A Few Polemical Points From Scripture Defending Apostolic Celibacy

Shameless, Joe Heschmeyer: One of the common arguments against clerical celibacy is that St. Peter, the leader of the Apostles and the first pope, was married. After all, Scripture refers to his having a mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15), and St. Paul (referring to Peter by his original Aramaic name, Cephas) [I assume this is an unintended misstatement, for Peter’s “original” Hebrew name was Simon] defends his Apostolic authority in a verse usually translated “Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas?” (1 Corinthians 9:5). Read the rest here.

[Note: “usually translated” is inaccurate. The Douay, based on the literal translation of the Vulgate, has “woman” not “wife” in this verse. The Vulgate has mulier not uxor; mulier means woman, uxor means wife. It is most unfortunate that modern Catholic Bibles in English (New Jerusalem and New American), following the King’s James’ convenient translation, have “wife” for this verse. Why is this? Because the inspired Greek has the word gynaika, which can mean either woman or wife. Even the Protestant Strong’s Greek lexicon gives “woman” as the first choice for gynaika, noting that gynaike is most often used for a woman in the Bible rather than for a wife. Our Lord always refers to His Mother as gynai, “Woman,” or, as Strong’s also has it translated, “Lady”. It is in public a title of respect.]