heaven.

And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.t 20. Then He commanded His disciples, that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples, that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes, and chief priests, and be put to death, and the third day rise again.

22. And Peter taking Him, began to rebuke Him, saying: Lord, far be it from Thee, this shall not be unto Thee. 23. Who turning said to Peter: Go behind Me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto Me, because thou savourest not

*"And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven."

Isaias xxii. 22.-" And I will lay the key of the house of David upon His shoulder, and He shall open and none shall shut; and He shall shut and none shall open." Cf. Is. ix. 6, 7.-" For a Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, and the government is upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied.' Apoc. i. 17, 18.-"I am the first and the last; and alive and was dead; and behold I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of hell." Ib. iii. 7.—“ These things saith the Holy One and the True One, He that hath the key of David; He that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth."-Cf. Job, xii. 14.

"And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."-This power was afterwards conferred on all the Apostles in St. Mutt. xviii. 18. The meaning of the phrase "to bind and loose" is indicated in the preceding quotations, and is used by the Fathers to signify to shut or open, the exclusion from or admission into the Church; to forbid or permit, the prohibition, that is, or permission of doctrines, &c.; to forgive or retain, namely, the pardon or retention of sins and other such offences.-See Lightfoot, Hora Talmud, ad Matt. xvi.

the things that are of God, but the things that are of men."

xvii. 1.-" And after six days Jesus taketh unto Him Peter and James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.

2. And He was transfigured before them. And His face did shine as the sun; and His garments became white

as snow.

8. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with Him.

4. And Peter answering said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles, one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." xvii. 23." And when they were come to Capharnaum, they that received the didrachmas came to Peter, and said to him: Doth not your Master pay the didrachma ? 24. He said: Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying: What is thy opinion, Simon? The kings of the earth, of whom do they receive tribute or custom? of their own children, or of strangers?

25. And he said: Of strangers. Jesus said to him: Then the children are free.

26. But that we may not scandalize them, go to the sea and cast in a hook; and that fish which shall first come up, take; and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater; take that, and give it to them for Me and thee."

Though, in the following quotation, no special mention is made of Peter, or of any individual apostle, as it is connected by the Fathers with the preceding history of the payment of the tribute money, it is given here.

xviii. 1.-" At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?

2. And Jesus calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them.

3. And said: Amen, I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven." 21. "Then came Peter unto Him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22. Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times, but till seventy times seven times."

xix. 27.-" Then Peter answering said to Him: Behold, we have left all things and have followed Thee, what therefore shall we have ?

28. And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of His Majesty, you shall also sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

xx. 20.-" Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, adoring and asking something of Him.

21. Who said to her: What wilt thou? She saith to Him: Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom.

22. And Jesus answering said: You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to Him: We can.

23. He saith to them: My chalice indeed you shall drink; but to sit on My right or My left hand, is not Mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.

24. And the ten hearing it, were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25. But Jesus called them to Him, and said: You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater exercise power upon them. 26. It shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister. 27. And he that will be first among you, shall be your servant."-Cf. ib. xxiii. 6-12.

xxvi. 31.-" Then Jesus saith to them: All you shall be scandalized in Me this night. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be dispersed.

32. But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33. And Peter answering, said to Him: Although all shall be scandalized in Thee, I will never be scandalized. 34. Jesus saith to Him: Amen, I say to thee, that in this night before the cock crow, thou wilt deny Me thrice. 35. Peter saith to Him: Yea, though I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee. And in like manner said all the disciples.

36. Then Jesus came with them into a country-place which is called Gethsemani; and He said to His disciples: Sit you here till I go yonder and pray.

37. And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to grow sorrowful and to be sad. 38. Then He saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death; stay you here and watch with Me.

39. And going a little further, He fell upon His face, praying and saying: My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

40. And He cometh to His disciples, and findeth them. asleep, and He saith to Peter: What! could you not watch one hour with Me?

41. Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation. the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak.”

For the fulfilment of Christ's prophecy and Peter's fall and denial, see ib. v. 58-75.

Summary. The following then may be given as a summary of what this Gospel says on the question before us. Christ singles out Peter at once, on first seeing him, to bestow on him a special and prophetic name, and that one of His own distinguishing titles. Peter alone is mentioned as addressed by our blessed Lord, and he alone questions and addresses Christ. Wherever a choice is made from amongst the apostles, Peter is always one chosen, and is present at the Transfiguration, and the Agony in the Garden, events which are appealed to as proofs of Christ's glory and divine Messiahship, (2 Peter, i. 16-18), and of His real humanity, (1 Tim. iii. 16). St. Peter is always named first, not only in the lists

of the apostles, but on every occasion in which mention is made of any number of the apostles. It would seem that not only the apostles themselves, as after the payment of the tribute-money, but elsewhere, surmised that Peter was, or was to be, the chief; but also, that those, not His disciples, had an opinion that Peter was the leader amongst Christ's followers. He first confesses, by the revelation of the Father, our Lord to be the Messiah, and the Son of the living God; is therefore declared blessed, proclaimed, or foretold, as the foundation and the rock of His Church; the bearer of the keys in His kingdom; and has first and alone promised to him. the power of binding and of loosing on earth and in heaven.

Hence, it will be found, that the Fathers call Peter the mouth of the apostles, their coryphæus and prolocutor; and regard him as the rock of the Church, the key-bearer of the kingdom of Christ; and this without any known deviation from the primary and literal meaning of Christ's words, (S. Matt. xvi.), for the period of more than three centuries and a half.

We will now pass on to a similar analysis of the other Gospels; omitting, however, those facts which have already been recorded, except so far as they may be further elucidated by incidental notices in the other Evangelists.

St. Mark i. 36.-" And Simon and they that were with him followed after Him."

v. 35.-"While He was yet speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying: Thy daughter is dead; why dost thou trouble the Master any farther? 36. But Jesus having heard the word that was spoken, saith to the ruler of the synagogue: Fear not, only believe.

37. And He admitted not any man to follow Him, but Peter and James, and John the brother of James."