Most Roman Catholics recognize Peter as the first bishop of Rome and favored apostle
of Jesus Christ. During the fourth century the papacy emerged as a privileged post
with theological authority over bishops in the east and west, and on several
occasions, working in concert with the eastern Roman emperor, the bishop of Rome successfully intervened
in theological debates to shape the course of orthodox Christianity.
Yet Peter was a Galilean fisherman with a Jewish faith bereft of
pageantry and splendor, and his deep struggle to remain faithful to the Good News mirrored the profundity of his humanity. Peter denied Jesus three times after his arrest, and the Gospel
of Mark recounts how Peter rebuked Jesus when he told the apostles the Son of
Man would die and rise after three days (Mark 8:32). Like the other male apostles
Peter fled Roman authorities after the crucifixion. Paul's letter to the Galatians describes how he bickered with Peter over doctrinal matters, motivating Paul to write, "I opposed him to
his face because he clearly was wrong (Galatians 2:11)."
What are Christians to make of Peter's inconsistencies
coupled with his status as a prominent leader of the first Christian
communities in Palestine? The pomp and majesty of later popes is hard to reconcile with the Gospel's image of the impulsive fisherman from Galilee. It is hard to believe that early Christians depended on Peter to settle crucial church matters. Yet it is in the seeming contradictions of
Peter's rich humanness that Christians can find strength in weakness, stability in chaos, and faith in hopelessness. If the brash man that the Gospels depict went on
to become the first bishop of Rome, then our capabilities to serve God are truly
limitless.
Most Roman Catholics recognize Peter as the first bishop of 
The survival of the church in its first days is the greatest miracle of all (http://www.conorpdowling.com/12/a-miraculous-escape). Only a resolute Peter, the one who stood up to Jesus himself, could account for it. Paul comes too late, after these first days. They had to survive those.
Posted by: gentle exit | June 30, 2008 at 06:37 PM