Peter

Primacy of

Primacy of Peter is upheld and defended

"As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation...that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended..."

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day Is Come, par. 269)

Essential prerequisite of admittance into Bahá'í fold is wholehearted and unqualified acceptance of "the primacy of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles"

"Indeed, the essential prerequisites of admittance into the Bahá'í fold of Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, and the followers of other ancient faiths, as well as of agnostics and even atheists, is the wholehearted and unqualified acceptance by them all of the divine origin of both Islám and Christianity, of the Prophetic functions of both Muhammad and Jesus Christ, of the legitimacy of the institution of the Imamate, and of the primacy of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. Such are the central, the solid, the incontrovertible principles that constitute the bedrock of Bahá'í belief, which the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh is proud to acknowledge, which its teachers proclaim, which its apologists defend, which its literature disseminates, which its summer schools expound, and which the rank and file of its followers attest by both word and deed."

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day Is Come, par. 270)

Despite truth of primacy, the successorship was not written, explicit, or capable of preventing schisms, as in the Bahá'í Faith

Element of truth to organization of Church; primacy of Peter and his right to succession were established by Jesus though only orally and not explicitly or definitely

"...There is certainly an element of truth at the basis of the organization of the Christian Church. For instance, the primacy of Peter and his right to succession after Jesus have been established by the latter, though only orally and not in an explicit and definite language. The real reason why Christ did not make some explicit statement regarding His succession is not known, and cannot be known. For how can we, poor humans, claim to unravel the mysteries of God's mind and purpose, and to grasp the inscrutable dispensations of His providence. The utmost we can do is to give some explanations, but these must necessarily fail to give the fundamental reason to the problem we seek to solve."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 28, 1936, in Lights of Guidance, no. 542)

Peter could not produce in support of his primacy written and explicit affirmations from Christ that could silence his contemporaries or those in a later age

"Has either Christianity or Islám, to take as an instance two of the most widely diffused and outstanding among the world's recognized religions, anything to offer that can measure with, or be regarded as equivalent to, either the Book of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant or to the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá? Does the text of either the Gospel or the Qur'án confer sufficient authority upon those leaders and councils that have claimed the right and assumed the function of interpreting the provisions of their sacred scriptures and of administering the affairs of their respective communities? Could Peter, the admitted chief of the Apostles, or the Imám `Alí, the cousin and legitimate successor of the Prophet, produce in support of the primacy with which both had been invested written and explicit affirmations from Christ and Muhammad that could have silenced those who either among their contemporaries or in a later age have repudiated their authority and, by their action, precipitated the schisms that persist until the present day? Where, we may confidently ask, in the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ, whether in the matter of succession or in the provision of a set of specific laws and clearly defined administrative ordinances, as distinguished from purely spiritual principles, can we find anything approaching the detailed injunctions, laws and warnings that abound in the authenticated utterances of both Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá?"

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 145)

The statement "Thou art Peter and upon this rock..." establishes primacy of Peter and principle of succession but has been read into too much by Catholics

"Now with regard to your questions. First concerning the statement of Jesus Christ "Thou art Peter and upon this rock...": this saying of Jesus establishes beyond any doubt the primacy of Peter and also the principle of succession, but is not explicit enough regarding the nature and functioning of the Church itself. The Catholics have read too much into that statement, and derived from it certain conclusions which are quite unjustifiable."

(From a letter dated 7 September1938 written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_apostle_paul )

None invested with sufficient authority to interpret or add to Christ's Word

"...none did He [Christ] specifically invest with sufficient authority to either interpret His Word, or to add to what He had not specifically enjoined...Their contention centered around the fact that the vague and inconclusive words, addressed by Christ to Peter, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church," could never justify the extreme measures, the elaborate ceremonials, the fettering creeds and dogmas, with which His successors have gradually burdened and obscured His Faith."

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 20-21)

From Peter's mouth "the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance" flowed out

"His mother is described as "that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance," and the station of her Son eulogized as a "station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth," whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused "the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth.""

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day Is Come, par. 269)

Peter crying out and speaking of the coming of the Father (in Bahá'u'lláh)

"This is the day whereon the Rock [Peter] crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: `Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!...'"

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day Is Come, par. 73)

Relationship with Paul

Despite disputes between St. Peter and St. Paul (and primacy of St. Peter), they are both highly praised

"It is also undeniable that St. Peter had to face many problems in his own lifetime. On page 145 of The World Order of Baha'u'llah, the Guardian writes:

Could Peter, the admitted chief of the Apostles, or the Imam Ali, the cousin and legitimate successor of the Prophet, produce in support of the primacy with which both had been invested written and explicit affirmations from Christ and Muhammad that could have silenced those who either among their contemporaries or in a later age have repudiated their authority and, by their action, precipitated the schisms that persist until the present day?

"That St. Paul on occasion disputed with St. Peter is seen from St. Paul's own words in the Epistle to the Galatians, 2:11-14. It is also St. Paul who mentions early divisions among the Christians, which he endeavours to heal, in I Corinthians 1:11-13. St. Peter's attitude to St. Paul appears in II Peter 3:15-18.

"In considering the relationship between St. Peter and St. Paul, one needs to bear in mind all of these various factors. High praise in accorded to them both in the Baha'i Writings. A particularly pertinent statement by 'Abdu'l-Baha appears on page 223 of the new publication Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha:[4]

"One's conduct must be like the conduct of Paul, and one's faith similar to that of Peter."

(25 February 1980 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual)

(Memorandum from the Research Department, 22 February 1998, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_apostle_paul )

See also

• Catholic Church
• Papacy
• Reformation
• Imám 'Alí (for comparison of succesorship)

To-dos for this page

• See Some Answered Questions, Chapter 34 and Light of the World for a number of references