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PETER, FIRST LETTER OF

A letter of encouragement addressed to the “exiles of the Dispersion” in the northwest corner of Asia Minor. Beyond the fact of genre and addressees, 1 Peter remains a disputed letter which shows how early Christians encouraged one another in a situation of persecution.

Recipients

The “exiles” live in a series of Roman provinces which could be reached by a journey from the Black Sea shore of Pontus and circling through Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia, ending with the messenger taking ship from Bithynia. 1 Peter presents itself, then, as a circular letter which does not address any particular congregation.

The term “of the Dispersion” would normally make the addressees Jews (or Jewish Christians) living outside (and thus exiled from) Palestine. However, several references in the letter imply that the readers are Gentile Christians (e.g., 1:14, 18; 2:9-10; 4:3-4). Thus it appears that the author is taking a Jewish term and applying it to Gentile Christians who are exiled from their heavenly home. This sense of presently being a “foreigner” or “exile” in the very country one was born in permeates the letter.

Author

The author identifies himself as (Simon) Peter, the most prominent of Jesus’ 12 apostles. However, the fact that Peter’s mission was to the Jews, not Gentiles; the excellent quality of the Greek, especially in ch. 1; the use of traditional teaching rather than original ideas; the appearance of terms and phrases typical of Paul; and the lack of any tradition connecting Peter with the area of the recipients have all raised questions about authorship. Many scholars therefore believe that the letter is pseudonymous, coming from a “Petrine circle” in Rome in the last quarter of the 1st century. Others argue that the use of Silvanus (5:12), probably indicating Paul’s colleague Silas, as the secretary as well as the messenger would account for the quality of Greek (including the use of the Greek OT rather than Hebrew or Aramaic) and the Pauline phrases. The other issues could be explained by the letter’s being addressed to those Peter does not know personally, but whose plight he had heard about. In that case the letter was most likely written around the traditional date of Peter’s martyrdom, a.d. 64 (unless Peter was not martyred, as some argue). This would make the letter’s self-designation of its authorship accurate.

What is clear is that the letter presents itself as written by that Simon whom Jesus nicknamed Cephas (“rock” in Aramaic) or Peter (the Greek form of Cephas). This author locates himself in “Babylon” (5:13) along with Mark (probably John Mark, the companion of Paul on his first missionary journey). Because of the identification in Rev. 17:5, 9 of Babylon with a city built on seven hills, a common description of Rome, this location has traditionally been thought to be Rome. However, recent commentators on Revelation have pointed out that Jerusalem was also built on seven hills. Moreover, Babylon was the location of the Jewish exile and so could stand for any place of exile rather than the capital of an empire. Thus while the Roman identification has much to commend it, including the weight of tradition, the author’s emphasis is not so much on his physical location, but more on his also being an exile like the Christians he addresses.

Purpose

The recipients of the letter are, in the view of the author, experiencing persecution. There are no references to official legal processes against them, much less to anyone’s having been executed, nor is the persecution viewed as inevitable for every believer (3:13-14, 17). Its form appears to be social ostracism, personal rejection, and, in the case of slaves, unfair punishment (1:6-7; 2:12, 20; 3:14-17; 4:4, 12-16; 5:9), all of which were extremely significant in a society which was based on social standing (honor and shame). In the face of this 1 Peter appears to have two purposes. First, the author wants to give his readers a sense of belonging to the true people of God, and thus a reason to stand firm in the persecution. Their future is secure; they have an inheritance no one can confiscate. They are God’s people and have a true home. Furthermore, their experience in life is no worse than that of Jesus Christ himself, and he has now been exalted to God’s right hand.

Second, the author wants to remind his readers to give no cause for persecution other than their being Christians. He thus calls them to holy behavior and the upholding of their social roles in ways that were thought just and honorable in pagan society. This would reduce persecution to a minimum and make sure that the persecution they did experience was based on their specifically Christian behavior, including their holy life-style (4:3-5).

