The change of name from Peter to Cephas in the Letter to the Galatians is a key argument for the thesis that St. Paul was not admonishing St. Peter in Gal 2:11-14, but another person with the same Aramaic name.
- St. Paul refers to Peter twice in Galatians 2:7-8, and then suddenly begins calling him Cephas in Galatians 2:9-14.
- Such a sudden change of name suggests that two different people are being referred to in this context.
- Additionally, the early Christian historian Eusebius, quoting Clement of Alexandria, claims that Cephas rebuked by St. Paul in Galatians 2:11 was not the apostle Peter, but one of the 70 disciples of the Lord.
It is important to distinguish between translation and transliteration of names.
- Cephas is a transliteration of the Aramaic word kaifa , which means „rock.”
- Peter ( Petros in Greek) is the translation of kaif into Greek.
Thus, when St. Paul uses the name Cephas, he is using the Aramaic name, and when he uses the name Peter, he is using the Greek translation of the name.
- In the Gospel according to St. Matthew, which contains important statements about St. Peter and the meaning of his name, there is no mention of Cephas, only of Peter.
- Greek-speaking readers of Galatians, seeing the references to Peter in Galatians 2:7-8 and then to Cephas in Galatians 2:11-14, would have no reason to think that they were referring to the same person.
The context of Galatians also suggests that Cephas is a different person than Peter.
- St. Paul in Galatians 2:7-8 describes Peter in a direct, personal, positive way, using his name and emphasizing that God acted through him.
- However, the description of Cephas is more distant and impersonal.
- St. Paul in Galatians 2:6 says of Cephas: „What they once were I care nothing for,” which would not make sense in reference to St. Peter, considering his position and importance.
An additional argument is the chronology of events described in the Acts of the Apostles and the Letter to the Galatians.
- Chronological analysis indicates that the admonition of Cephas in Antioch took place before the Council of Jerusalem.
- St. Paul does not mention the Council in his Letter to the Galatians, which suggests that the letter was written before the Council.
- If Cephas were Peter, St. Paul would certainly have cited the decisions of the Council in his Letter to the Galatians, especially since they directly address the controversies described in the letter.
In Acts 15:1-2 we read that the cause of the controversy in Antioch was “certain men.”
- If Cephas were Peter and openly Judaizing in Antioch before the Council, then Peter himself, the chief apostle, would have been among these men.
- It is unlikely that St. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, would not have mentioned that Peter was involved in this controversy.
- Additionally, Acts 15:2 says that Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to settle a dispute with the apostles.
- If Cephas was Peter, there would be no point in Paul and Barnabas going to Jerusalem since Peter was already in Antioch.
All these arguments lead to the conclusion that the Cephas mentioned in Galatians 2 was not St. Peter.