First and Second Peter, Jude (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)

Keating, Daniel, Williamson, Peter S., Healy, Mary

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781441235640
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), Daniel Keating interprets First and Second Peter and Jude for pastoral ministers and lay readers alike. The seventeen-volume CCSS series, which will cover the entire New Testament, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.

Introduction to 1 Peter

The First Letter of Peter is a hidden gem, tucked away among the †catholic epistles, just waiting to be discovered.[1] Overshadowed by the longer and weightier letters of Paul, 1 Peter has often been neglected or undervalued.[2] My aim in this commentary is to aid the reader in discovering the riches of this letter, in the hope that he or she may hear its proclamation of the †gospel anew and follow the call to suffer joyfully with Christ.

Aim of 1 Peter

It was the common practice of early Church commentaries on the Bible to identify the aim of a given biblical book right from the start.[3] What, then, is the aim of 1 Peter? Peter writes to the churches in five regions (see 1:1) to prepare them for suffering in imitation of Christ. As members of God’s household, they need to know their new identity in Christ, learn how to relate to others both within and outside the Church, and be ready to undergo affliction for their faith. In fact, the characteristic feature of this letter is the sharp contrast between the sober call to suffer in imitation of Christ and the “indescribable . . . joy” (1:8) that is ours because of our new standing in Christ. Like a symphony that moves back and forth between major and minor keys, 1 Peter oscillates between the expression of profound joy on the one hand and the call to endure trials on the other. Peter’s aim is to show that the Christian life, characterized by a living hope and deep joy, will also be marked by suffering for the sake of Christ.

Authorship and Date

Until recently the unanimous judgment of the Christian tradition was that 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter in Rome during the final years of his life, sometime in the early 60s. We find probable allusions to 1 Peter already in the First Letter of Clement (dated to 95) and citations in Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians (dated 108–25).[4] Irenaeus of Lyons, writing about the year 180, is the first to confirm Peter’s authorship of the letter.[5] This judgment is endorsed by Tertullian (c. 200), Clement of Alexandria (c. 220), and the early Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 325), among others.[6]

Doubts about Peter’s authorship arose in the early modern period with the rise of historical-critical biblical scholarship. For a time, the predominant view among scholars was that 1 Peter actually came from the Pauline school and was dependent on Paul’s teaching. This view no longer commands the field. The present consensus among those who do not accept Peter’s direct authorship is that the author is one of Peter’s disciples in Rome, writing after Peter’s death sometime between the years 70 and 95.[7] Still, a set of contemporary scholars make the case for Peter’s authorship and argue that the evidence against Peter as author is not as compelling as many scholars have claimed.[8]

What are the grounds put forward for questioning Peter’s authorship of this letter? First, many conclude that a Galilean fisherman whose native language was †Aramaic could not have written the quality of Greek that 1 Peter displays. Second, many question whether the Christian mission extended to all the regions mentioned in 1:1 by the time of Peter’s death. Further objections arise from the perceived historical and literary context of the letter, leading many to conclude that the letter belongs to a period late in the first century, after Peter’s death.[9]

Defenders of Peter’s authorship propose that Peter may have dictated the letter to a colleague who rendered Peter’s words into elegant Greek. We know that Paul himself dictated several of his letters (1 Cor 16:21; Col 4:18; 2 Thess 3:17; Philem 1:19). Many scholars identify Silvanus as Peter’s scribe, but the reference to the author writing “through Silvanus” (5:12) most probably refers to Silvanus as the bearer, not the writer, of the letter. Others argue that Peter could have learned to write in Greek at the level we find in 1 Peter, given at least two decades of mission work.[10] One recent study concludes that the Greek of 1 Peter is not as polished as many have claimed, that it shows signs of being written by a native †Semitic speaker, and that it is within the ability of a nonnative Greek speaker to learn.[11]

The objection against the Christian mission to Asia Minor is not weighty. There is no strong historical case against Christian presence in these regions by the 60s, and Peter could be writing to churches that he did not establish directly. In response to the objections from historical and literary context, a majority of scholars, even of those who reject Peter’s authorship, no longer judge the evidence to demand a late first-century date.[12] More positively, there are some striking similarities between 1 Peter and Peter’s speeches in the Acts of the Apostles. While this does not prove Peter’s direct authorship, it shows that the thought and language of 1 Peter is consistent with what is recorded of Peter’s words in Acts.

The issue of authorship remains open and contested, but we can safely conclude that the author is either Peter himself or someone from his close circle of disciples in Rome writing in his name shortly after his death. While I recognize the force of some of the arguments against Peter’s direct authorship, I believe the stronger case still remains for Peter as author, and I will assume his authorship in the course of the commentary. Whether or not Peter is the author, 1 Peter remains an †inspired and †canonical book of the Bible.