Form and Structure

The book is a letter of exhortation or encouragement. The traditional opening structures of the salutation and thanksgiving (expanded into a longer prayer, as in the case of the Pauline letters) flow into the opening exhortation. Three themes are addressed: their eschatological security in God; their duty to live as God’s children in the light of coming judgment; and their identity as the people of God joined to Jesus Christ. We notice that it is their collective identity as a people which is described, not their individual identity, which was not the critical issue.

The central exhortation of the letter body regards living in pagan society. It is assumed that the leaders of the state, the slave’s master, and the wife’s husband are not Christians (although Christian husbands are addressed in a one-verse aside, 3:7). It is accepted that the Christian will persist in his or her Christian belief, even though society rejected such independent judgment on the part of citizens and especially on the part of slaves and wives. Yet because of their commitment to Christ these people can choose to live a virtuous life according to their Christian commitment and social standards, in that order. All of this is put into an eschatological setting of final judgment, which relativizes any human judgments of honor or shame.

Finally, in the last part of the letter body the situation of persecution is addressed directly, starting with the arena of conflict (society), then moving to the arena in which there should be solidarity (the Christian community), and finally moving back to the arena of conflict, this time viewed as a conflict with the devil rather than with people in society. The letter ends with the greetings (often in the hand of the author if a secretary was used), starting with the commendation of the messenger and continuing on to general greetings, which are in line with a circular letter to groups whom the author does not know personally. Thus the outline is as follows:

I. Address (1:1-12)

A. Salutation (1:1-2)

B. Thanksgiving (1:3-12)

II. Opening Exhortation (1:13–2:10)

A. Exhortation on Holiness (1:13-25)

B. Exhortation on Commitment (2:1-10)

III. Living as a Christian in Pagan Society (2:11–4:11)

A. Introductory Exhortation (2:11-12)

B. Living with the State (2:13-17)

C. Living as a Slave (2:18-25)

D. Living as the Wife of a Pagan (3:1-7)

E. Summary on Virtuous Living (3:8-22)

F. Exhortation in the Light of
Eschatology (4:1-11)

IV. Living with Persecution (4:12–5:11)

A. Persecution and Society (4:12-19)

B. Persecution and Christian Solidarity (5:1-5)

C. Persecution and Spiritual Warfare
(5:6-11)

V. Conclusion and Greetings (5:12-14)

Theology

While 1 Peter has been considered by some a catechetical document or a baptismal homily because of the basic nature of its teaching, it is not that systematic or all-inclusive. What it does do is apply central themes of Christian theology to the perceived situation of the readers. God is presented as the one in control of history (5:6). He is the creator (4:19) and judge (1:17) of the world, and yet also the father of his people (1:17). Because of this, while persecution may make life appear chaotic, order and control remain. Jesus is presented in two ways. First, he is the savior who gave his life for his people (1:19; 2:24; 3:18). Second, he is an example to the believers of one who was rejected and suffered yet was resurrected and ascended triumphantly. It is this picture, drawing on Jewish interpretations of Gen. 6:1-4, which appears in 3:18-22, showing Jesus proclaiming his triumph to the fallen “sons of God” imprisoned in the second heaven. The persecuted Gentile Christians are presented as the people of God, receiving the titles and peoplehood of God’s people Israel. History is viewed in terms of conflict with the devil and those he controls, but a conflict in which God’s apocalyptic intervention and final judgment is sure. Suffering, then, is the experience of persecution now as one participates in this conflict. The hope presented is that in the present one already belongs to the people of God and in the future one will receive the full inheritance to which that belonging entitles him or her.

Bibliography. P. H. Davids, The First Epistle of Peter. NICNT (Grand Rapids, 1990); N. Hillyer, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude. NIBC (Peabody, 1992); J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Epistles of Peter and Jude (1969, repr. Grand Rapids, 1981); T. W. Martin, Metaphor and Composition in 1 Peter. SBLDS 131 (Atlanta, 1992); J. R. Michaels, 1 Peter. WBC 49 (Waco, 1988); P. Perkins, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude. Interpretation (Louisville, 1995).

Peter H. Davids

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PETER, FIRST LETTER OF

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)