy

“We define that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff holds the primacy over the whole world.”–Philippe Labbe and Gabriel Cossart, The Most Holy Councils, vol. 13, col. 1167, on “The Council at Trent.”

The status and authority of the pope in the Roman Church was dogmatically defined by the First Vatican Council on 18 July 1870, in its Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ: 

The Roman church claims that Peter is the Rock on which Yeshua built his church, but Paul tells us, in his letter to the Corinthians, that only Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah) is that foundation Rock!

1 Corinthians 3:11  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The Roman church cites Matthew 16:18 as their evidence for their false apostolic succession doctrine. Let’s take a look at the full passage for context, and compare it to the rest of scripture for continuity of the Gospel message. We must ALWAYS let scripture interpret scripture.

Matthew 16:13-20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter [petros], and on this rock [petra] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Strong’s g4074 Πέτρος pet’-ros: apparently a primary word; a (piece of) rock; as a name, Petrus, an apostle:—Peter, rock.

Strong’s g4073 πέτρα pet’-ra: a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively):—rock.

The name Peter in Greek is Petros, which means “a piece of rock.” The Rock that Yeshua said He would build His church on is petra, which means a mass of rock. In other words, what Yeshua was saying is that Peter would be one rock out of many rocks on which He would build His church. This is in keeping with scripture, the writings of both Paul and Peter, which say that the Apostles are foundation stones but the cornerstone is Yeshua.

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4-7 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” ⁷ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers, “A stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone,”

Further evidence is that Yeshua did not call Peter the “greatest disciple” when he had the opportunity to do so later in Matthew 18:1-4, which would have been the time to confirm it if that was what He had meant.

So, Yeshua had asked the disciples who they believe that He is, and Simon Peter answered that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is the Gospel message. Yeshua is God, in the flesh, both fully man and fully God. This Truth is the Rock on which the Church of Christ would be built, the Rock is Christ.

In Matthew 16:19, Yeshua refers to the keys of the kingdom of heaven. To understand His intended meaning, we need a bit of a history lesson. This we found in the Restoration Study Bible, page 1483, in the footnotes:

On the same page of the RSB we also find an explanation of bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

As both of the passages Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Peter 2:4-7 convey to us: the saints (that’s us) are living stones (petros) that YHWH is using to build a holy temple in the Lord, a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, so that we may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah). 

This is the Temple. This is the Church. The Church is not a building in Rome, built over the grave of Peter. The Temple of the Holy Spirit is the Church built on the cornerstone of Christ with living stones of which Peter and the other disciples were the first. We are Christ’s Church, we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit!

Power to Forgive Sins

“The judicial authority will even include the power to forgive sins.”–The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, p. 265, art. “Pope.”

The best rendering of Matthew 16:19 (the verse used to support this lie) is: “And whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven,” from The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People. Scripture did not give Peter the authority to forgive sins, only YHWH can do that, because He paid the price for those sins.

Infallibility

In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964), the Second Vatican Council declared:

Once again we see the papacy claiming a title that belongs to Yeshua Messiah, that of “Supreme Shepherd.”

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Papal infallibility lacks any scriptural support, and contradicts the biblical teachings of the fallibility of all people, including church leadership. The Bible does not support any one person being the “head” of the church of Christ on earth.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1 John 1:8 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) is the only head of the Church and He is the only one who is infallible, and He is God.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

If the man in the position of the pope was infallible, how would you explain the changes in church doctrine over time, the mistakes made by the papacy, the existence of antipopes? The truth is that popes are human, therefore, they are susceptible to human error. No man is infallible.

This article from History Skills proves this point quite nicely:

History has proven Papal Infallibility is a lie, and the Roman church knows it!

Holy Father

“All the names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the pope.”–Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, De Conciliorum Auctoritate–On the Authority of the Councils), Bk. 2, chap. 17 [Bellarmine (1542-1621), a professor and rector at the Gregorian University in Rome, is generally considered to have been one of the outstanding Jesuit instructors in the history of this organization].

Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Yeshua is not saying that you cannot call your dad, your dad; He is saying not to use the title “father” for a religious leader.

Vicar of Christ

We see the title Vicar of Christ being used for the pope, where does it come from and what does it mean?

From Catholic Answers we learn:

The English, Vicar of Christ, comes from the Latin Vicarius Christi.

From definitions.net:

So, the Latin Vicarius Christi mean “Substitute for Christ”.

