1 Peter - Introduction

1 Peter

Introduction

First of all acknowledgment of sources which have contributed to these notes.

• An Introduction to the New Testament - Carson, Moo and Morris - especially in the background material contained in this introduction.
• 1 Peter - Tyndale Commentary, A M Stibbs & A F Walls - this is the main source of textual commentary.

Right at the outset the letter claims to be written by the apostle Peter, so one might have thought that that was the end of the matter as far as deciding who wrote it. However, there are always those who question the most obvious things. So we will take a look at the matter.

The arguments for Petrine authorship, apart from the obvious one of 1:1, are the allusions to gospel incidents, such as 2:20-25 (Mark 14:65, 8:34, 10:32, 14:27). There are also similarities between this letter and the words of Peter recorded in acts (Acts 4:10,11 - 1 Pet 2:7,8), (acts 10:3,9 - 1 Pet 2:24).

So there the Petrine authorship seems pretty conclusive, so what are the objections?

1. The Greek is of too high a standard for a fisherman. In answer to this we need to remind ourselves that “unschooled” (Acts 4:13) does not mean thick! It simply means they had not had a rabbinical training. If we go back a few decades in our own country, not many went to university, and that meant many perfectly intelligent people did not go to university. Greek was widely spoken. Moreover, 1 Pet 5:12 says Peter wrote the letter with the help of Silas, and this may have included Silas tidying up the Greek.
2. It is said to be too dependent upon Pauline theology. Of course, if it wasn’t then people would object that it was too different to Paul and start complaining about inconsistencies. There is one gospel, so consistencies are to be expected. Paul and Peter interacted and it is to be expected that Peter learnt a lot from Paul.
3. Limited evidence of events in Jesus’ life. This letter is not a “I remember when ...”, it is written with a specific purpose.
4. The passages referring to persecution are said to refer to that under Domitian or Trajan, by which time Peter was dead. This is really a most stupid and ignorant objection. There were times of persecution under Nero and at many times and places. Moreover, those referred to in the letter would seem to be less severe than those that occurred under Domitian or Trajan, so this actually lends support to Petrine authorship!

So we will accept the Bible for what it says and there is strong reason to do so. On a more general point, those who like doubting the authorship of everything say that people used the name of an apostle to lend credibility to what they wrote. This is another example of ignorance and stupidity. The historical evidence of the early church is that they were very careful about authorship, claiming to be someone you are not would not aid your cause. As an example the gnostic gospels, such as the “gospel” of Thomas gained no traction despite have the name of an apostle attached to them. By the way, if you want a laugh go and read the gospel of Thomas, it is only 114 verses long (make sure you go right to the end). You will quickly realise why the gnostic gospels were not included in the Bible. It was nothing to do with the church suppressing stuff, but due to the fact that they weren’t written until the 2nd or 3rd century, so aren’t gospels anyway, and that they are complete rubbish.

The letter was probably written in the early 60’s and from Rome. The mention of Babylon in 1 Pet 5:13 is taken as an oblique reference to Rome. Babylon was also used to refer to Rome in Revelation. The beginning of the letter gives the churches that the letter was originally intended for. It is probably aimed at a predominantly Gentile audience, but is of course relevant to Jewish Christians as well.

There are several quotes from 1 Peter in early Christian writings and it was recognised as apostoloic at a very early stage.

The overall theme of the letter is concerned with how Christians should live in a hostile environment, and it should be noted that the primary motivation and encouragement in all cases is theological. Ie it is based on who Christ is and on what He has done and will do.