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[ Clickable links to the various Assertions & corresponding Research are further below on this page ]
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In Matthew 16:18, which reads (in part) "...you are Petros, and upon this petra I will build My church", were petros and petra both referring to Simon bar Jona (Peter)? If they were, then how does one account for the use of two different words in Greek?
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The most common explanations are variants of the following:
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1.
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Jesus spoke Aramaic. So, what Jesus said to Simon in Matthew 16:18 was this: "You are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my Church" (because there is only one word for "rock" in Aramaic).
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2.
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The Aramaic word kepha is translated petra or petros in Greek. The two words are synonyms in first century Greek.
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Petros wasn't used in Koine Greek, and therefore, kepha was translate petra, which was "masculinized" to petros for use as a mans name (because "petra" is feminine, and therefore, could not be used as a man's name).
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Kepha was translated as petros, which is the masculine second declension form of petra (which is feminine first declension)
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3.
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The Greek translation could not have said, "You are petra, and on this petra I will build my Church" because that would have entailed giving Simon a feminine name.
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The Greek translation did not say "...you are Petros, and upon this Petros..." simply for stylistic reasons.
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In the above explanation(s), there are a number of things stated as "fact":
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Jesus said '...you are Kepha, and upon this kepha...' in Aramaic
There is only one word for rock in Aramaic
Kepha, petros and petra could all be used to mean the same thing
Petros and petra were synonyms in Koine Greek
Petros was not used in Koine Greek
Petros is a masculinized version of petra
Petros and petra were really just masculine and feminine versions of the same word
Jesus would not have used a feminine noun as a name for Simon bar Jona
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Are these things true? Below, you will find the results of my research into these and other related questions. Click on each Assertion for my complete research findings.
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The Assertions
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all images and content copyright (C) 2011 rick o'donnell architect / all rights reserved.
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