We learn from the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon that a Greek word that means “substitute”, “instead of”, or “in the place of” is Strong’s g473 ἀντί antí.

1. properly, it seems to have signified over against, opposite to, before
2. indicating exchange, succession, for, instead of, in place of (something).
   • a. universally, instead of
   • b. of that for which anything is given, received, endured
   • c. of recompense
   • d. of the cause
   • e. of succession to the place of another
3. As a prefix, it denotes
   • a. opposite, over against.
   • b. the mutual efficiency of two
   • c. requital
   • d. hostile opposition
   • e. official substitution

The Greek antichristos, which certainly does mean opposing or against Christ, also means “substitute for Christ”; therefore, Vicarius Christi means Antichristos.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, ² not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The One who replaced Yeshua Messiah after He ascended to Heaven to take His seat at the right hand of YHWH was the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the only substitute for Yeshua Messiah that will ever be on this earth. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The papacy claims the title that rightfully belongs to the Holy Spirit, thereby exalting himself to the position of God and taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God. He is the divine monarch and supreme emperor, and king of kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions.”–Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, vol. 6, art. “Papa II” [Ferraris (d. prior to 1763) was an Italian Catholic canonist and consultor to the Holy Office in Rome].

God Himself

“Thou art the shepherd, thou art the physician, thou art the director, thou art the husbandman, finally thou art another god on earth.”–Christopher Marcellus, in the fourth session of The Fifth Lateran Council, 1512, an address to the pope. Labbe and Cossart, History of the Councils, vol. 24, col. 109 [Marcellus (d. 1527) was a Catholic priest and archbishop of Corcyra. In appreciation of his many kindnesses, he was declared to be “noble lord of Venice”].

“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”–Pope Leo XIII, in an encyclical letter dated June 20, 1894, The Great Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII, p. 304 [Leo XIII (1810-1903) was pope from 1878 until his death. He was one of the most forceful popes of the nineteenth century]

“The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under veil of flesh.”–The Catholic National, July, 1895.

Daniel 11:36 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.

Changing Times and Laws

Daniel 7:25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Law

“The Pope can modify [change] the Divine Law.”–Lucius Ferraris, Ecclesiastical Dictionary [Ferraris (d. before 1763) was an Italian Catholic official of the Franciscan order, highly placed in the Church].

Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God that I command you.

“The pope has authority and has often exercised it, to dispense with the commands of Christ . . . The pope’s will stands for reason. He can dispense above the law, and of wrong make right, by correcting and changing laws.”–from Pope Nicholas’ time.

Do YHWH’s Laws require correcting? No, YHWH’s Law is perfect!

Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

Times

We have already discussed how the Roman church changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, and changed the observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread to the Easter week. In addition to those changes they also added Christmas and Lent.

Nowhere in scripture is there any reference to a celebration of Yeshua’s birth at any time of the year, but it is widely believed to have been in the fall, not on December 25th. For an excellent professionally made documentary on the subject of Christmas, please watch 119 Ministries’ documentary: The Christmas Question.

The observance of Lent is an entirely made up tradition by the Roman church. YHWH commanded us to observe the seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread; the Roman church instead teaches Lent. The public and communal nature of Lenten fasting can conflict with Yeshua’s directive to fast discreetly.

Matthew 6:16-18 And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

YHWH gave us His calendar with His Appointed Times that we are commanded to observe throughout the year. The Roman church changed from obeying YHWH’s times and seasons to following their own Liturgical Calendar of made-up dates based on the traditions of men.

Matthew 15:3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Mark 7:6-8  And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

The Roman Church’s claim to Apostolic Succession is demonstratively false. The hierarchical church structure is the opposite in all ways to the structure shown by the New Testament authors. The Roman Church claims titles and authority that belong only to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because that Day will not come unless first comes the falling away, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perditions, the one opposing and exalting himself over everything being called God, or object of worship, so as for him to sit in the temple of God, as God, showing himself that he is a god. Do you not remember that I told you these things, I yet being with you? And now you know the thing holding back, for him to be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he holding back now, until it comes out of the midst; and then the Lawless One will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume by the spirit of His mouth; and He will bring to nothing by the brightness of His coming; His coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and miracles and lying wonders, and in all deceit of unrighteousness in those being lost because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved. And because of this, God will send to them a working of error, for them to believe the lie, that all may be judged, those not believing the truth, but who have delighted in unrighteousness.

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