Читать книгу Catholicism For Dummies - Rev. Kenneth Brighenti - Страница 96

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that Simon, son of John, is to be called Peter (Petros in Greek) and that upon this rock (petra in Greek), Jesus will build His church (ekklesia). Here is the passage from Matthew 16:18–19:

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the powers of death [some versions of the Bible read “gates of hell”] shall not prevail against it. 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.

This passage makes clear that Christ founded the Church; the Church belongs to Christ. However, Christ gave Peter the authority to care for it. For Catholics, this passage is extremely important because the pope is the successor of St. Peter and the Vicar (representative) of Christ on earth. The pope does not replace Christ; he represents Him much like an ambassador represents the president or prime minister who sends him to a foreign nation.

Notice in the Scripture that Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. These keys are symbolized in the papal flag, which shows silver and gold keys crossing each other. In the time of Christ, keys were given to chancellors (similar to prime ministers) by the king. The gold key provided access to the treasury where the prime minister kept the king’s gold (levied by taxes). The silver key offered access to the royal prison where the enemies of the king were kept. The keys not only protected what was inside, they also allowed access so that money could be dispersed, and prisoners could be freed.

While Jesus did not give Peter actual, physical keys, He gave him the same authority any king would give his prime minister. That authority is full, supreme, immediate, and universal, as expressed in the phrase “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Immediately following the death of Peter, the Holy Spirit guided the Church in the election of the next pope, Linus, followed by Cletus, Clement, and so on. Since that time, 266 popes have sat in the Chair of St. Peter — an unbroken line of apostolic succession. Read more about the pope in Chapter 6.