The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-14
PETROS AND PETRA.
A Note From Nevada in Regard to
a Disputed Point in the
CONTROVERSY,


Rev. George G. Hunting, rector of st.
Paul's Church, Virginia City, New. adds
the following to the discussion of biblical
subjects now progressing:
To the Editor Of San Francisco Cdll-DEAR
letters in your issue OF January IL, regarding
the true Interpretation of the passage in
Matthew xvE17-19, written by the Rev. Mr.
Wendte and Rev. Z. c. Yorke. have given
this subject some considerable study and beg
some space in your valuable paper for few
Wendte.
The first thing to be noticed in this passage
is that the two words, "petros'' and "petra,"
are OF Inherent genders. Petros is masculine
and is only used in the New Testament as the
name OF one OF the twelve apostles 1t is used
IN Aenophon, Sophocies and Plato as COM
mon noun, meaning crock; but notice that it
is never used INTERCHANGEABLE with the femi-
nine form petra. which has for its primary
meaning rock" with very frequent change
TO the cognate idea of stability, frmness,
foundation, etc. which change, however, Pc
trOS never takes.
When our Lord made inquiry among his
disciples as to whom they thought him to be
and received their several answers he took
especial notice of one of them. 1t was the
answer OF Simon Barjona, Thou art the Christ
the Son of the Living God" This, as is
well KNOWN, was the first open confession
among men that Jesus was the son of God and
therefore divine. To any student of Christian
1ty 1t is clear that only upon such spirit OF
latin ana humlllty can Christian life be
built. Our Lord, in appreciation of this noble
confession, said to Peter, in substance, "Thou
art OF strong faith and noble mind and to you
prominently shall it be given to have honor
among men, and I, your Lord, say to thee
thou art strong-a rock; thy name is hencefor tn
Rock (petros), and on this confession-the
solid, substantial words of true and lively faith
this rocklike confession (petra)-will I build
my church" On such confessions as this has
the church of Christ been ever built
IL Il one viii take the trouble TO look it up it
Will be seen that throughout the Bible the
firm foundation, without reference as to
whether the foundation be rock or the COMES
sion OF a man or the everlasting attributes of
God 1t is used in Septuagint as translation
OF the Hebrew word seia, meaning rock or firm
foundation, solid support; this use is particu-
larly seen in II Samuel, Xxti:2; Psalms xviii p
Psalms XXI % and Psalms xix 3.
From these instances of the most frequent
use OF the word petra l think it can be easily
seen that our Lord did attempt TO change the
gender OF words without cause, and also did
not commit the folly of telling those who were
to preach his gospel that from then on his
church would be founded on the fraiIty of hui
mainly, especially on the humanity of man
who had more than once shown that his faith
while strong at times, had very decided ten
dency to fail at the crucial moment, but in
stead that the all-wise founder of the Chris
TRAN religion saw fit to build upon such a
confession as that of Simon Barjona, the true
Petra of q finite Petros, "Thou art the Christ
the Son OF the Living God"
GEORGE C. HUNTING.
Virginia City, New, January ~, 1896.