How did Peter take leadership of the Early Church?

Answer 1

The New Testament does not record that Peter took leadership of the early church. In fact, although Peter was undoubtedly an important leader, he most certainly did not have the pre-eminence. At the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, Peter was one of those who spoke, but it was James the brother of Jesus, who gave the final pronouncement and ruling with which all agreed. Thus historical records in The Bible itself, indicate that where it might have been expected that Peter would take a superior leadership role, he didn't, although he was most certainly mightily used of God in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.

Answer 2

Peter was chosen to lead the church in Jerusalem. Maybe because he recognised Jesus as the son of God, we don't know. But we know God chose him so he must have been the right person for the job.

Answer 3

Matthew 16:17-19: [17]And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. [18]And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [19]And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Answer 4

Jesus Christ appointed Peter as the first leader of his Church when He said:

And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. (Matthew Chapt. 16)

Peter is considered the first pope even though the term 'pope' did not come into common usage until much later. Whether Peter was in Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome or elsewhere, he is still considered the first pope. Later, as the Church grew and a hierarchy developed. the Church established its headquarters in Rome as Rome was considered the center of the world at the time. It had good roads reaching out to the vast empire as well as ships that plied the Mediterranean. Missionaries could reach anywhere in the known world from Rome. As the pope was the highest ranking Church authority in Rome, he was automatically consider the Bishop of Rome.

Answer 5

Saint Peter is seen in tradition as the chief among the disciples of Jesus, the undisputed leader of the Christian Church after the death of Jesus, and even the first bishop of Rome, and therefore the first Catholic pope.

There is some biblical support for Peter as the leader selected by Jesus although, decades later, Paul seem to consider him as no more than one of three equal 'pillars' in the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, and possibly subordinate to James.

By the second century, tradition says that Peter went to Rome and led the church there, before being executed by Nero. According to Irenaeus, late in the second century, Peter and Paul together appointed Linus as the first in the succession of bishops of Rome, implying that Peter had not yet achieved status in tradition as the sole leader of the church of Rome. Later traditions say that Peter alone appointed Linus.

Francis A. Sullivan says (From Apostles to Bishops) that there is a general agreement among scholars, including Catholic scholars, that the church of Rome was led by a council of presbyters until well into the second century, with no evidence of a ruling bishop. This is significant, as it seems inconceivable that Peter could have established a precedent of being the bishop of Rome and for the Roman church immediately to abandon the precedent and ignore it for almost a century before again appointing a monepiscopal bishop. Tradition created Peter as the undisputed leader of the Church, regardless of the historical reality.

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