Peter and the Rock

168 Pages·1990·37.415 MB·English

by  Chrys C. Caragounis

Chrys C. Caragounis
Peter an d th e Roc k
W
DE
G
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
1990
Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Herausgegeben vo n Erich Gräßer
58
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Caragounis, Chrys C., 1940 —
Peter and the rock / Chrys C. Caragounis.
p. cm . — (Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die neutestament-
liche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche,
ISSN 0171-6441 ; 58)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-89925-684-8 (U.S . : alk. paper)
1. Bible. N.T. Matthew XVI, 18 —Criticism, interpretation, etc .
2. Church —Biblical teaching. 3 . Peter, the Apostle, Saint. 4 . Bible.
N.T. Matthew XVI, 18 —Criticism, interpretation, etc . — History.
I. Title. II. Series: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche
Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ; Beiheft 58.
BS410.Z7 Hef t 58
[BS2575.6.C5]
225.6 s-dc20
[226.2 6 ] 89-4889 3
CIP
Deutsche Bibliothek Cataloguing in Publication Data
Caragounis, Chrys C.:
Peter and the rock / Chrys C. Caragounis. — Berlin ; New York :
de Gruyter, 1990
(Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaf t
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ; 58)
ISBN 3-11-012396- 7
NE: Zeitschrif t fü r di e neutestamentliche Wissenschaf t un d di e
Kunde der älteren Kirche / Beiheft
ISSN: 0171-6441
© Copyrigh t 1989 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin 30.
All rights reserved , includin g those of translation into foreign languages. N o part of this
book ma y b e reproduce d o r transmitte d i n an y for m o r b y an y means , electroni c o r
mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in Germany
Printing: Werner Hildebrand, Berlin
Binding: Lüderitz & Bauer, Berlin
Dedicated to
My Brother
Peter Caragounis, M.Sc.

PREFACE
The impulse s t o th e presen t investigatio n hav e come fro m
various quarter s an d variou s times , whe n i n discussion s with
fellow-scholars, I becam e awar e o f th e prevalenc e o f th e
interpretation tha t the petra of M t 16:1 8 is to b e identified wit h
Petros and that consequently the Apostle Peter is to be regarded
as the foundatio n of the Church. Since this 'consensus' seemed to
cut across the line s o f theological stance , I became intrigued to
discover wha t compellin g philologica l an d exegetica l reason s
had brought about this consensus.
The present wor k is the resul t o f some arduous labor i n the
various area s t o whic h th e investigatio n ha s taken me . My
results, I fear , ar e no t supportiv e o f th e curren t 'consensus 1,
which seem s t o hav e bee n achieve d partl y throug h failur e t o
take int o accoun t th e whol e evidenc e an d partly throug h th e
adoption o f certai n unjustifie d assumptions . In thi s study th e
premises fo r th e abov e conclusion s ar e subjecte d t o rigorous
scrutiny an d the conclusions are called int o question. In fact, it
is th e clai m o f thi s stud y tha t th e curren t interpretatio n ha s
been base d o n outdate d o r otherwis e inadequat e data an d that
the presen t stat e o f th e evidenc e rathe r point s t o th e opposit e
direction. A t an y rate , I hereb y la y befor e th e scholarl y
community th e results I have obtained an d the reasons that led
me to them. In the hope that I am making a small contribution
toward th e understandin g of this important text, I now commit
my findings to the wise evaluation of my colleagues .
My special thank s are due to Professor D r Erich Gräßer for
his prompt an d unhasitating readiness to include this book in the
series of the Beihefte zu r Zeitschrift fü r di e neutestamentliche
Wissenschaft. Needles s t o say , h e i s not responsibl e fo r any
eventual defects.
VIII Prefac e
I also wish to thank Professor Dr H. Wenzel and Frau Felicia
Dorfert, bot h o f Walter de Gruyter, for their co-operation and
input in the production of this book.
Lund 15th October 198 9 Chry s C Caragounis
CONTENTS
Preface VI I
Introduction 1
Part One : Th e Philological Evidenc e
Ch. 1. The Greek Evidence 9
Ch. 2. Πέτρος , Πέτρ α and Derivatives as Names 1 7
Ch. 3. The Aramaic Evidence 2 6
Ch. 4. The Syriac Evidence 3 1
Ch. 5. The Word-Play 4 4
Part Two : The Exegesi s
Ch. 1. Mt 16:17-19 and Scholarly Discussio n 6 1
Ch. 2. The Context of Mt 16:13-20 6 9
Ch. 3. The Structure of M t 16:13-20 8 2
Ch. 4. Πέτρο ς and πέτρ α in Mt 16:18 8 8
Conclusions 11 5
Bibliography 12 1
Index of Passage s 14 4
Index of Authors 15 4

