Saint Peter Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! =====Etymology===== In the story of the [[First disciples of Jesus|calling of the disciples]], Jesus addresses Simon Peter with the Greek term Κηφᾶς (''Cephas''), a Hellenised form of Aramaic '''ܟ݁ܺܐܦ݂ܳܐ''' (''keepa''), which means "rock",<ref>{{cite web |title=Strong's Greek: 2786. Κηφᾶς (Képhas) – "a rock," Cephas, a name given to the apostle Peter |url=https://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm |website=biblehub.com |access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref> a term that before was not used as a proper name: {{blockquote|:ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ '''Κηφᾶς''' ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/text/john/1-42.htm|title=John 1:42 Greek Text Analysis|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> :Having looked at him, Jesus said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called '''Cephas'''," which means ''Petros'' ("rock").| John 1:42}} Jesus later alludes to this nickname after Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah: {{blockquote|:κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ '''Πέτρος''' [''Petros''] καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ '''πέτρᾳ''' [''petra''] οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.{{refn|group=note|{{lang|grc|Πέτρᾳ}} (''petra'' "rock") is the feminine form of the Greek noun ({{lang|grc|Πέτρος}}) (''Petros''), which represents the masculine form; the two forms are identical in meaning.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm |title=Cephas (Aramaic for rock) |access-date=20 February 2019 |archive-date=31 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331130125/https://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cephas">({{lang-he|כֵּיפׇא \ כֵּיף}}) is an indirect transliteration of the Syriac ({{lang|syc|ܟ݁ܺܐܦ݂ܳܐ}}), ({{lang-el|Κηφᾶς}}) is a direct transliteration of the Syriac ({{lang|syc|ܟ݁ܺܐܦ݂ܳܐ}}), and ({{lang-he|כֵּיפׇא \ כֵּיף}}) is a direct transliteration of the Greek. The Hebrew word ({{lang-he|כאפא}}) is also a direct transliteration of the Syriac. (''cƒ.'' ''Interlinear Peshitta Aramaic New Testament Bible'' [http://peshitta.info/gospel/matthew_16.htm Matthew xvi. 18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824080209/http://peshitta.info/gospel/matthew_16.htm |date=24 August 2011 }}).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic.com/tracts/peter-the-rock |title=Peter the Rock | website = Catholic Answers | date = 10 August 2004 |access-date=12 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119034546/http://www.catholic.com/tracts/peter-the-rock |archive-date=19 November 2011 |quote=And what does Kepha mean? It means a rock, the same as petra (It doesn't mean a little stone or a pebble) What Jesus said to Simon in Matthew 16:18 was this: 'You are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my Church.'}}</ref>}} :I also say to you now that you are '''Peter''', and on this '''rock''' I will build my Church, and the gates of [[Hades]] will not prevail against it.| Matthew 16:18<ref name="matthew1618greek">{{cite web |title=Matthew 16:18 |url=https://biblehub.com/text/matthew/16-18.htm |website=BibleHub |publisher=Online Parallel Bible Project |access-date=9 June 2019 |ref=matthew1618greek}}</ref>}} The [[Peshitta]] [[Syriac versions of the Bible|Syriac]] version renders Jesus' words into [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]<ref name="aramaic">{{cite encyclopedia| encyclopedia =The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary|title=Aramaic|quote=It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Palestine in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73) |page=72|isbn=978-0-8028-2402-8|editor=Allen C. Myers|location= Grand Rapids, MI |publisher= William B. Eerdmans |year= 1987}}</ref> as follows: {{blockquote|:ܐܳܦ݂ ܐܶܢܳܐ ܐܳܡܰܪ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܠܳܟ݂ ܕ݁ܰܐܢ݈ܬ݁ ܗ݈ܽܘ '''ܟ݁ܺܐܦ݂ܳܐ''' ܘܥܰܠ ܗܳܕ݂ܶܐ '''ܟ݁ܺܐܦ݂ܳܐ''' ܐܶܒ݂ܢܶܝܗ ܠܥܺܕ݈݁ܬ݁ܝ ܘܬ݂ܰܪܥܶܐ ܕ݁ܰܫܝܽܘܠ ܠܳܐ ܢܶܚܣܢܽܘܢܳܗ܂ :Also I say to you that you are '''''Keepa''''', and on this '''''keepa''''' I will build my Church, and the gates of [[Sheol]] not will subdue it.| Matthew 16:18<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peshitta.org/pdf/Mattich16.pdf|title=Peshitta Matthew 16}}</ref>}} [[Paul of Tarsus]] later uses the appellation Cephas in reference to Peter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_2786.htm|title=Strong's Greek: 2786. Κηφᾶς (Képhas) -- 9 Occurrences|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page