An Aramaic name meaning 'rock' or 'stone,' given to Simon Peter in the New Testament and translated as 'Peter' in Greek.
From Aramaic 'kepha' (rock, stone). Jesus gave this name to Simon as a symbolic renaming, similar to how biblical figures received new names reflecting divine purpose. The Greek equivalent 'petros' (stone) became his Western name.
When Jesus told Simon 'Cephas, you are a rock' (Jn 1:42), he was making a pun in Aramaic that got partially lost in translation—'Cephas' (the rock) was also meant to evoke Cephas's role as the foundation of the church, making him a rock both literally and metaphorically in the original language.
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