REFUTING ELISEO SORIANO

A picture of an Angry Eli Soriano (Presiding Minister of ADD, MCGI, Iglesia ni YHWH etc.) 
during his debate with William Sarago (Pastor of Kingdom of Jesus Christ)


Refuting Eliseo Soriano on the Papacy of Peter

When I was surfing the internet I accidentally stumble into Mr. Eliseo Soriano’s blog the leader of the infamous Ang Dating Daan (The Old Way). Upon exploring his blog I got into his archives and found few articles that malign the Catholic Church so I decided to copy his article and refute it.

Written in black is his article and in red is my refutation (Isahel N. Alfonso).

The claim that Peter was the first pope and the rock whereupon the church was built is erroneous and can not be substantiated, either in history or in the Bible.

Dream on can not be substantiated??? Is that all you can say? It can be substantiated both in history and the Bible; Mr. Soriano can not just accept that fact. The World Almanac Book of Facts 2009 (we can not say that this book is bias since it is not owned by the Catholic Church, this is standard reference) has a complete list of popes from peter to Benedict XVI this book can not be called “Book of facts” if it contains error Mr. Soriano refuse to accept this facts. Biblical proof? No problem Mt.16:16-19, Christ change Simon Bar-jona’s name to Peter, in the Bible it only happens if God gave someone a mission which is for the salvation of his people, like Abram to Abraham. Secondly Christ build the church upon Peter “though art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. Lastly Christ gave Peter the keys to bind and to loose, the keys signify authority Is.22:22, Christ is the King the successor of the Davidic throne, before Christ ascended to heaven he gave the over all authority to Peter to govern and guide the church. Peter the rock? Well let Jesus Christ answer this question John 1:42 “And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.” Cephas is an Aramaic word for ROCK. To whom shall we believed that Peter is the rock? Mr. Eliseo Soriano who is just a man or Jesus Christ who is God?

How can Peter be a pope when such title was first used 400 years after the death of Peter?

Where is your logic Mr. Soriano? The existence of a person, thing or office doesn’t depend on when their title was invented. For example the word stone was first used 3 billion years after the stone was created does that mean that the stone only existed when the word stone was invented? Using your logic we would end up in a funny conclusion “How can a stone be a stone when such a word (stone) was first used 3 billion years after the stone was created?

Biblically, Peter can not be a pope! It is prohibited by Christ to the original twelve disciples to be called ‘rabbi’ or teacher because their only teacher was Jesus Christ.

(Matthew 23:8) “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.” 

They were also forbidden to address anybody on earth their father because (religiously speaking) they have only one Father, which is the Father in heaven.

(Matthew 23:9) “And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven.”

Mr. Soriano how do you address the husband of your mother? Bruno? Doggy? or father? I had already explain Mt.23:8-9 on my previous post, it simply means that don’t give honor to a man what belongs to God alone. Lk, 16:24 He called out Father Abraham have pity on me.. what did he called Abraham?

So, we can safely conclude that Peter did not ever hold the position of pope, biblically and historically, according to the Bible, and to official documents from the Catholic Church itself.

We have already proven that Peter holds the position pope historically and Biblically. Mr. Soriano even have the guts to claim that in the official documents of the Church, Peter was never taught as holding the position pope this is laughable gross ignorance to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered. CCC 882

Mr. Soriano, Pope Benedict XVI is the successor of Peter, then what is Peter?

But was he the rock upon which the Church was built?

Of course! Who else is the rock on Mt.16:16-19?

Note that the Church was founded on a ‘petra’ — in the feminine gender, and not on a ‘petros’ ( a stone), the name ascribed to Peter.

There is no problem in this word game. Petros is masculine and petra is feminine either/or the meaning is the same ROCK says Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionary. The Greek name/word is very gender sensitive when you are talking about a male the words you use in Greek should be masculine, that is why Jesus called peter petros not petra. If Jesus said “though art petra and on thispetra” etc. our first pope will be a laughing stock, imagine his name will be petrina instead of Peter! And besides if petra was used it will confuse Greek readers they might think that Peter is a female since Christ called him petra. Furthermore if we read it in Aramaic we will be reading “though art kepha and on this kepha I will build my church.”

It was not only Peter which was called a stone, but Peter himself called the members of the first century Church as lively stones.

(1 Peter 2:5) “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Members of the first century Church were called by Peter as ‘lively stones’ or‘lithos’ in the original Greek tongue.

There is no big deal about this, if we read Mt.16:16-19 in context it clearly refers to Peter as the Rock not other Christians or apostles. Peter was talking metaphorically here about the “lively stones”, while Jesus was talking about a literal stone Peter on Mt.16:16-19. The word rock does not only or exclusively used in one person:

· in Ephesians 2:20, the apostles are called the foundation of the Church;

· in 1 Corinthians 3:11, Jesus is called the foundation of the Church.

· In 1 Corinthians 3:12, the faithful build upon the foundation;

· in Matthew 16:18, Jesus builds upon the foundation.

· In 1 Peter 2:5, the faithful are called the stones of God’s spiritual house;

· in Acts 4:11, Jesus is called the stone of God’s house.

· In 1 Corinthians 3:16, the faithful are the temple of God;

· in Apocalypse 21:22, Jesus is the temple of God.

· In Acts 20:28, the apostles are called the bishops of the flock;

· in 1 Peter 2:25, Jesus is called the Bishop of the flock.

This only demonstrates Mr. Soriano’s lack of understanding and gross ignorance on exegesis.

They, Peter, other Apostles, and the members, altogether formed the edifice founded on the rock or ‘petra’.

This is an erroneous conclusion, did Jesus change the names of the other 11 apostles to Kepha/Petros?

(Ephesians 2:20) “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…”

Note that the Apostles (including Peter) and prophets are built upon the foundation(they are not the foundation), the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mr. Soriano misses the metaphor In Eph. 2:20 Paul is the builder and Christ is the foundation in Mt.16 Jesus is the builder and Peter is the foundation. How poor are you on your exegesis Mr. Soriano.

Anybody who will build a church, and make Peter or any other man its foundation is rejecting Christ and building it in vain.

Don’t eat your own words Mr. Soriano “anybody who will build a church”, who founded Ang Dating Daan again? Your saying that Christ is building in vain? It was Jesus who made Peter the Rock foundation in Mt.16 remember?

(1 Timothy 3:15) “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

God built it upon Christ — the real foundation.

(Hebrews 3:4) “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.”

(Psalams 127:1) “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

Mr. Soriano don’t eat your words again the Catholic Church can trace its origin to the time of Jesus Christ, standard references attest to this World Almanac Book of Facts, World History by O’brien and many more. However Dating Daan or Church of God International didn’t even make it to the standard references.


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