St Peter

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven."

 

The Jewish fisherman living in Bethsaida, whom Jesus renamed “Cephas” or “Petros”, the Latin and Greek words for “stone” or “rock”. It was upon this rock that Jesus pledged to build the church, and that the gates of Hades would not prevail against it.

 

The crossed keys (with beautiful embellishments) have been used in the Vatican Coat of Arms for generations, but are also commonly accepted as the symbol of St Peter himself in various parts of the world.

 

Just for fun: the Bible verses associated with Peter and his position of authority include:

 

Isaiah 22:20–23;

Matthew 10:2;

Matthew 16:18–19;

Luke 22:32;

John 21:17;

Acts 2:14;

Acts 10:46; and

Galatians 1:18.

 

Bible verses associated with the transfer of powers from pope to pope include:

Acts 1:20; 6:6; 13:3; 8:18; 9:17;

1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22;

2 Timothy 1:6