But, in order to maintain the aforementioned succession, the Papists are accustomed to say, that they do not reckon the same from the antiquity of some erring spirits who were before, in, or after the time of the apostles; but from the church of Christ itself, and from Peter, whom they styled the prince of the apostles, upon whom Christ himself, as they asserted, wished to build his church. _Bell. lib. 1. de pont Rom. cap. 10. Quansuys ex._
To this they add as a second argument, that to him, and no other, were given, by Christ, the keys of heaven, to open or to close the same according to his pleasure.
And, thirdly, that the Lord thrice commanded him--more than the other apostles--to feed his flock, that is, his church.
Moreover, that he occupied the Roman throne, and that the popes succeeded him therein.
To prove this supremacy of Peter, and, consequently, the succession of the popes in his place, they have, for a long time already, misused three passages of holy Scripture, namely Matt. 16:18,19; and John 21:15–17; to which we will reply in the following.
Matt. 16:18, the Lord says: “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
The error of the Romanists consists in this, that they misinterpret the word _petra_, as though thereby was meant the apostle Peter; but this is a great and palpable error. For the Lord there plainly distinguishes between the name _Petros_ (Peter) and the word _petra_ (rock); saying immediately before: “Thou art _Peter_,” but afterwards: “and upon this _rock_;” upon which follows: “I will build my church;” so that the Lord does not promise there, to build his church upon _Peter_, but upon the _rock_; which he plainly mentions.
Now it will depend upon the true meaning--who and what is to be understood by this rock. Some maintain the first mentioned meaning, which we have refuted just now, namely, that Peter himself is meant thereby; for which purpose they misapply the passage John 1:42, where this apostle is called _Cephas_,[49] which, in their opinion, signifies a foundation stone; but this is also an error.
[49] And he (Andrew) brought him (Simon Peter) to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. John 1:42.
It is true that, according to the explanation of orientalists, those versed in oriental languages, by this word there is to be understood a stone; but what kind of a stone? Not a foundation stone, but a piece, corner, or chip of a stone, upon which no building could ever be founded. The word Cephas, they say, is derived from the Hebrew word _Keph_, which with them means a corner or edge of a stone; while, on the other hand, the rocks or foundation stones are designated by the name _Sela_ or _Zur_,[50] according to Deut. 32:13. Thus Peter is indeed called a stone in holy Scripture, yet not a foundation stone, but only such a one as is generally built upon a foundation. Christ is properly the foundation stone, as Peter himself declares, when he calls Christ the living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious (1 Pet. 2:4); whereupon he adduces the words of the Prophet Isaiah, saying: “Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him” (that is builds upon him through faith) “shall not be confounded.” 1 Pet. 2:6 from Is. 28:16.
[50] He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the (_Sela_) rock, and oil out of the (_Zur_) flinty rock. Deut. 32:13.