Book Review: Upon This Rock by Stephen K. Ray

Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church by Stephen K. Ray

A major challenge for people converting to the Roman Catholic faith is the papacy. The role of the pope as head of the Church of Christ doesn't fit in with current democratic ideals. The church was founded two thousand years ago, so investigating the early writings on Peter and the papacy has immense value. Understanding the culture of that time and the organic growth of the church provides a new perspective. This book gives an in-depth look at early writings on Peter and the primacy of the bishop of Rome.

The book is divided into three parts. The first looks at Saint Peter himself as he is described in the New Testament and in ancient secular texts. He clearly had a special role in the nascent church, a role given to him by Jesus Himself. He took on a leadership role among the apostles and Paul came to meet with Peter specifically when he converted to Christianity and wanted to become an apostle. Peter traveled to Rome and died during the persecutions of Nero. Ray discusses various objections to Peter's primacy and provides convincing counterarguments.

The second part looks at the first five hundred years of church history, specifically at the role of the bishop of Rome in the growing Christian church. Ray looks at dozens of texts from the early church fathers (theologians and bishops). This part of the book turns into a bit of a slog. He gives the quotations in the text and provides commentary in footnotes (which are on the same page, so readily consultable). I found this part a little repetitive and less interesting than the first part. Again, Ray looks at various objections and questions raised by Protestant scholars and gives able explanations of the Catholic understanding.

The final part of the book looks at more modern writings, specifically the Council of Trent (1566), Vatican I (1870), Vatican II (1965), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994). This section is short and clarifies current understandings of the role of the Pope.

The first appendix lists all the popes from Peter to John Paul II (the book was published in 1999, so no Benedict XVI or Francis--I've written them in to my book!) along with a list of anti-popes, the men who illegitimately claimed to be pope. The second appendix is an interesting essay looking at the Old Testament basis for Peter's primacy, mostly looking at Joseph as the Pharoah's prime minister and at Isaiah's text on the change from Shebna to Eliakim as royal steward in Israel. Other issues are discussed, such as how God changes people's names (Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter).

For me, the best parts of the book were the first section, discussing Peter directly, and the second appendix, comparing Old Testament examples to Peter's selection and role. The rest of the book has good information but is more scholarly. The book is a great resource for information on the founding of the papacy.

Recommended.