The KEYS

If you have Catholic friends on Facebook, you may have seen this image posted on Thursday after Pope Benedict XVI retired and the Office of St. Peter, the Apostle became Vacant (Sede Vacate). The most unique part of this emblem is the Umbrella which symbolizes the temporary vacancy. The Keys are part of all Papal emblems. 

For now though, I'd like to talk about the Christ's beautiful gift of the "Keys" and what these represent for our faith. When something is first mentioned in the Bible, the meaning of it remains the same throughout the rest of the Bible. The "Keys" are a beautiful demonstration of this:

"In that day I will call my servant Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, and I will clothe him with your robe and will commit your authority to his hand; I will place on his shoulder the KEY to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place" - Isaiah 22:21-23

"And I tell you, you are Peter[Kepha], and on this rock[Kepha] I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the KEYS of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:18-19

"Who has the KEY of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens." - Revelation 3:7

Revelation 3:7 clearly refers to Jesus as the King and Owner of the keys. It alludes to Isaiah 22:20-23 though where Eli′akim is made manager of the palace, a post roughly equivalent to Prime Minister. As the king's right-hand man, the master of the palace is given the "key of the House of David."

Keys symbolize authority, so bestowing the key to the House of David upon Eli′akim is equivalent to giving him, as the King's duly appointed representative, authority over the kingdom. In Isaiah 22 Eli′akim is manager of the palace--the King isn't. Eli′akim possesses the key of the kingdom NOT as its owner, but as one DEPUTIZED to oversee the king's affairs.

Jesus is called the "holder of the key of David" in Revelation 3:7, but he doesn't hold it as Eli′akim did because He is the King and not the manager of the king's palace, as Eli′akim was. As king, Jesus can bestow the keys of his kingdom on whomever he wishes--without losing the authority those keys represent.

This is what Jesus does in Matthew 16:18-19. Simon (Peter) identifies Jesus as the Messiah, which means, among other things, acknowledging his kingship. Christ then shows his kingly authority by bestowing on him something ONLY the king could give--the KEYS of the kingdom of heaven--thus making Peter and his 265 successors ("the Popes") the equivalent of Eli′akim. Jesus does this in Matthew 16:18-19 right as he CHANGES Simon's name to Peter (Kepha / Cephas - Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42).
  
As we also see in Sacred Scripture, when God changes a person's name it is a sign of a major responsibility. Peter is the only one of the twelve to receive a name change.

• God renamed Abram to Abraham when He made him the 'Father of a Multitude of Nations', in Genesis 17:5. HE gave Abraham 'primacy' over all other men.

• God renamed Sara to Sarah when HE made her the 'Mother of Nations' in Genesis 17:15-16. HE gave Sarah 'primacy' over all other women.
  
• God renamed Jacob to Israel, the name of the Jewish Nation, and Jacob became the first Israeli in Genesis 32:29 and Genesis 35:10.
  
• God renamed Simon to Peter in Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42, thus giving him 'primacy' over all of the Apostles. 

The apostle Peter is mentioned 195 times in the New Testament. This is more than ALL of the the other Apostles combined. The next in frequency is John who is mentioned 29 times. Every time the Apostles are mentioned as a group, Peter's name is listed first and with emphases:

"These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;" - Matthew 10:2

(See also: John 21:1-11; John 21:15-19 Matt 10:2,16:15-19, *Luke 22:24-33,24:34, Acts 2:14-41, Acts *5:29,9:36-43,10:1-48,11:1-18, Acts 15:7, 1Cor 15:5)

Peter's role is defined in great detail in the John 21:15-17. Jesus uses three unique words for "Feed" and "Tend" - each describing a different aspect of the Papal role.

The early Christians seemed to have understood this role:

"Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter" - Clement (A.D. 221).

"Look at Peter, the great foundation of the Church, that most solid of rocks, upon whom Christ built the Church [Matt. 16:18]." - Origen (A.D. 248) 

"In the power of the same Holy Spirit, Peter, both the chief of the apostles and the keeper of the Keys of the kingdom of heaven, in the name of Christ healed Aeneas the paralytic." - St. Cyril of Jerusalem [A.D. 350]
 
"Among these [apostles] Peter alone almost everywhere deserved to represent the whole Church. Because of that representation of the Church, which only he bore, he deserved to hear 'I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.'  Who is ignorant that the first of the apostles is the most blessed Peter?" - St. Augustine (A.D. 416) 

As I might have mentioned, I grew up Baptist originally and benefited tremendously from the emphases on Sacred Scripture and zeal for Salvation that the Baptist Church is most known for. I am indebted to my mother and many Baptists for instilling Faith in me at a young age and leading me to desire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am also greatly indebted to the guys in my bible study group who mostly Evangelical protestants. They helped bring me up out of the darkest of places three years ago when I began leaving behind the "Gay" identity and active lifestyle.

One thing I struggled with a lot though in my High School and College years was the appeal of "gay churches" and others who seemed to have new interpretations for Sacred Scripture. This was a big challenge for me as I had to make a very significant decision to either claim a "Gay" identity and embrace homosexual relationships or to pursue Chastity and seek healing. 

