The Primacy of Peter: An Anglican Perspective

By The Rev. Grant S. Carey
Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, California

Scripture affirms that Jesus looked to Peter as a man of great faith. His real name was Simon bar Jonas, but Jesus gave him the "nickname" Peter, which means "rock." We can assume from this that in Jesus' eyes Peter was "solid as a rock" even though Peter was prone to making mistakes and acting impulsively--even denying Christ at the time of his arrest and pending trial.

Even so, Peter was welcomed by Christ and forgiven. And scripture states that Jesus said to Peter: "I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Anglicans and Roman Catholics agree that Peter was first among the Apostles, although not too much is known of Peter's travels during the Apostolic Age. He certainly accepted the authority of James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, and was convincing in his plea that non-Jews be accepted into the Christian community without first having to become Jews. Along with Paul, Peter led the way for the inclusion of Gentiles into the full life of the Church.

Tradition tells us that Peter, like Paul, ended his life in Rome during the time of persecution. Paul (since he was a Roman Citizen) was executed quickly by beheading outside the walls of the city. Peter, we are told, was crucified upside down. The place of his burial has been said to be the site of the present great Church of Saint Peter.

Peter and the other apostles were indeed given authority to regulate the affairs of the Church. Both Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches believe that the authority given to Peter has been passed down to succeeding Bishops through the Historic Succession--the physical "laying on of hands." Thus the Bishops of both Communions claim to trace their authority through an unbroken line of "laying on of hands."

When the Church in England agreed to no longer accept the authority of the Pope in Rome, it did not give up the Apostolic Succession. What it gave up was the authority of the Bishop of Rome over the affairs of the English nation and the Church of England.

The basic disagreement today between the two communions is the question of authority. Prior to the Sixth Century, the Bishop of Rome was considered to be "first among equals." Anglican and Roman Catholic discussions find no difficulty with this. There is, however, difficulty with the doctrine promulgated in later times that the teachings of the Bishop of Rome are infallible.

Anglicans believe that the responsibility given to Peter has been passed down to all who follow in the Apostolic ministry and that it is not held exclusively by any one bishop no matter how influential his see. Thus, while Anglicans are able to accept the role of the Bishop of Rome as influential and unifying, we do not believe that he has been given unilateral power and authority.

We need to be reminded that the power of the Papacy came about after the time of Constantine, early in the Fourth Century. Before that time the most influential sees were in Egypt and Africa. The See of Rome became important in its own right after 325 AD.

During the Seventh Century, the Papacy assumed imperial qualities and unquestioned power and authority in matters both temporal and spiritual. This led to abuses in England following William the Conqueror in 1066 and the clause in the Magna Carta affirming that England should never again suffer the domination of any foreign prince or bishop. It took more than three centuries to bring this about.

The English Reformation that took place during the reign of Henry VIII resolved the matter, winning the support of the British Parliament and all but one of the English Bishops. From that time on, the Church in Rome no longer had authority over the affairs of either the English nation or the Church of England.

Official relationships between the Anglican Communion and the Church of Rome are cordial. Agreement has been achieved on most major issues except matters of authority. When Jesus figuratively gave Peter the "Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven," there was no Roman Church--only the Apostles and their followers who were to become the Church, the Community of the Faithful, commissioned by Jesus to carry the Good News of God's love out to all the world (Matthew 28:18-20).