:The King James translators of John 1:42 were careful to avoid the more literal translation of '''Πέτρος''' ''Petros'' as "Rock", because of its doctrinal significance in apparent support of the Catholic position that the Church is founded by Christ on the Rock of Peter the Apostle, and they read ''petros'' as "stone", which Protestant apologists explain as meaning ''lithos'' or ''psephos'' instead, as simply being a [[synonym]] for ''petros'', identical in meaning, and as profoundly different from ''petra''. They also explain the grammar of Matthew 16:18 "''on this rock I will found my church''" as pointing to Jesus, not Peter, or to the Faith revealed by the Father to Peter, not to Peter himself. <br>However, according to New Testament Greek scholars, the actual Greek grammar of this phrase as spoken by the Lord in Matthew 16:18 is clearly directed to Peter as the subject of "''on this rock''"; it was not spoken by Jesus as referring to Himself. <br>'''καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ''' ''kai epi tayte te petra''. The emphasis is on '''ΤΑΎΤῌ''' ''teyte'', which grammatically points to Peter (not to Jesus). See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/16:18.htm interlinear Greek text of Matthew 16:18].<br>To insist that Jesus is referring to himself here would violate the Greek grammar of this passage and contradict His apparent meaning. The alternate interpretation of "''this rock''" as the Divinely Revealed Faith ''expressed'' by Peter, his saying, and not Peter himself, likewise has no grammatical support, for the same [[Linguistics|linguistic]] reasons. As Jesus does not say, "on thee I will build my church", so likewise Jesus does not say, "on this saying (truth) I will build my church" (compare Mark 7:29, "For this saying, go your way...", and Matthew 15:28, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you..."). The literal meaning of the Greek text supports neither of these interpretations: neither "Jesus" himself, nor the "faith" of Peter, as the subject of the phrase '''καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ'''—it points to Peter (not to Jesus). God made Simon "Rock". "I tell you, You are rock and on this rock I will build my church." <br>To twist the literal meaning of this statement into a different interpretation in violation of the context of its Greek [[Grammar|grammatical syntax]] and apparent [[Semantics|semantical import]] and read into it a meaning that is not self-evident is to risk self-destruction. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A15-18&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 3:15-18] (compare the [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A15-18&version=KJV King James Version]).<br>See [[Eisegesis]] and [[Apostolic succession]].
:In Biblical [[Hermeneutics]] as in empirical [[science]] the principle of [[Occam's razor]] is as valuable a guide to interpretation of a text as it is to the formulation of a scientific [[hypothesis]]. That interpretation of the [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)#The literal sense of scripture|''literal sense of scripture'']] which makes the fewest possible assumptions is probably the most valid [[exegesis]] of the text. Key too is the importance of the physical setting, the ''[[http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e1778 sitz im leben]]'', for an accurate understanding of the meaning of the words spoken to Peter in Matthew 16:18 as to Nathanael in Jn 1:47. In both settings Jesus speaks in the hearing of his disciples in the third person of address to the individual for the benefit of them all instead framing his words in a directly personal form as to one person alone. He does not say to Nathanael, "I see you are a true Israelite. There is no guile in you." Instead, he proclaims and extols him before them all as an example to be honored and respected as a man of integrity, one in whom He himself has confidence, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile [no hypocritical deceit]." John 1:47. He is speaking directly to Nathanael, but for them all to hear. He does not say to Peter privately, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. I tell you, On you I will build my church." Instead, in the presence of all his apostles, he proclaims and honors Simon above them all as the one singularly blessed by God, the Father Himself, saying, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Rock, and on this Rock I will build my Church, and the powers of Death shall not prevail against it!" Matthew 16:17-18. He does not say this to any other apostle, but he says it for all of them to hear. Peter is the only one to whom Jesus says, "I have prayed for you [singular] that your [singular] faith may not fail; and when you [singular] have turned again, strengthen [singular] your brethren." Luke 22:32. He is also the only apostle to whom Jesus says, "Feed my lambs.... Feed my rams.... Feed my sheep...." John 21:15-17 (other translations, "my sheep.... my sheep.... my sheep."). He does not say this to any other apostle. These are undeniable facts of the Biblical text itself. However, the [[Doctrine|doctrinal]] significance of these statements within the settings in which they are delivered by the Lord are variously and widely interpreted, and [[Argument|controverted]], often in contradiction to both the grammar of these texts and their immediate context, and even to text of the Bible as a whole (see [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|Proof texting]]). There is no universal consensus that these texts actually set Peter in recognition above the other apostles in dignity and authority.
:The word "rock" in the King James Bible NT is listed under "<small>ROCK</small>" in Strong's Concordance as keyed only to number ''4073'' '''πέτρa''' ''petra'' (13 times). John 1:42 is not listed under <small>ROCK</small> in Strong's Concordance, because the KJV translation reads "a stone" instead of "rock". <br>(See [http://biblehub.com/multi/john/1-42.htm multiple versions of John 1:42].)