-The Roman Catholic Church treats Matthew 16:18-19 as though it decisively proves the truthfulness of its claims to being given the fullness of divine truth. It is claimed that Jesus Christ made Peter the Church of Rome's foundation and any spiritual gifts bestowed on him were passed on to succeeding popes of future generations. Thus, we see the reason that adherents fight so vigorously to protect their understanding of the meaning of the "rock" figure in Matthew 16:18-19. However, the church fathers were far from unanimous on accepting the "rock" metaphor found in that passage as being the Apostle Peter himself. This article contains excerpts from various church fathers, which have been taken from this
article.
-"...most ancient commentators deny that Peter is the rock. The Roman Catholic Launoy reckons that seventeen Fathers regard Peter as the rock; forty-four regard Peter’s confession as the rock; sixteen regard Christ Himself as the rock; while eight are of opinion that the Church is built on all the apostles." (The One Volume Bible Commentary, edited by John R. Dummelow)
-"You are Christ, Son of the living God.'...Now Christ called this confession a rock, and he named the one who confessed it 'Peter,' perceiving the appellation which was suitable to the author of this confession. For this is the solemn rock of religion, this the basis of salvation, this the wall of faith and the foundation of truth: 'For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.' To whom be glory and power forever." (Oratio XXV.4, M.P.G., Vol. 85, Col. 296-297)
-"When [Peter] wisely and blamelessly confessed his faith to Jesus saying, 'You are Christ, Son of the living God,' Jesus said to divine Peter: 'You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.' Now by the word 'rock', Jesus indicated, I think, the immovable faith of the disciple.” (Cyril Commentary on Isaiah 4.2)
-“For all bear the surname ‘rock’ who are the imitators of Christ, that is, of the spiritual rock which followed those who are being saved, that they may drink from it the spiritual draught. But these bear the surname of rock just as Christ does. But also as members of Christ deriving their surname from Him they are called Christians, and from the rock, Peters.” (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Book XII), sect. 10,11)
-"Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter's confession. What is Peter's confession? 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' There's the rock for you, there's the foundation, there's where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer." (John Rotelle, O.S.A., Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine, © 1993 New City Press, Sermons, Vol III/6, Sermon 229P.1, p. 327)
-"You are Peter and on this rock from which you have taken your name, that is, on myself, I will build my Church, upon that perfection of faith which you confessed I will build my Church by whose society of confession should anyone deviate although in himself he seems to do great things he does not belong to the building of my Church...Metaphorically it is said to him on this rock, that is, the Saviour which you confessed, the Church is to be built, who granted participation to the faithful confessor of his name." (Homily 23, M.P.L., Vol. 94, Col. 260. Cited by Karlfried Froehlich, Formen, Footnote #204, p. 156.)
-"Yet you will not in any way err from the scope of the truth if you suppose that the 'world' is actually the Church of God, and that its 'foundation' is in the first place, that unspeakably solid rock on which it is founded, as Scripture says: 'Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' and elsewhere: 'The rock, moreover, was Christ. For as the Apostle indicates with these words: 'No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." (Commentary on the Psalms, M.P.G., Vol. 23, Col. 173,176)
-"It will not be moved' is said about the Church to which alone that promise has been given: 'You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.' For the Church cannot be moved because it is known to have been founded on that most solid rock, namely, Christ the Lord." (Expositions in the Psalms, Volume 1; Volume 51, Psalm 45.5, p. 455)
- Catholic Apologists Misrepresent The Historical Record:
-Catholic apologists often use a “threefold reading” of Matthew 16:18, claiming the passage simultaneously points to Peter, his confession, and Christ as the foundation of the church. This approach is meant to harmonize the fathers, but it depends on interpretive flexibility that is not consistently supported by the historical record.
-Many fathers explicitly identify the “rock” as Christ or Peter’s confession, not Peter himself or any line of successors. Catholic interpretation often recontextualizes these voices to fit a papal framework, even when the texts do not clearly support that conclusion. The diversity of patristic views shows that early interpretations arose independently, not as part of a unified tradition pointing to Roman primacy. By admitting this plurality, Catholic apologists weaken the claim that Matthew 16:18–19 provides a clear, continuous basis for papal authority.
-The threefold reading blurs distinctions by treating Peter, his confession, and Christ as interchangeable. This elasticity dilutes exegetical clarity and turns the biblical text into a tool for institutional aims rather than it being interpreted on its own terms. If Peter, his confession, and Christ can all be “the rock” at once, then almost any claim can be retrofitted into the text. This opens the door to circular reasoning, where tradition interprets Scripture and Scripture is then cited to validate tradition. The result is less historical exegesis and more theological assertion.
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