Posted on 03/02/2010 1:33:02 PM PST by NYer
While a student at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, I had the privilege of having Dr. Scott Hahn as one of my Scripture professors. One thing he taught us is to look out “rumble strips” in the Bible. Imagine yourself cruising along, when suddenly you feel seismic vibrations in your car and hear that annoying muffled sound—you’re fast approaching a toll booth and the rumble strips are telling you to slow down and pay attention. So it is with passages in scripture which seem to disrupt the otherwise smooth narrative of salvation history. They seem to be randomly inserted in the text and can be downright perplexing in terms of their purpose and point, yet if we stick to our belief that Scripture is inspired, then we cannot neglect even those passages that seem to be, well, rather uninspiring. Like the rumble strips, these passages beg to be noticed and insist that we slow-down our reading pace and take a careful look at where we are in the story and what lies ahead of us.
One such passage is the episode of Peter’s mother-in-law, found in the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Peter’s mother-in-law appears suddenly and, having been healed and cooked up a meal, vanishes from our view. At first blush, it may seem that the episode simply recounts a typical stop on Jesus’ healing campaign. But I find myself asking: What is the significance of Peter’s mother-in-law? Why do the Evangelists pull her from anonymity when countless others are healed by Jesus yet go unmentioned? Why do the Evangelists neglect to give us her name and only describe her in terms of her relation to Peter? Could the episode of Peter’s mother-in-law facilitate some further understanding of the development of Peter’s relationship with Jesus?
I feel it is significant that, at the beginning of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus is associated with possessions of Peter and only later in these Gospels is he portrayed in a fuller relationship with Peter himself. We need not begin our story about the primacy of Peter in typical fashion with those familiar verses of Matthew 16 and John 1:42 instead, we may be able to begin the story of Peter’s primacy with Jesus’ use of Peter’s property.
All three of the Synoptic Gospels include the account. The healing occurs toward the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, right around the time he calls his first disciples. In Mark (Mk 1:29-31), the healing occurs after Jesus exorcises the unclean spirit, who is the first to declare of Jesus, “I know who you are, The Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24). According to Mark, immediately after Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is proclaimed by the spirit, he moves into Peter’s house where he performs his first recorded healing. After healing Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus begins his main healing ministry in Galilee and begins teaching in the synagogues.
In Matthew (Mt 8:14-15), the healing occurs AFTER Jesus begins his healing ministry and after the Sermon on the Mount. In Mark, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law BEFORE beginning his healing ministry.
In Matthew’s account, only Peter is mentioned as the owner of the house, whereas in Mark the house is said to belong to both Peter and Andrew. Also different in Matthew’s account is that, among the apostles, only by Peter is Jesus’ Messianic identity proclaimed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Earlier in Matthew, some had called Jesus the “Son of David” (Mt 9:27), and two demons asked what the “Son of God” (Mt 8:29) wanted from them. However, according to Matthew, the first explicitly clear declaration of Jesus’ Messianic identity comes from Peter, and we can infer from Jesus’ subsequent reaction to Peter that this declaration was of an altogether different sort than the previous two.
In Luke (Lk 4:38-39), the healing occurs right after the proclamation of the Kingdom and the exorcising of the unclean spirit, who declares (just as it did in Mark), “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Lk 4:34). Curiously, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law occurs BEFORE the calling of the first disciples, whereas it occurs AFTER the calling in Mark and Matthew. And finally, just as Mark does, Luke has Jesus proceed to teach in the synagogues.
Okay, so what? I want to suggest that Mark and Luke are interpretive keys to one another. In both Mark and Luke, we find Jesus associating with possessions of Peter: his house and, in Luke 5:3, his boat. In Mark, Christ’s healing ministry begins in Peter’s house and only afterwards does the healing ministry extend to the greater public. In Luke, Christ enters Peter’s house prior to calling the first disciples, which signals an association with Peter before an association with the others. In both accounts, immediately before and after associating with Peter’s home and performing a healing inside of it, Jesus is teaching in the synagogues.
