SPIRITUAL ROCK

(pneumatike petra): Having a spiritual significance: supernatural, manifesting the power of the Divine Spirit; allegorically applied to Christ as fulfilling the type in the smitten rock in the desert, from which water miraculously burst forth to nourish the Israelites. A tradition current among the Jews affirms that this rock followed the people in their journeyings and gave forth a living stream for their supply. Paul made this ever-flowing rock a beautiful and accurate symbol of Christ: "The rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Without the characterizing word "spiritual," this figurative term, with the same significance, is common to the Scriptures; applied

(1) to Yahweh, God: "Rock of his salvation," "their rock is not as our Rock" (Deuteronomy 32:15, 31); "Yahweh is my rock" (Psalm 18:2; compare Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 32:2 1 Samuel 2:2 2 Samuel 22:2);

(2) to the foundation-stone of Christian confession and testimony (Matthew 16:18; compare Ephesians 2:20 1 Corinthians 3:11 1 Peter 2:6-8), and thus to Christ Himself;

(3) in Christian hymnology to Jesus crucified and spear-pierced: "Rock of ages, cleft for me."

Dwight M. Pratt

The Rock of Ages
... THE ROCK OF AGES. (Ninth Sunday after Trinity.) 1 Corinthians 10:4. They drank of
that Spiritual Rock which followed them; and that Rock was Christ. St. ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xiv the rock of.htm

1 Cor. Ix. 24
... the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink
the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual Rock that followed ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxiii 1 cor ix.htm

John ix. 6, 7
... As Paul saith, "They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock
was Christ." ( 1 Corinthians 10:4.) As then Christ was the spiritual Rock ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily lvii john ix 6.htm

Third Sunday Before Lent
... cloud and in the sea; 3 and did all eat the same spiritual food; 4 and did all drink
the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol ii/third sunday before lent.htm

The Promise Given to Peter not Restricted to Him, but Applicable ...
... For all bear the surname of "rock" who are the imitators of Christ, that is, of
the spiritual rock which followed those who are being saved, [5630] that they ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/11 the promise given to.htm

The Story of Israel Crossing Jordan under Joshua is Typical of ...
... in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and drink
the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual rock which followed ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/26 the story of israel.htm

Christ the Water of Life.
... "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock
that followed them: and the rock was Christ" (I. Cor. x.4). ...
/.../iii christ the water of life.htm

Examples of the Various Styles, Drawn from the Teachers of the ...
... [1994] Now this sign seems to indicate that the rock was a type of the body of Christ,
for it is written, They drank of that spiritual rock that followed them ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books /chapter 21 examples of the various.htm

The Angel of the Everlasting Gospel.
... alone, but all the fathers "did eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the angel of the everlasting.htm

Perseverance of Saints.
... meat; 4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink; (for they drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ); 5. But with many of ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture li perseverance of saints.htm