ARTICLE
The Kingdom, Authority, and the Papacy by Kevin Cotter
The Bible is not written as a book about doctrines; rather, it is a story that captures the saving work of God
throughout history. When approaching the doctrines of Catholicism, some opponents of the Church are quick
to dismiss them because they don’t see them in the Bible. The doctrine of papal authority and succession is one
of those issues where many believe the Catholic Church has no scriptural footing to stand on. But, a deeper
understanding of God’s word and the interplay between Tradition and the history of the Church brings the
foundations of this doctrine to light. The following article, while not exhaustive, hopes to outline the Biblical
basis for the authority given to the Catholic Church, the pope, and the bishops.
What Does the Church Believe?
First, let’s clearly establish what the Church believes. Jesus, as king, established His kingdom here on earth. As
He left this world, Jesus gave His authority over this kingdom to His apostles. In particular, the apostle Peter
was granted a unique role in the kingdom. The Catholic Church believes that these roles were passed down
over the centuries through our bishops and popes.
Why Does the Church Believe This?
This article will walk through this teaching in four stages:
1. As the Messiah, Jesus established a kingdom on earth by re-establishing the Davidic kingdom.
2. Jesus passed the authority of this kingdom to His apostles and, in a particular way, to the apostle Peter.
3. The prime minister in the Davidic Kingdom corresponds to the office given to St. Peter by Jesus Christ in
Matthew 16.
4. Scripture and Church history attest that the offices of St. Peter and the other apostles were not only
granted to the apostles but also to their successors.
1. As the Messiah, Jesus established a kingdom on earth by re-establishing the Davidic kingdom.
The Jewish people had been waiting for a king to restore the Davidic kingdom that had been temporarily
suspended through their captivity by several nations. They called this expected king the Messiah or Christ,
meaning “the anointed one.”
In the Gospels, it is clear that Jesus is portrayed as this Messiah. Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus
keeps His identity hidden during much of His ministry. In Matthew 16, He asks His apostles, “Who do you say
that I am?” St. Peter’s answer to this question and Jesus’ response form the scriptural foundations for our
understanding of the papacy.
2. Jesus passed the authority of this kingdom to His apostles and, in a particular way, to the apostle Peter.
Let’s look at the exchange between Jesus and St. Peter in Matthew 16, where Jesus passes on the authority of
the kingdom to his apostle.
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The Kingdom, Authority, and the Papacy by Kevin Cotter
Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the
Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build
my church, and the powers of death 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." Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
As noted above, the most important aspect of this passage is St. Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus then says three key phrases to Peter:
“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against
it” (v. 18).
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (v. 19).
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven” (v. 19).
The declaration that St. Peter is the rock is fairly straightforward: Jesus permanently changes Simon’s name to
Peter (meaning rock) and then tellshim that "upon this rock" (Peter) Jesus will build His Church. This is all clear
from the text.
In order to understand what Jesus is referring to in the next two phrases, however, we have to dive deeper into
the Old Testament to see how the Davidic Kingdom works.
3. The prime minister office in the Davidic Kingdom corresponds to the office given to St. Peter by Jesus
Christ in Matthew 16.
We have to remember that Jesus is re-establishing the Davidic kingdom—and with it, He is re-establishing
offices in that kingdom. The idea of an office in an ancient kingdom can be foreign to us, but think of our offices
in politics today. Take the vice-president of the United States: His main duty is to take over the office of
president if the president is unable to continue his office during his term. Or think of the Supreme Court: Their
role is to determine the proper interpretation of the law. Each office has its role and particular authority and
duties. This was the case in the Old Testament as well.
Details about the office Jesus gives to St. Peter are found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 22:15-24
Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to
him: What have you to do here and whom have you here, that you have hewn here a tomb for yourself, you
who hew a tomb on the height, and carve a habitation for yourself in the rock? Behold, the LORD will hurl you
away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you, and whirl you round and round, and throw you
like a ball into a wide land; there you shall die, and there shall be your splendid chariots, you shame of your
master's house. I will thrust you from your office, and you will be cast down from your station. In that day I will
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call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him,
and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the
house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall
shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become
a throne of honor to his father's house. And they will hang on him the whole weight of his father's house, the
offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.
The two characters in this story are Shebna and Eliakim, and they hold the office of head of the household. In
some translations, the office is called "master of the palace" or "one over the household." All of these titles
come from the Hebrew word al-bayit, which is a prime minister–like office.