So, in Mark and Luke we find Jesus moving quickly to the synagogues after having healed Peter’s mother-in-law. In Luke there is a sudden transition from the synagogues to the lake of Gennesaret (Lk 5:1-11). Here, having called the disciples, Jesus proceeds to teach…but from where? Given the choice of two empty boats, Jesus opts for Peter’s (Lk 5:3). So in the Lucan narrative we have the following parallel movements in Jesus’ ministry: (1) from the synagogue (4:31-37) to Peter’s house (4:38); (2) teaching in the synagogues (4:44) to teaching in Peter’s boat (5:1-4). I interpret this transition as indicating an authoritative move from traditional places of teaching (synagogues) to a new forum of teaching (spaces owned by Peter). Moreover the dynamic I see in Mark and Luke consists of Peter’s spaces becoming forums of healing (Mark) and teaching (Luke.
In Matthew, there is no affirmative declaration of Jesus’ identity as the Christ, but only adumbrations (Mt 4:3-6; 8:29; 9:27; 12:23; 14:33) until the dramatic moment when, from Peter alone, we have the full confession of Jesus as “The Christ”
If, as many scholars think, Matthew and Luke are based largely on Mark’s narrative, we find that the simple story in Mark about Peter’s house as the origin of Jesus’ healing ministry is developed by both Matthew and Luke into foreshadowing of Peter’s primacy among the apostles. In Luke, it points toward Jesus’ didactic mission, where Peter’s house, boat, and eventually Peter himself host the proclamation of the Kingdom (4:14-21). Matthew wants us to know that the house in which the healing of the mother-in-law occurred is specifically Peter’s. This draws attention to the early relationship between Jesus and Peter, which is further developed in Matthew 16-17 where the declaration of Jesus’ identity comes from Peter’s own mouth.
Bringing it all together, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus moving his healing and teaching from the synagogues to Peter’s spaces (house and boat), and from Peter’s spaces to his family, before finally transferring these powers to all the apostles and chiefly to Peter whose faith and ministry is to be the foundation of the Church. I suspect that the account of Peter’s mother-in-law is like a rumble strip, strategically placed in our path in order to grab our attention and prompt us to pay attention to what lies ahead. The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law as narrated in the Synoptics may give us stronger scriptural ties between the primacy of Peter and the Church’s missions of healing and teaching.
While a student at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, I had the privilege of having Dr. Scott Hahn as one of my Scripture professors. One thing he taught us is to look out “rumble strips” in the Bible. Imagine yourself cruising along, when suddenly you feel seismic vibrations in your car and hear that annoying muffled sound—you’re fast approaching a toll booth and the rumble strips are telling you to slow down and pay attention. So it is with passages in scripture which seem to disrupt the otherwise smooth narrative of salvation history. They seem to be randomly inserted in the text and can be downright perplexing in terms of their purpose and point, yet if we stick to our belief that Scripture is inspired, then we cannot neglect even those passages that seem to be, well, rather uninspiring. Like the rumble strips, these passages beg to be noticed and insist that we slow-down our reading pace and take a careful look at where we are in the story and what lies ahead of us.
One such passage is the episode of Peter’s mother-in-law, found in the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Peter’s mother-in-law appears suddenly and, having been healed and cooked up a meal, vanishes from our view. At first blush, it may seem that the episode simply recounts a typical stop on Jesus’ healing campaign. But I find myself asking: What is the significance of Peter’s mother-in-law? Why do the Evangelists pull her from anonymity when countless others are healed by Jesus yet go unmentioned? Why do the Evangelists neglect to give us her name and only describe her in terms of her relation to Peter? Could the episode of Peter’s mother-in-law facilitate some further understanding of the development of Peter’s relationship with Jesus?
