Epistles of Peter

I

Introduction

Epistles of Peter, two books of the New Testament, classified among the seven Epistles designated as Catholic (or General) by the early church because they are addressed to Christians generally, instead of particular churches. The First Epistle of Peter is addressed “to the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1)—that is, to Christians living in Roman provinces in the northern part of Asia Minor. The Second Epistle of Peter is addressed “to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1)—that is, to all Christians. Ecclesiastical tradition has attributed both Epistles to Saint Peter, but chiefly on the basis of internal evidence a number of modern scholars have questioned Peter's authorship of the First Epistle, and most have doubted his authorship of the Second Epistle.

II

First Epistle

The First Epistle claims to be from “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1), “a witness of the sufferings of Christ” (5:1), and to have been penned “by Silvanus, a faithful brother” (5:12). It is written in excellent Greek, reflects a knowledge of certain Epistles of Saint Paul, and accurately cites the Greek Septuagint instead of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Largely for these reasons, a number of scholars are reluctant to believe that Peter, a Palestinian fisherman, could have written it. They propose that it was written by a Roman Christian who, following a widely accepted ancient literary convention of ascribing new works to venerated figures of the past, credited his work to Peter. Scholars who accept Peter's authorship hold that Silvanus, a traveling companion of Paul, may have composed the letter for the apostle. If Peter was the author (either by himself or with the help of Silvanus), the Epistle probably dates from 64 to 65, or just after persecution of Christians began in Rome under the emperor Nero. If the letter is pseudonymous (composed under a false name), then the persecution referred to in 4:12-19 and 5:9 probably was the more general one that occurred under the emperor Domitian from 81 to 96, and the Epistle would date from about 96. The place of composition is commonly believed to have been Rome, chiefly because of the phrase “she who is at Babylon ... sends you greetings” (5:13); as in the book of Revelation, Babylon is probably an apocalyptic name for Rome (see Apocalyptic Writings). Some scholars have proposed that the Epistle actually may have been composed in the ancient city of Babylon.

The First Epistle was written to newly converted Christians to encourage them to rejoice and to persevere in their faith in spite of persecution and other hardships. The readers are reminded of their spiritual rebirth “to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1:3) and exhorted for that reason to live in a manner worthy of “the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:13)—that is, at the second coming of Christ. Slaves in particular are exhorted to show obedience, in imitation of Jesus' example (2:18-25), and Christian women married to non-Christians are also urged to “be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives” (3:1). All must lead loving, holy lives and not fear to suffer even unjustly, for so “Christ also died, for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (3:18). Those who would disobey, who would do evil, or who would not love one another are warned that “the end of all things is at hand” (4:7) and that “the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God” (4:17).

III

Second Epistle

The Second Epistle claims to be from “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1); an eyewitness to Christ's Transfiguration (1:18); a “brother” of Paul (3:15); and the author of 1 Peter (3:1). Peter's authorship, however, was questioned by the early church, and it is now doubted by most scholars on the basis of both internal and external evidence. Furthermore, 2 Peter incorporates virtually all of the Epistle of Jude and shows a knowledge of a collection of Paul's Epistles (3:15-16) and of their Gnostic misinterpreters (see Gnosticism). Because both the collecting of Paul's letters as Scripture and the threat of Gnosticism occurred after Peter's death, it is generally held that 2 Peter was written by an unknown person in the 2nd century. The Epistle has been accepted as canonical since the 4th century.

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The Second Epistle of Peter was written to strengthen the Christian belief in the second coming of Christ, a hope that had been attacked and ridiculed by the Gnostics as ill-founded, since it was believed imminent but had not come to pass. The Epistle may be divided into three main sections, each of which corresponds to a single chapter in the traditional division of the Christian Scriptures. In the first section the readers are reminded of God's promises given to them through Christ. To gain God's favor, they are admonished to lead truly Christian lives in addition to believing in these promises. An attack on false teachers constitutes the second main section. The portions of the Epistle of Jude incorporated in 2 Peter are found in this section. In the third section the “scoffers” are refuted, and “the day of the Lord” is reaffirmed. Christians are directed to remain faithful although it may seem to them that “the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire” (3:12) has been long delayed, for God's sense of time is not man's, and he is “not slow about his promise ... not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (3:9).

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