Relying on the very modern concept of "Sola Scriptura" or the "Bible Only" which is not actually found in Scripture (separate topic) was problematic for me because I did not have a PhD in Greek or Hebrew and found it really confusing to try to figure out WHO was "RIGHT." For several years, I avoided making a firm decision (which was the same as making a decision) - I simply lived the gay life and tried to keep quiet about it. I tried to avoid God altogether because I didn't WANT to know what the objective Truth was. I wanted to be comfortably ignorant.

 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." - 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV)

Throughout Sacred Scripture and our salvation history, God always provided a Pastoral Figure to guide His people. Some examples in the Old Testament are, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, and in this Apostolic age that began in around A.D. 33 he has provided St. Peter and his 264 (soon to be 265) successors.

Anyway, I'm digressing. I would like to talk about the beauty of Papal "Infallibility" - which is a promise from Christ in Luke 22:31-32 and Apostolic Succession (Acts 1:21-26); but I have probably already written more than anyone will be willing to read at one sitting. I'll break these topics into separate posts. ;)

Pax Christi,
Jeremy

P.S.: Here is a list of the other men who have previously been entrusted with the KEYS and filled the shoes of the Fisherman. 
(Note: While there were eight notable "Bad Popes" none of them changed any element of the Church's teaching. The promise of Infallibility was fulfilled as the Holy Spirit protected the church despite the moral failures of these human beings.)

