To whom do the Eastern Orthodox Church's believe the "Keys to the Kingdom" were given by Jesus?
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To whom do the Eastern Orthodox Churches believe the "Keys to the Kingdom" were given by Jesus?
"I will give you [singular] the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind [singular] on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose [singular] on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
the New American Bible says the following about this verse:
the promise of the keys is given to Peter alone.
Who do the Eastern Orthodox Churches believe the "Keys to the Kingdom" where given to by Jesus?
On almost any given Sunday, with minor exceptions, Eastern Orthodox Churches worldwide celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, who also wrote commentaries on every single book of the New Testament; let's see what he has to say on the subject:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 17:1
And how gave He them the keys also? since if they are not to judge, they will be without authority in any matter, and in vain have they received the power to bind and to loose.
— John Chrysostom's Twenty-Third Sermon on Saint Matthew's Gospel
As a side-note (to a footnote), the idea that the promise of the keys is given to Peter alone sounds, to my Orthodox ears, remarkably similar to a Protestant sola — Solus Petrus, perhaps ?
It seems pretty clear to me, as the Catholic interpretive footnote denotes above, that Jesus was speaking directly to Peter, which implies that Peter is specifically given the "Keys to the Kingdom" (a.k.a. the final authority to bind and loose, a.k.a. Papal Supremacy).
Once again, let us turn to Chrysostom's commentary:
He next added, “But whom say ye that I am?” Matthew 16:15
What then says the mouth of the apostles, Peter, the ever fervent, the leader of the apostolic choir? When all are asked, he answers. And whereas when He asked the opinion of the people, all replied to the question; when He asked their own [opinion], Peter springs forward, and anticipates them, and says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
— John Chrysostom's Fifty-Fourth Sermon on Saint Matthew's Gospel
In other words, though technically taking place in the singular, Christ's dialogue with Peter is, nevertheless, echoing the views of the entire apostolic choir, whose lead singer or spokesperson he is. Just as the Father speaks through His incarnate Word to the twelve, so the apostles themselves speak through Peter to God in the flesh. Likewise, just as Peter gives a reply on behalf of all, he also receives the keys on behalf of all.
I am specifically interested in answers from strictly an Orthodox standpoint.
asked Sep 19 '13 at 13:16
edited Sep 19 '13 at 21:06
I am not only Eastern Orthodox, but also born on the aforementioned date. :-)
Upvote:1
The issue here is not Peter. Peter received the keys to the kingdom. Peter was the first leader of the entire church. The issue is with his successors. The Roman Catholic church decided that Peter's successor was not only head of the church in Rome but of the entire church. Eastern bishops took issue with this because they believed that the keys weren't ONLY given to Peter. (I'm deliberately glossing over the secular politics involved here.) Therefore, Linus had no authority over the entire church. And sadly, the absolute refusal of anyone on either side to give any ground on the issue means that there may never be any reconciliation.
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