09-01-2004, 07:03 AM
addai
on Simon Peter being "the rock". Well LAmsa is a bit wordy so I'm going to give my idiomatic rendition of Aramaic idiom of that famous passage that Rome uses to support apostolic succesion.
Kepa the word for rock was often used as slang for a dense or stupid person. We can think of English equivaelents things like "Blockhead", the German insult of Dumbkompf, etc.
The Aramaic take on Peter being the "rock that the Church is built upon", is simply this. Christ acknowedges that Peter often is densed (but well intended, and no doubt teased by his peers), but he points out that the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of Grace, and thus someone who many would look down upon can not only see one of the foundational truths that God is Kingdom is built upon (which the hard hearted educated could not see), but actually can play a very prominent role in establishing God's Church on earth. Because God has chosen the foolosh things to confound the wise, he gives grace to the humble, etc.
The rock however that the Church is built upon is Peter's unexpected confession of faith (foundational for all the coming creeds and the Gospel message) and not him literally. I think I recall a literal rendition of the passage is sopmething like Simon you are (kepa - small stone) but upon this capstone (the profession of faith he just got done making) I will build my Church. In this case Jesus was making a bit of a pun like joke to teach a spiirtual truth.
on Simon Peter being "the rock". Well LAmsa is a bit wordy so I'm going to give my idiomatic rendition of Aramaic idiom of that famous passage that Rome uses to support apostolic succesion.
Kepa the word for rock was often used as slang for a dense or stupid person. We can think of English equivaelents things like "Blockhead", the German insult of Dumbkompf, etc.
The Aramaic take on Peter being the "rock that the Church is built upon", is simply this. Christ acknowedges that Peter often is densed (but well intended, and no doubt teased by his peers), but he points out that the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of Grace, and thus someone who many would look down upon can not only see one of the foundational truths that God is Kingdom is built upon (which the hard hearted educated could not see), but actually can play a very prominent role in establishing God's Church on earth. Because God has chosen the foolosh things to confound the wise, he gives grace to the humble, etc.
The rock however that the Church is built upon is Peter's unexpected confession of faith (foundational for all the coming creeds and the Gospel message) and not him literally. I think I recall a literal rendition of the passage is sopmething like Simon you are (kepa - small stone) but upon this capstone (the profession of faith he just got done making) I will build my Church. In this case Jesus was making a bit of a pun like joke to teach a spiirtual truth.