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'''Old Testament parallels''' show that God gave to particular men divine authority to act, and that He obeyed their word: Exodus 14:15-16 and Joshua 10:12-14; see also 1 Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 20:9-11, Matthew 9:8, Luke 2:51, and John 9:31 and 20:21-23; Romans 13:1-2, 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Hebrews 13:17, and Revelation 3:7. Compare the Catholic Bible [http://usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/index.cfm footnotes] on these verses with [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/1-1.htm multiple Protestant commentaries]. The controversy over divine authority is a key doctrinal issue in the [[Protestant Reformation]]. See [[Apostolic succession]].

'''Old Testament parallels''' show that God gave to particular men divine authority to act, and that He obeyed their word: Exodus 14:15-16 and Joshua 10:12-14; see also 1 Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 20:9-11, Matthew 9:8, Luke 2:51, and John 9:31 and 20:21-23; Romans 13:1-2, 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Hebrews 13:17, and Revelation 3:7. Compare the Catholic Bible [http://usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/index.cfm footnotes] on these verses with [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/1-1.htm multiple Protestant commentaries]. The controversy over divine authority is a key doctrinal issue in the [[Protestant Reformation]]. See [[Apostolic succession]].

There is a difference in Matthew 16:18 in the Greek words for "stone" and "rock". '''''Petros'' Πέτρος''' is the masculine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "large rock", and '''''petra'' πέτρα''' is the feminine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "massive rock". They essentially mean the same thing.

There is a minor linguistic difference in Matthew 16:18 in the Greek words for "stone" and "rock". '''''Petros'' Πέτρος''' is the masculine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "large rock", and '''''petra'' πέτρα''' is the feminine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "massive rock". They essentially mean the same thing.

:Πέτρος, Πέτρου, ὁ (an appellative proper name, signifying 'a stone,' '''a rock, ledge or cliff''').

:Πέτρος, Πέτρου, ὁ (an appellative proper name, signifying 'a stone,' '''a rock, ledge or cliff''').

:πέτρα, πέτρας, ἡ, from Homer down; the Septuagint reading for סֶלַע  and צוּר; '''a rock, ledge, cliff'''.   

:πέτρα, πέτρας, ἡ, from Homer down; the Septuagint reading for סֶלַע  and צוּר; '''a rock, ledge, cliff'''.   

See Strong's numbers [http://biblehub.com/greek/4074.htm ''4074''] and [http://biblehub.com/greek/4073.htm ''4073''].  

Protestant Greek scholars like [[D.A. Carson]] and [[Joseph Thayer]] admit there is no distinction in meaning between petros and petra in the [[Koine]] Greek of the New Testament.<ref>Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), 507; D.A. Carson, “Matthew,” in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), vol. 8, 368.</ref><ref>[http://patrickmadrid.com/bam-bam-the%e2%80%9cpebbles%6e2%80%9d-argument-goes-down-2/ Bam! Bam! The "Pebbles" Argument Goes Down, Patrick Madrid (patrickmadrid.com)]</ref> <br>See Strong's numbers [http://biblehub.com/greek/4074.htm ''4074''] and [http://biblehub.com/greek/4073.htm ''4073'']. See also [http://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm ''2786''].  

See also [http://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm ''2786''].  

:Κεφας, κεφα, ὁ (Chaldean כֵּיפָא, '''a rock'''), Cephas (equivalent to Πέτρος), the surname of Simon the apostle. (Jesus did not give Simon Bar Jonah a feminine name.)  

:Κεφας, κεφα, ὁ (Chaldean כֵּיפָא, '''a rock'''), Cephas (equivalent to Πέτρος), the surname of Simon the apostle.

A more literal translation of verse 18 is, "''I tell you, you are Rock, and on this Rock I will build my gathering (my assembly)''". Linguistically, according to the Greek construction, and Greek grammar, the person indicated by the phrase "''on this rock''" is Peter, not Jesus.  

(Jesus did not give Simon Bar Jonah a feminine name.) A more literal translation of verse 18 is, "''I tell you, you are Rock, and on this Rock I will build my gathering (my assembly)''". Linguistically, according to the Greek construction, and Greek grammar, the person indicated by the phrase "''on this rock''" is Peter, not Jesus.  

:'''καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ''' The emphasis is on ΤΑΎΤῌ '''ταύτῃ''', which points to Peter (''not to Jesus, as Augustine would have us suppose''), and to be understood thus: on no other than on this rock.

:'''καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ''' The emphasis is on ΤΑΎΤῌ '''ταύτῃ''', which points to Peter (''not to Jesus, as Augustine would have us suppose''), and to be understood thus: on no other than on this rock.

The equivalent Aramaic term in the Syriac ''[[Peshitta]]'' translation of the New Testament is '''κεφα''' ''Kepa / Cep-ha'', simply "rock":  

The equivalent Aramaic term in the Syriac ''[[Peshitta]]'' translation of the New Testament is '''κεφα''' ''Kepa / Cep-ha'', simply "rock":