I feel it is significant that, at the beginning of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus is associated with possessions of Peter and only later in these Gospels is he portrayed in a fuller relationship with Peter himself. We need not begin our story about the primacy of Peter in typical fashion with those familiar verses of Matthew 16 and John 1:42 instead, we may be able to begin the story of Peter’s primacy with Jesus’ use of Peter’s property.
All three of the Synoptic Gospels include the account. The healing occurs toward the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, right around the time he calls his first disciples. In Mark (Mk 1:29-31), the healing occurs after Jesus exorcises the unclean spirit, who is the first to declare of Jesus, “I know who you are, The Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24). According to Mark, immediately after Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is proclaimed by the spirit, he moves into Peter’s house where he performs his first recorded healing. After healing Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus begins his main healing ministry in Galilee and begins teaching in the synagogues.
In Matthew (Mt 8:14-15), the healing occurs AFTER Jesus begins his healing ministry and after the Sermon on the Mount. In Mark, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law BEFORE beginning his healing ministry.
In Matthew’s account, only Peter is mentioned as the owner of the house, whereas in Mark the house is said to belong to both Peter and Andrew. Also different in Matthew’s account is that, among the apostles, only by Peter is Jesus’ Messianic identity proclaimed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Earlier in Matthew, some had called Jesus the “Son of David” (Mt 9:27), and two demons asked what the “Son of God” (Mt 8:29) wanted from them. However, according to Matthew, the first explicitly clear declaration of Jesus’ Messianic identity comes from Peter, and we can infer from Jesus’ subsequent reaction to Peter that this declaration was of an altogether different sort than the previous two.
In Luke (Lk 4:38-39), the healing occurs right after the proclamation of the Kingdom and the exorcising of the unclean spirit, who declares (just as it did in Mark), “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Lk 4:34). Curiously, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law occurs BEFORE the calling of the first disciples, whereas it occurs AFTER the calling in Mark and Matthew. And finally, just as Mark does, Luke has Jesus proceed to teach in the synagogues.
Okay, so what? I want to suggest that Mark and Luke are interpretive keys to one. In both Mark and Luke, we find Jesus associating with possessions of Peter: his house and, in Luke 5:3, his boat. In Mark, Christ’s healing ministry begins in Peter’s house and only afterwards does the healing ministry extend to the greater public. In Luke, Christ enters Peter’s house prior to calling the first disciples, which signals an association with Peter before an association with the others. In both accounts, immediately before and after associating with Peter’s home and performing a healing inside of it, Jesus is teaching in the synagogues.
So, in Mark and Luke we find Jesus moving quickly to the synagogues after having healed Peter’s mother-in-law. In Luke there is a sudden transition from the synagogues to the lake of Gennesaret (Lk 5:1-11). Here, having called the disciples, Jesus proceeds to teach…but from where? Given the choice of two empty boats, Jesus opts for Peter’s (Lk 5:3). So in the Lucan narrative we have the following parallel movements in Jesus’ ministry: (1) from the synagogue (4:31-37) to Peter’s house (4:38); (2) teaching in the synagogues (4:44) to teaching in Peter’s boat (5:1-4). I interpret this transition as indicating an authoritative move from traditional places of teaching (synagogues) to a new forum of teaching (spaces owned by Peter). Moreover the dynamic I see in Mark and Luke consists of Peter’s spaces becoming forums of healing (Mark) and teaching (Luke.
In Matthew, there is no affirmative declaration of Jesus’ identity as the Christ, but only adumbrations (Mt 4:3-6; 8:29; 9:27; 12:23; 14:33) until the dramatic moment when, from Peter alone, we have the full confession of Jesus as “The Christ”
If, as many scholars think, Matthew and Luke are based largely on Mark’s narrative, we find that the simple story in Mark about Peter’s house as the origin of Jesus’ healing ministry is developed by both Matthew and Luke into foreshadowing of Peter’s primacy among the apostles. In Luke, it points toward Jesus’ didactic mission, where Peter’s house, boat, and eventually Peter himself host the proclamation of the Kingdom (4:14-21). Matthew wants us to know that the house in which the healing of the mother-in-law occurred is specifically Peter’s. This draws attention to the early relationship between Jesus and Peter, which is further developed in Matthew 16-17 where the declaration of Jesus’ identity comes from Peter’s own mouth.
