Saint Peter (Syriac/Aramaic: shem`won kE`'p'A', Shemayon Keppa, Hebrew: shm`vn br yvnh Shim'on bar Yona, Greek: Petros Petros, Coptic: , translit.
In a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 16:13-19), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples give various answers. When he asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus then declares: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Cephas (Peter) (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. A common view of Peter is provided by Jesuit Father Daniel J. Harrington, who suggests that Peter was an unlikely symbol of stability. While he was one of the first disciples called and was the spokesman for the group, Peter is also the exemplar of "little faith". In Matthew 14, Peter will soon have Jesus say to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?", and he will eventually deny Jesus three times. Thus, in light of the Easter event, Peter became an exemplar of the forgiven sinner. Outside the Catholic Church, opinions vary as to the interpretation of this passage with respect to what authority and responsibility, if any, Jesus was giving to Peter. In the Eastern Orthodox Church this passage is interpreted as not implying a special prominence to the person of Peter, but to Peter's position as representative of the Apostles. The word used for "rock" (petra) grammatically refers to "a small detachment of the massive ledge", not to a massive boulder. Thus, Orthodox Sacred Tradition understands Jesus' words as referring to the apostolic faith. Petros had not previously been used as a name, but in the Greek-speaking world it became a popular Christian name, after the tradition of Peter's prominence in the early Christian church had been established.
What has a Rock have to do with him?
on this rock (petra) I will build my church, And I tell you that you are Cephas (Peter) (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome ?" Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." In a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 16:13-19), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" In a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 16:13-19), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples give various answers.
In a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 16:13-19), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples give various answers.