Annotation CCXXI

”Follow thou me.” — John 21:19

Whether Peter had the keys in his own person.

Augustine, narrating this in tract 124 on John, says: “This the Church does, in blessed hope, in this toilsome life — of which Church Peter the Apostle, on account of the primacy of his apostolate, bore the person by a figured generality. For [as to] that which properly pertains to himself, by nature he was one man, by grace one Christian, by a more abundant grace one and the same [person, namely] Peter the Apostle: but when it was said to him, ‘I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind,’ etc., then he signified the whole Church.” This passage the Lutherans adduce, to show that when Christ said,¹ “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,” etc., he spoke to Peter not as to his particular person, but to the whole Church, whose figure he bore — just as when he spoke to all the Apostles by a response directed to Judas.

Meeting these [Lutherans], John Bunderius, in the book of the Concertationes, thus says: “IF the Lord had directed the discourse to the Apostles, he would have enunciated [it] in the plural number — just as when, to Peter alone asking, ‘Behold, now we have left all things; what therefore shall there be for us?’, the Lord soon, directing [his] words to all the Apostles, says: ‘You, who have followed me,’ etc. But now, to Peter, on account of his singular dignity, he directed the discourse: ‘I will give thee the keys,’ etc.” Examining which, Augustine, in the same place, says: “He first of the Apostles received the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Nor do we deny that the keys are given to the Church: for the Church is the end [purpose] of the gift; for [they] are given on account of the Church’s utility. And this Augustine affirms, tract 124 on John, saying: “The Church, which is founded on Christ, received from him the keys of the kingdom of heaven in Peter.” By this figure we say that the empire is among the Germans — not because the individual Germans [have it], but because one of them is distinguished with the title of the empire. [The keys] are, therefore, in Peter authoritatively, in the Church finally [as to their end]. See [things] pertaining to this argument in Annotations 68 and 206 of this book.