1. St. Peter (32-67)
2. St. Linus (67-76)
3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
4. St. Clement I (88-97)
5. St. Evaristus (97-105)
6. St. Alexander I (105-115)
7. St. Sixtus I (115-125) 
8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)
9. St. Hyginus (136-140)
10. St. Pius I (140-155)
11. St. Anicetus (155-166)
12. St. Soter (166-175)
13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)
14. St. Victor I (189-199)
15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
16. St. Callistus I (217-22) 
17. St. Urban I (222-30)
18. St. Pontain (230-35)
19. St. Anterus (235-36)
20. St. Fabian (236-50)
21. St. Cornelius (251-53) 
22. St. Lucius I (253-54)
23. St. Stephen I (254-257)
24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)
25. St. Dionysius (260-268)
26. St. Felix I (269-274)
27. St. Eutychian (275-283)
28. St. Caius (283-296) 
29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)
30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)
31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
32. St. Miltiades (311-14)
33. St. Sylvester I (314-35)
34. St. Marcus (336)
35. St. Julius I (337-52)
36. Liberius (352-66) 
37. St. Damasus I (366-83) 
38. St. Siricius (384-99)
39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)
40. St. Innocent I (401-17)
41. St. Zosimus (417-18)
42. St. Boniface I (418-22)
43. St. Celestine I (422-32)
44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)
45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
46. St. Hilarius (461-68)
47. St. Simplicius (468-83)
48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)
50. Anastasius II (496-98)
51. St. Symmachus (498-514)
52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)
53. St. John I (523-26)
54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
55. Boniface II (530-32) 
56. John II (533-35)
57. St. Agapetus I (535-36)
58. St. Silverius (536-37)
59. Vigilius (537-55)
60. Pelagius I (556-61)
61. John III (561-74)
62. Benedict I (575-79)
63. Pelagius II (579-90)
64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
65. Sabinian (604-606)
66. Boniface III (607)
67. St. Boniface IV (608-15)
68. St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
69. Boniface V (619-25)
70. Honorius I (625-38)
71. Severinus (640)
72. John IV (640-42)
73. Theodore I (642-49)
74. St. Martin I (649-55)
75. St. Eugene I (655-57)
76. St. Vitalian (657-72)
77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
78. Donus (676-78)
79. St. Agatho (678-81)
80. St. Leo II (682-83)
81. St. Benedict II (684-85)
82. John V (685-86)
83. Conon (686-87)
84. St. Sergius I (687-701) 
85. John VI (701-05)
86. John VII (705-07)
87. Sisinnius (708)
88. Constantine (708-15)
89. St. Gregory II (715-31)
90. St. Gregory III (731-41)
91. St. Zachary (741-52)
92. Stephen II (752) 
93. Stephen III (752-57)
94. St. Paul I (757-67)
95. Stephen IV (767-72) 
96. Adrian I (772-95)
97. St. Leo III (795-816)
98. Stephen V (816-17)
99. St. Paschal I (817-24)
100. Eugene II (824-27)
101. Valentine (827)
102. Gregory IV (827-44)
103. Sergius II (844-47) 
104. St. Leo IV (847-55)
105. Benedict III (855-58) 
106. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
107. Adrian II (867-72)
108. John VIII (872-82)
109. Marinus I (882-84)
110. St. Adrian III (884-85)
111. Stephen VI (885-91)
112. Formosus (891-96)
113. Boniface VI (896)
114. Stephen VII (896-97)
115. Romanus (897)
116. Theodore II (897)
117. John IX (898-900)
118. Benedict IV (900-03)
119. Leo V (903) 
120. Sergius III (904-11)
121. Anastasius III (911-13)
122. Lando (913-14)
123. John X (914-28)
124. Leo VI (928)
125. Stephen VIII (929-31)
126. John XI (931-35)
127. Leo VII (936-39)
128. Stephen IX (939-42)
129. Marinus II (942-46)
130. Agapetus II (946-55)
131. John XII (955-63)
132. Leo VIII (963-64)
133. Benedict V (964)
134. John XIII (965-72)
135. Benedict VI (973-74)
136. Benedict VII (974-83) 
137. John XIV (983-84)
138. John XV (985-96)
139. Gregory V (996-99) 
140. Sylvester II (999-1003)
141. John XVII (1003)
142. John XVIII (1003-09)
143. Sergius IV (1009-12)
144. Benedict VIII (1012-24) 
145. John XIX (1024-32)
146. Benedict IX (1032-45) 
147. Sylvester III (1045) 
148. Gregory VI (1045-46)
149. Clement II (1046-47)
150. Benedict IX (1047-48)
151. Damasus II (1048)
152. St. Leo IX (1049-54)
153. Victor II (1055-57)
154. Stephen X (1057-58)
155. Nicholas II (1058-61) 
156. Alexander II (1061-73) 
157. St. Gregory VII (1073-85) 
158. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
159. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
160. Paschal II (1099-1118) 
161. Gelasius II (1118-19) 
162. Callistus II (1119-24)
163. Honorius II (1124-30) 
164. Innocent II (1130-43) 
165. Celestine II (1143-44)
166. Lucius II (1144-45)
167. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
168. Anastasius IV (1153-54)
169. Adrian IV (1154-59)
170. Alexander III (1159-81) 
171. Lucius III (1181-85)
172. Urban III (1185-87)
173. Gregory VIII (1187)
174. Clement III (1187-91)
175. Celestine III (1191-98)
176. Innocent III (1198-1216)
177. Honorius III (1216-27)
178. Gregory IX (1227-41)
179. Celestine IV (1241)
180. Innocent IV (1243-54)
181. Alexander IV (1254-61)
182. Urban IV (1261-64)
183. Clement IV (1265-68)
184. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
185. Blessed Innocent V (1276)
186. Adrian V (1276)
187. John XXI (1276-77)
188. Nicholas III (1277-80)
189. Martin IV (1281-85)
190. Honorius IV (1285-87)
191. Nicholas IV (1288-92)
192. St. Celestine V (1294)
193. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
194. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
195. Clement V (1305-14)
196. John XXII (1316-34)
197. Benedict XII (1334-42)
198. Clement VI (1342-52)
199. Innocent VI (1352-62)
200. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
201. Gregory XI (1370-78)
202. Urban VI (1378-89) 
203. Boniface IX (1389-1404) 
204. Innocent VII (1404-06) 
205. Gregory XII (1406-15) 
206. Martin V (1417-31)
207. Eugene IV (1431-47) 
208. Nicholas V (1447-55)
209. Callistus III (1455-58)
210. Pius II (1458-64)
211. Paul II (1464-71)
212. Sixtus IV (1471-84)
213. Innocent VIII (1484-92)
214. Alexander VI (1492-1503)
215. Pius III (1503)
216. Julius II (1503-13)
217. Leo X (1513-21)
218. Adrian VI (1522-23)
219. Clement VII (1523-34)
220. Paul III (1534-49)
221. Julius III (1550-55)
222. Marcellus II (1555)
223. Paul IV (1555-59)
224. Pius IV (1559-65)
225. St. Pius V (1566-72)
226. Gregory XIII (1572-85)
227. Sixtus V (1585-90)
228. Urban VII (1590)
229. Gregory XIV (1590-91)
230. Innocent IX (1591)
231. Clement VIII (1592-1605)
232. Leo XI (1605)
233. Paul V (1605-21)
234. Gregory XV (1621-23)
235. Urban VIII (1623-44)
236. Innocent X (1644-55)
237. Alexander VII (1655-67)
238. Clement IX (1667-69)
239. Clement X (1670-76)
240. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
241. Alexander VIII (1689-91)
242. Innocent XII (1691-1700)
243. Clement XI (1700-21)
244. Innocent XIII (1721-24)
245. Benedict XIII (1724-30)
246. Clement XII (1730-40)
247. Benedict XIV (1740-58)
248. Clement XIII (1758-69)
249. Clement XIV (1769-74)
250. Pius VI (1775-99)
251. Pius VII (1800-23)
252. Leo XII (1823-29)
253. Pius VIII (1829-30)
254. Gregory XVI (1831-46)
255. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
256. Leo XIII (1878-1903)
257. St. Pius X (1903-14)
258. Benedict XV (1914-22)
259. Pius XI (1922-39)
260. Pius XII (1939-58)
261. Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)
262. Paul VI (1963-78)
263. John Paul I (1978)
264. Blessed John Paul II (1978-2005)
265. Benedict XVI (2005-2013)