"upon this rock" in Matthew 16:18

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Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: "upon this rock" in Matthew 16:18

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Intriguing, Scott, but let's remember to restrict the discussion to Greek vocabulary, grammar and syntax.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Scott Lawson
Posts: 450
Joined: June 9th, 2011, 6:36 pm

Re: "upon this rock" in Matthew 16:18

Post by Scott Lawson »

Thank you Barry for the kindly reprimand. It seems to me that the consideration that grammar and syntax plays in the identification of “this rock” has been pretty much exhausted and only the history and culture of that time will offer more insight. I hope you’ll allow me just a bit more leeway. I’d like to point out that in the context of Matt 16-17 the mountain (Mount Hermon) looms so largely over the scene that iit is referred to with words like here (ὧδε) and this (as in τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ) so that no further explanation is needed. In fact we could say that what is missing is the deictic wave of Jesus’ hand! This context gives a response as to why ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ seems so enigmatic.

Note that in verse 16:28 ὧδε refers to the place near the mountain where they are standing.

Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ.
(Matt. 16:28 GNT28-T)


Then in the phrase τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ the relative pronoun is again deictic and refers to Mount Hermon.

ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ὑμῶν· ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ· μετάβα ἔνθεν ἐκεῖ, καὶ μεταβήσεται· καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν.
(Matt. 17:20 GNT28-T)

There is much more that can be said in linking Hermon to Jesus’ εκκλησία and it’s role in reversing the sin of the watchers such as the Damascus road Christophany to Paul which I say was near Hermon as evidenced by both geography as well as his unique and seemingly reversed exegesis of Psalm 68 at Ephesians 4:8 which can be explained by his meeting of Jesus at Hermon!

Who was more influential than Paul in establishing churches?!!!

I guess if anyone is interested in my take on “this rock” then they can contact me privately and I’ll blather on.
Scott Lawson
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