Jump to content

First Epistle of Peter

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from 1 Peter)

The First Epistle of Peter is the twenty-first book of the New Testament. It is traditionally believed to be a letter from Peter the Apostle, but scholars disagree as to the author.[1] The letter was sent to Christian Churches in Anatolia who were being oppressed because of their beliefs.

While Roman Catholics believe that it was written during Peter's time as the first Pope in Rome or in Antioch,[source?] the letter itself says that it was written from Babylon.[2]

Contents

[change | change source]

The letter was written to "exiles"[3] (Greek: παρεπιδήμοις), Christians who were being persecuted for their faith. It names different provinces in Anatolia where these Christians are, such as Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

The author commands these people to stay faithful and holy during their exile, and to be humble and patient. It says that Christians should expect to suffer for their faith. Is doing so they follow the example of Jesus. The letter concludes with advice to church leaders. They should lead the believers as a shepherd leads sheep. This reflects the words of Jesus to Peter found in the last chapter of John's Gospel.

Authorship

[change | change source]

Critical scholarship

[change | change source]

While the text itself claims to be written by Peter the Apostle, the majority of scholars agree that this letter contains traditions associated with him but was not written by him.[4][5][6][7]

Many arguments have been put forward to support this, such as the letter being written as though the author had studied the Greek language and was familiar with philosophy,[8] which is unusual for an illiterate fisherman from Galilee. However, the author does state that he wrote the letter with help from Silvanus,[9] which leads some to believe that a scribe wrote for Peter,[10] though John Elliot argues that this creates more problems than it solves.[11]

The use of Babylon as a title for Rome, such as in 1 Peter, comes from the Destruction of the Second Temple in 70 (CE) or shortly before that,[7] making a date before the 60s-70s (CE) unlikely.

Minority position

[change | change source]

A minority of scholars argue that there is enough evidence to conclude that Peter did write 1 Peter, such as similarities between this letter and Peter's speeches in the Book of Acts,[12] allusions to the words of Jesus in the Gospels,[13] early tradition where Peter is claimed to be the author,[14] and some other pieces of evidence. Specifically, Richard Carrier thinks that this epistle is authentic and should be dated to the 60s (CE).[15]

References

[change | change source]
  1. ↑ Dale Martin 2009 (lecture). "24. Apocalyptic and Accommodation" on YouTube. Yale University. Accessed 22 July 2013. Lecture 24 (transcript) Archived 6 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Peter 5:13 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  3. ↑ "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Peter 1:1 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  4. ↑ Moyise, Steve (9 December 2004). The Old Testament in the New. A&C Black. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-567-08199-5.
  5. ↑ Stephen L. Harris (1992). Understanding the Bible. Mayfield. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-55934-083-0. Most scholars believe that 1 Peter is pseudonymous (written anonymously in the name of a well-known figure) and was produced during postapostolic times.
  6. ↑ Collins, Adela (2007). Mark: A Commentary (Hermeneia: a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible). Fortress Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0800660789. Although most scholars today conclude that the letter was not written by Peter himself, the consensus is that it is an expression of the Christian tradition at Rome that was associated with Peter.
  7. 1 2 Ehrman, Bart D. (2011). Forged. HarperOne, HarperCollins. pp. 65–77. ISBN 978-0-06-201262-3.
  8. ↑ Achtemeier, Paul. Peter 1 Hermeneia. Fortress Press. 1996
  9. ↑ "Bible Gateway; 1 Peter 5:12, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition".
  10. ↑ https://rsc.byu.edu/ministry-peter-chief-apostle/case-petrine-authorship-1-peter
  11. ↑ Elliott, John. 1 Peter: Anchor Bible Commentary. Yale University Press. 2001.
  12. ↑ Daniel Keating, First and Second Peter Jude (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011) 18. Norman Hillyer, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody, MA: Henrickson, 1992), 1–3. Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005), 14–19.
  13. ↑ Lane, Dennis; Schreiner, Thomas (2016). "Introduction to 1 Peter". ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. p. 2401.
  14. ↑ Williams 2012, pp. 28–.
  15. ↑ "UPDATES, DEVELOPMENTS, TRENDLINES. Are Hebrews, 1 Clement and 1 Peter early mythicist texts?". The Obsolete Paradigm of an Historical Jesus.


Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Epistle_of_Peter&oldid=10914408"