He said, “Satan,” which in the Hebrew means “adversary.” But, if Peter
had not spoken from ignorance, nor rebuked the Son of the living God, saying
unto Him, “God be propitious to thee, Lord, this shall never be unto Thee,”
Christ would not have said to him, “Get thee behind Me,” as to one who had
given up being behind Him and following Him; nor would He have said as to one
who had spoken things adverse to what He had said, “Satan.” But now Satan
prevailed over him who had followed Jesus and was going behind Him, to turn
aside from following Him and from being behind the Son of God, and to make him,
by reason of the words which he spoke in ignorance, worthy of being called
“Satan” and a stumbling-block to the Son of God, and “as not minding the things
of God but the things of men.” But that Peter was formerly behind the Son of
God, before he committed this sin, is manifest from the words, “Come ye behind
Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Origen, Commentary on Matthew 12.21
[ANF 9:462-63])
