Did Peter Divorce His Wife To Become the First Pope?
Whenever I mention that Peter could not be the first Pope because he was married, I do get answers that maybe Peter's wife already died or that he divorced her. What is funny is that whenever I read a copy of the Roman Catholic catechism, it says divorce is considered a sin yet in another page, it says that although Peter had a wife, he left her. They misquote Matthew 19:27 which says that the disciples left everything to follow Him. Considering that Roman Catholics love to pick one verse and leave out the rest then re-interpret them, I would like to address the side who believed Peter had divorced his wife to become the first Pope.
The idea Peter divorced his wife would be a complete contradiction. In Matthew 19:4-8, we read that Jesus was strictly against divorce. When Peter said we left everything, it doesn't mean he divorced his wife and left any of their children if they had any. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, we read that Peter actually took his wife along with him in missionary journeys. That was written before Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:1-4 saying that the requirement of every good bishop (pastor) was also to be a husband of one wife, ruling the household properly aside from being a man of character. If Peter divorced his wife to fulfill celibacy, it really makes Jesus contradict Himself about divorce. It is clear that Jesus declared divorce to be a sin so why should He even require Peter to get a divorce? That would be very contradictory.
What was also interesting was that the celibacy of the Roman Catholic priesthood did not come until 1074 A.D which was two years before the declaration of the doctrine of papal infalliblity. It means that some of the priests of the early Roman Catholic system were even required to get married like the priestly Tribe of Levi to create a family of priests. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 really shows how mandatory celibacy is a doctrine of demons and not of God. Yet, many Roman Catholics still continue to reject the Word of God to keep their own tradition.
The idea Peter divorced his wife would be a complete contradiction. In Matthew 19:4-8, we read that Jesus was strictly against divorce. When Peter said we left everything, it doesn't mean he divorced his wife and left any of their children if they had any. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, we read that Peter actually took his wife along with him in missionary journeys. That was written before Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:1-4 saying that the requirement of every good bishop (pastor) was also to be a husband of one wife, ruling the household properly aside from being a man of character. If Peter divorced his wife to fulfill celibacy, it really makes Jesus contradict Himself about divorce. It is clear that Jesus declared divorce to be a sin so why should He even require Peter to get a divorce? That would be very contradictory.
What was also interesting was that the celibacy of the Roman Catholic priesthood did not come until 1074 A.D which was two years before the declaration of the doctrine of papal infalliblity. It means that some of the priests of the early Roman Catholic system were even required to get married like the priestly Tribe of Levi to create a family of priests. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 really shows how mandatory celibacy is a doctrine of demons and not of God. Yet, many Roman Catholics still continue to reject the Word of God to keep their own tradition.