The message in Isaiah 22:22 (“And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and
none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open”) is very similar to Jesus’ message to Peter in Matthew
16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The key is a sign of authority in the ancient world. We still use it today in a symbolic way, as when a mayor
gives a person the key to the city as a sign of recognition. The language of opening and shutting, along with
binding and loosing, speaks of authority. Specifically, the idea of binding and loosing was used by rabbis in
Jesus’ day about the authority to allow or disallow interpretations of the Jewish law.
This is why we believe that the pope today has the authority that comes from Christ to instruct the Church
regarding faith and morals. Jesus possesses all authority, and this authority is administrated on earth by His
prime minister.
Once we make the connection between St. Peter’s office and the prime minister office in the Old Testament,
our understanding of the papacy can be more thoroughly deepened.
Let’s take a look at some other characteristics of this office in Isaiah 22 and how this affects the office of the
papacy throughout the history of the Church:
Verse 21: “And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” This is where
the title "pope" (meaning papa) originates. The pope is also called the Holy Father.
Verse 23: “And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's
house.” A throne is a place of authority where a king makes declarations for the kingdom. In the Jewish
tradition, this is seen with Moses (Exodus 25:20-22) and the Pharisees (Matthew 23:2). The concept of a throne
and authority is carried out by the pope (and bishops) today. This throne or chair (cathedra in Latin) is where
the pope or a bishop makes declarations for the faithful. This is why the bishop’s church is called a cathedral: It
is the Church that contains his cathedra, or throne.
Verse 24: “And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place…. And they will hang on him the whole weight of his
father's house.”
In a tent, the peg holds the entire structure together. This is why the passage says that "the whole weight of his
father’s house" will hang on him. His house represents the entire kingdom. Similarly, Jesus gives St. Peter the
authority to His entire universal kingdom, the Church.
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We also know from other ancient sources that the prime minister took over for the king if the king left the
kingdom. After Jesus hands over this office to St. Peter, He heads straight to Jerusalem to die. He knows He can
die, rise, and ascend into heaven, because someone is in place to guide His kingdom.
Finally, the story from Isaiah shows that this office is passed on from one person to another. Shebna holds the
office, but Eliakim takes over this office after him.
As we saw above, Jesus first hands on His authority to St. Peter. Later, Jesus will hand on this authority to the
other apostles as well, as we read in Matthew 18:18:
Matthew 18:18
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven.
So the apostles are given a share of St. Peter’s authority as they are told that they also have the power to bind
and loosen. We believe that the bishops of the Church are the successors of the apostles. However, they do not
have the exact same authority; they don’t receive the keys, and thus don’t have the same position as St. Peter.
4. Scripture and Church history attest that the offices of St. Peter and the other apostles were not only
granted to the apostles, but also to their successors.
Let’s look at this last point. The Catholic Church believes that these offices were established with the apostles
and passed on through the centuries to the modern day.
First, we see this passing-on directly in Scripture, in Acts 1:15-26:
Acts 1:15-26
In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and
twenty), and said, "Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the
mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us,
and was allotted his share in this ministry. (Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and
falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) For it
is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and
'His office let another take.' So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus
went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." And they put forward two, Joseph called
Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts
of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship
from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias;
and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
St. Peter stands up among the disciples and apostles and notes that, since Judas died, someone needs to take
his office as an apostle. They cast lots and Matthias is “enrolled with the eleven apostles,” so we see that the
office of apostle is passed on. It does not just end with the death of the apostles. This is why we believe these
offices continue on today with our pope and bishops.
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In the first century, St. Clement writes about this idea of passing on authority. St. Clement was a contemporary
of the apostles and the fourth pope. St. Peter, along with Sts. Linus and Cletus, the second and third popes, had
all been martyred. St. Clement would be killed as well, but not before giving us some of the most ancient and
reliable explanations of the life of the early Church:
Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached, and they appointed their earliest converts,
testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers.... Our apostles knew
through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason,
therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been
mentioned and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men
should succeed to their ministry. (St. Clement, Letter to the Corinthians 42:4-5, 44:1-3)
Conclusion
Few doctrines spark more debate than the papacy. While this claim is outrageous to some, if it is true, the
Catholic Church is the only body that fulfills this bold claim. This is why it is so important to know the scriptural,
historical, and logical reasons for this belief.
Additional Resources:
Scripture: Luke 10:16; Luke 22:31-32; John 16:13; John 21:15-19; Acts 15:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 14-15.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraphs 880-892
Books:
Pope Fiction by Patrick Madrid
Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church by Stephen K. Ray
“Peace of the Rock” in Reasons to Believe by Scott Hahn
Made for More by Curtis Martin, p. 57-72
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