Are All the Apostles Given Equal Authority?

In Matthew 16:18–19, Jesus tells Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 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.”

Catholics have traditionally pointed to this passage as evidence that Peter was given authority over the other apostles and the Church — an authority passed on to his successors, the popes.

However, in Matthew 18:18, Jesus tells all of the apostles, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Does this prove that Peter actually has no special authority?

Not quite. But before explaining why, let’s look at the meaning behind the keys and the terms “binding” and “loosing.”

The Old Testament backdrop to Matthew 16 and 18
In Isaiah 22:20—22, God declares, “In that day I will call my servant Eli′akim, the son of Hilki′ah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. “

We see that Eli′akim will possess the key, indicating his authority as steward over the house of David. The language of opening and shutting is similar to binding and loosing.

Back to Matthew, this means that both the keys and the concept of binding and loosing indicate authority over the Church of God.

Peter and the keys
While the other Apostles were given the power of binding and loosing, they didn’t receive those keys — symbols of the highest authority — from Christ. They were given to Peter alone.

The pope possesses the fullness of apostolic authority. Yet the bishops — in communion with the pope — still have the power to make binding decisions in their dioceses. Even if the Vicar of Christ reigns supreme, most popes defer to the bishops in local, regional, and national matters.

So, no, the Apostles did not possess the same authority. Each Apostle was given a share of responsibility for part of the Body of Christ, while Peter watched over the universal Church.