Bringing it all together, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus moving his healing and teaching from the synagogues to Peter’s spaces (house and boat), and from Peter’s spaces to his family, before finally transferring these powers to all the apostles and chiefly to Peter whose faith and ministry is to be the foundation of the Church. I suspect that the account of Peter’s mother-in-law is like a rumble strip, strategically placed in our path in order to grab our attention and prompt us to pay attention to what lies ahead. The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law as narrated in the Synoptics may give us stronger scriptural ties between the primacy of Peter and the Church’s missions of healing and teaching.
Well ... not according to Paul who wrote: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I am. (1Corinthians7)
Doesn’t eliminate the possibility of being a widower.
But, on a different note, it doesn’t matter if Paul had 16 ex-wives and 10,000 children or none at all.
It’s trivia and a distraction.
You bet it matters! Paul was not the first apostle to conclude that celibacy is, in some sense, "better" than marriage. After Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19 on divorce and remarriage, the disciples exclaimed, "If such is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry" (Matt 19:10). This remark prompted Jesus’ teaching on the value of celibacy "for the sake of the kingdom":
"Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom it is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it" (Matt. 19:11–12).
It is important to note that the priestly celibacy is not a Catholic dogma or doctrine. In fact, for Eastern Rite Catholics, married priests are the norm, just as they are for Orthodox and Oriental Christians. My pastor's great grandfather was a married priest; he, on the other hand, chose celibacy. The tradition in the Western or Latin-Rite Church has been for priests as well as bishops to take vows of celibacy, a rule that has been firmly in place since the early Middle Ages. Even today, though, exceptions are made. For example, there are married Latin-Rite priests who are converts from Lutheranism and Episcopalianism.
**********************
Agreed. I've always thought that the choice to become a religious celibate after the death of one's husband or wife is particularly appealing.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, so here’s a bunny with a pancake on its head.”
You’re missing the point. His wife had died when he was called by Christ.
He remained celibate after that.
Teaching the commandments of men that contrary to the God's commandments was one of the identifiers of the apostate.
and I don't believe in the idea of sola scripture.
#47 post Quote from Catholic Encyclopedia.
There is no such word as “isogesis”; I believe the word you are searching for is “eisegesis” (documented as of 1892AD) as compared to “exegesis” (documented as of 1619AD).
Applying approved hermeneutical principles to a text (particle, word, grammar, sentence, local context, larger context, whole document, historical context, cultural context) to explain, to interpret what the passage says is _exegesis_, from ek or ex (out of) and hegeisthai (to lead). Its focus is on what is said, not particularly on current application.
The process of eisegesis is quite opposite. It is reading _into_ the text one’s own ideas, trying to make the text or selected portions into a pretext for supporting a one’s theory(s). This is what the writer of the article has done, and he has twisted Scripture in an amazing way. Peter himself warned about this (2 Pe 3:15-17 regarding the kind of wresting Paul’s epistles by the unlearned and unstable).
It is hoped this will bring a sense of admission of error and apology regarding the non-word “isogesis.” Actually, if there _were_ such a word, it would mean iso (the same as or equivalent to) + hegeisthai (to lead); or, an interpretation which is inerrantly and infallibly equal to or the same as the Scripture quoted. Is this what is meant?