INTRODUCTION
As woul d b e expected , ther e i s a n immens e amoun t o f
literature o n the subject of Peter and the rock.1 This does not in
itself constitut e a problem othe r tha n tha t i t make s originalit y
hard.2 Burgess mentions that in his reading he often came across
"claims of a breakthrough in the understandin g of the Matthew
16 passage whic h turned ou t no t t o b e new at all ; an d then a
decade o r s o late r th e sam e suppose d discover y woul d b e
announced from another quarter".3
Yet i t would seem that all these "discoveries" or 'rediscoveries'
have no t bee n i n vain . Fro m man y quarter s i t i s nowadays
stressed tha t certain conclusions have become so well established
that the y can be regarded as opinio communist After centurie s
of disagreemen t it would appear tha t Protestant an d Catholic ar e
at las t unite d i n referrin g th e roc k upo n whic h th e Churc h
according to Mt 16:1 8 is to be built, to the Apostl e Peter. 5 But
that i s also the end of th e agreement . For example, the further
1. Burgess, A History o f th e Exegesis of Matthew 16:17-19 from 1781-
1965, offers a bibliography of about one thousand works, though he
claims (p . 185) t o hav e consulte d som e thirtee n t o fourtee n
thousand volumes.
2. Cf. Seitz, JBL 6 9 (1950), 329.
3. History, vf .
4. Cf. Ringger in Begegnung de r Christen, 273: "Es darf als o heute als
exegetisch geschicher t gelten , dass πέτρ α 'Fels' im Felsenwor t auf
Petrus pers nlic h geht." Cf. Burgess, History, 167.
5. E.g. Grundmann , Da s Evangelium nach Matth us , 389; Albright -
Mann, Matthew, 195,198 ; Buttrick , Th e Gospel according t o S t
Matthew, (IntB , VII), 448, 450; Filson, A Commentary o n the Gospel
according to St Matthew, 187; Gaechter, Das Matt h u s Evangelium,
527ff.; Cullmann , TDNT VI , 99 ; Ringger i n Begegnung de r
Christen, 271ff.; Burgess , History, 167f . Se e also a long lis t i n
Ringger, Begegnung der Christen, 311f.
2 Introductio n
question o f Petrin e successio n i s still rejected b y Protestants.6
Thus, it is still not possible to consider the results arrived at as
free fro m confessiona l influence. 7 On the other hand, it would
be false t o give the impression that all Protestant exegetes refer
πέτρ α t o Peter, 8 an d ther e ar e no w Catholic s who do so in a
rather restricte d sense, associating the Twelve along with Peter.9
It ough t als o t o b e clea r tha t mos t Protestant s exegete s who
refer πέτρ α to Peter do so under the assumption that the passage
is inauthentic,10 i.e. tha t it is either a later interpolation by some
6. E.g. Cullmann , Peter: Disciple, Apostle, Martyr; Burgess , History,
169ff.; Grundmann, Matth us , 396 ; Filson, Matthew, 186.
7. Cf. Grundmann, Matth us , 385 : "Konfessionell e Erw gungen haben
die Exeges e inhaltlic h s t rk t bestimmt" , whil e Albright-Mann,
Matthew, 195 , describe the dismissa l of the identification of πετρ ά
with Pete r as being a "confessional interpretation" and the denial
of Peter' s primacy as "a denial of the evidence". See also Schmid in
Begegnung, 348 , and Hoffmann, Neues Testament un d Kirche, 94f,
who speak of a de-ideologization (Entideologisierung) of the debate.
8. A few o f thos e who refuse to identify πετρά with Peter are : Strack-
Billerbeck, Kommentar zu m Neuen Testament au s Talmud un d
Midrasch I , 731f.; Gloege , Reich Gottes un d Kirche i m Neuen
Testament, 274ff.; Allen , Matthew, 176 ; Buttrick , Matthew, 450 ;
Gundry, Matthew, 334; Beare , Matthew, 355f.
9. Cf. Gaechter, Matth us , 529 : "Man w rd e dem Zusammenhang nicht
gerecht, wolt e man die Aussage 'Du bist der Fels' ganz auf Simon
beschr nke n .. . Also sind si e (i.e . th e Twelve ) in gewisse m Sinn
einbezogen i n de n Sats : 'D u bis t de r Fels'." See further Mussner,
Petrus und Paulus: Pole der Einheit, 21f .
10. According to Burgess , History, 42ff. , th e passag e bega n t o b e
treated a s inauthentic in 1781 through an anonymous article (later
discovered t o hav e bee n b y Friedric h Andrea s Stroth). By 1911 F.
Dibelius coul d write: "Kau m ei n kritische r Theolog e h l t da s f r
ein echte s Jesuswort" {Das Abendmahl: Eine Untersuchung be r
die Anf ng e de r christlichen Religion, 63f.). Other s includ e
Bultmann, ZNW 1 9 (1919-20), 170f. ; id., Theol.Bl. 20 (1940) , 265ff. ;
K mmel , Kirchenbegriff un d Geschichtbewusstsein i n de r
U r gemeinde un d be i Jesus, 32ff.; v . Campenhausen , Kirchliches
Amt und geistliche Vollmacht in der ersten drei Jahrhunderten,
140ff.