The Recipients of the Letter

The recipients of this letter are Christians resident in five Roman provinces of Asia Minor: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (see the map on p. 27). The order in which the five provinces are listed possibly reflects the circular travel route that would have been taken by the bearer of the letter, who would have delivered it to each province in turn.[13]

Given Peter’s emphasis on suffering throughout the letter, it is evident that the Christians he is writing to are experiencing trials and persecutions. It is possible that these Christians were undergoing formal trials in Roman courts, but it seems more likely that Peter is referring to the ongoing, daily abuse and criticism that Christians were receiving from their pagan neighbors.

What is the identity of the audience Peter is writing to? Are they Jews, †Gentiles, or a mixture of both? Peter’s use of the term “†dispersion” (1:1) led some early Christian commentators to conclude that the audience was mainly Jewish, given that “dispersion” was used as a technical term to designate the Jewish community outside Palestine. In addition, the audience is told to “maintain good conduct among the Gentiles” (2:12) and to cease behaving like the Gentiles do (4:3). This would naturally indicate that the audience was Jewish. However, there are even stronger indications that the audience was composed mainly of Gentiles. Peter speaks about their “former ignorance” (1:14) and the futile life inherited from their ancestors (1:18). He identifies them as coming out of darkness (2:9) and having been “no people” (2:10) before their new birth in Christ. All of these designations apply to Gentiles much more readily than to Jews. While it is probable that there were both Gentiles and Jews in these churches, Peter seems to be addressing a largely Gentile audience, called from the nations through Christ to the inheritance of Israel.

The Use of the Old Testament

First Peter makes abundant use of the Old Testament, with at least eighteen direct citations and twenty-five allusions. The references are predominately from four books—Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms, and Proverbs—and Peter normally makes use of the Greek version, the †Septuagint (LXX). We will pay special attention in the commentary to how Peter applies the Old Testament to the Christian community and the new way of life Christians are called to as God’s household. Three Old Testament texts in particular play a central role in Peter’s exhortation:

1. Exodus 19:5–6, for Christian identity as a royal priesthood and holy nation;
2. Psalm 34, for a way of life marked by trusting in God, doing good, and avoiding evil;
3. Isaiah 53, for describing Christ’s voluntary suffering and our imitation of him.

More than any other New Testament author, Peter develops his understanding of Christ from the texts of Isaiah on the †Suffering Servant.

Theological Themes

The first theme sounded by 1 Peter is resurrection, new life, and inexpressible joy through baptism into Christ (see 1:3–9). This theme is so predominant that some commentators have speculated that 1 Peter was originally written to accompany a baptismal liturgy.[14] While this is unlikely, 1 Peter can be understood as a resurrection letter that resounds with the joy of the new life we now have through our baptism into Christ.

This initial joyful theme is moderated by a second theme, the call to sobriety and holiness. As resident aliens and sojourners on earth (see 1:13–17), Christians are called to live good and upright lives in the midst of non-Christians (see 2:11–12). The climax of the call to holiness is an invitation to share in the suffering of Christ. By circling back to this theme again and again, Peter makes clear that readiness to suffer in imitation of Christ is at the heart of his message. It is striking that Peter, who for a time resolutely resisted Jesus’ own path to suffering (Mark 8:31–32), should emphasize the call to suffer for the sake of Christ more than any other author in the New Testament.

A third theme, the exhortation to “do good” and “avoid evil,” predominates especially in chapters 2–4. Though easily underestimated, this theme is marked by a wide and original vocabulary. For Peter, a crucial part of living as a Christian in pagan society is the visibility of our good life and actions. By doing good and avoiding evil we give effective witness to Christ.

An important image for 1 Peter is the Church as the temple and house of God (see 2:4–10). As we shall see in greater detail in the commentary, Peter not only employs the image of “house” or “household” to portray the Church’s spiritual identity, but also uses words related to “house” to describe relationships in the Christian community.[15]

Israel and the Church

Many commentators have concluded that, for Peter, the Church replaces Israel as the new people of God.[16] They hold that Peter maintains what is called a †supersessionist account of the relationship between Israel and the Church, whereby the Church simply replaces Israel in the plan and purpose of God. But it is not clear that Peter views the relationship this way. Strikingly, he never addresses the issue of Jews and Gentiles, as Paul frequently does, but simply applies the call and privileges of Israel to the Church. While this may be a supersessionist reading on Peter’s part, given the lack of evidence I believe it is better to interpret Peter as teaching the continuation of the promises to Israel in the Church (composed of both Jew and Gentile) and to leave open the question of how he views the status of Israel as a distinct people.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsement
• Dedication
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Editors’ Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction to 1 Peter
• Introduction to 2 Peter
• Introduction to Jude
• Suggested Resources
• Glossary
• Index of Pastoral Topics
• Index of Sidebars
• Notes
• Back Cover