Matthew 16:18 — "Upon This Rock"

Whether 'this rock' in Jesus's declaration to Peter refers to Peter himself, to Peter's confession of faith, or to Christ, and the implications for church authority and papal primacy.

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Overall consensus76/100

General Church of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian)

Unique & Independent

Nuanced

Spiritual sense: rock is recognition of divine truth; Peter as truth-bearer

Swedenborgians interpret Matthew 16:18 through Swedenborg's multilayered hermeneutical approach. In the spiritual sense, the 'rock' upon which the church is built is not Peter as a person but the recognition and acknowledgment of divine truth and wisdom.

Scripture References

Sources

Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained

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