Cephas
Gender Masculine
Scripts Κηφᾶς (Ancient Greek)
Means “rock” in Aramaic. The apostle Simon was called Cephas by Jesus because he was to be the rock upon which the Christian church was to be built. In most versions of the New Testament Cephas is translated into Greek Πέτρος (Petros) (in English Peter).
“Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam et […] tibi dabo claves Regni Caelorum.”
(Latin)
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church and […] to you I will give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
(Gospel according to Matthew 16, 18-19 – written around the dome of St. Peter’s in the Vatican)