Actually, the author (as well as several responders) ought to have been deafened by some very primary “rumble strips.” They are:
1. The incredible exegetic errors of interpreting Mt 16:13-28, esp. v. 18 as appointing Peter as head of the church. In fact, this is true _eisegesis_ - reading into Scripture what you want it to say. At that point, Peter was still an unregenerated “believer” who was still a child of Satan (v. 23). Peter was not converted (Lk 22:32)until much later, after the crucifixion and resurrection (Jn 21:15-19). He continued to make errors, until he and 129 others were invested with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, where the local Jerusalem Body of Christ was instituted by the Lord.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ authorized all the disciples to “bind and loose” when converted (Mt 18:3) and constituted as the church (Mt. 18:17-18) — not just Peter.
3. The pastor/chief elder of the very first church was not Peter, but James (Jacob) (Acts 15:13+, Gal 1:19), the son of Mary, (half)brother of Jesus.
4. Nowhere in Holy Scripture is there a catholic (universal, invisible, temporal, global) church (singular) exhorted — this is a pure _eisegetical_ invention of the apostate religion, the state church and its descendants. There are only local churches mentioned, each one a/the local Body of Christ when it is assembled (including the one in Heaven, whose members as yet have no bodies). Therefore, there cannot be a global denominational church with one ecclesiastical head, governing all as a “vicar”.
5. Doctrines and dogmas that require reference to this or that of the “patristics” or councils of the “early church” (read state-authorized, already apostate mixed-multitude) for their authority, and cannot stand on the inerrant, infallible, verbal, plenary, preserved Word of God only — are less than valueless — they are “traditions of men” and not of God.
THESE are just a few of the “rumble strips” the author ignores, regardless of his theological indoctrination. They are a spiritual alerts that cannot/do not enter the natural man’s reasonings as logical or meaningful (1 Co 2:14 in context).
With regard —
What you quote is exactly what I wrote, except that your author misuses the term celibacy. He meant “the law of continence was generally recognized.” Since a lot of people misuse the term “celibacy” in this way, it’s understandable. That’s why I was careful to make the distinction.
You, on the other hand, apparently think that because he uses the term “celibacy” to mean continence, he contradicts me. But the content of the laws he describes from the 4th century is EXACTLY what I said it was.
So he confirms my argument.
Simply matching up words is not smart. You have to make sure that words are being used in the same way.
Nyer, I think you misunderstood my post. I don’t disagree that Paul was celebate after being called.
I was referring to the question of whether he had previosly been married (and either been abandoned or a widower), which is unanswered.
Now you may say eisegesis
But either way this author has taken a couple verses and read into it something that is not confirmed by any other scripture..as there is NO scripture that has Jesus giving anyone His power or His authority or His infallibility
The text you quote was ecclesiastical authority not the infallibility or authority of Christ as judge
As opposed to the authors? Or did this faulty interpretation come from Rome.. I think NOT
Peter. Mary. Teaching authority of Catholic magisterium. Canonicity of the apocryphal books. Yup, those are the burning issues of Christendom today. And here we seem to be dosed with them ad nauseum.
In my experience people push hardest for the weakest propositions they are committed to in the hope that somehow by constantly badgering people into taking such propositions seriously, it will make the propositions more true. (If only the president could speechify about ObamaCare more everyone would see that he is right ... not)
Sorry, but repetition does not establish truth.
The Bible is about Christ - beginning, middle, and end of story. That which distracts from this central truth is just that, a distraction.
no you didn’t. check any translation. moreover go to the more ancient languages to find the meanings and intent
Are you calling me a liar?
Be very, very careful, here. You're treading on some mighty thin ice. In fact, you're one step from breaking through.
I am suggesting that EVERY translation I have looked at ( and I have a 26 translation intermixed) calls this term “burn”.
You do not cite which Bible you quoted when you claimed to quote it “word for word”. So tell me which translation has used the term ‘burnt’
I accept your apology.
What apology?
You cite the ONLY RC version. Note that the original languages do not support that translation NOR does any other.
No matter how you wish to twist the actual scriptual language the word is properly translated burn.
But hey believe what you will. We see through a glass darkly and then we shall see clearly.
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