Thus in 1 peter silass greek may be seen, while in 2 peter it may be peters rough greek that appears. In order to build more, he had to destroy what already existed. Peter maintained that this was the kind of true perseverance that god expects from his people. Peter especially esteems pauls letterseven regarding them as scripture themselves 2 pe 3. Peter was alarmed that false teachers were beginning to infiltrate the churches. Peter concludes his first epistle with an overall statement of his purpose for writing, viz. Andy is a professor of bible and theology at the college of biblical studies in houston. He called on christians to grow and become strong in their faith so that they could detect and combat the spreading apostasy. Peter had said in a previous letter that the word of the lord endures forever 1 pe 1. Intro to 2 peter biblica the international bible society. Scholars agree on authorship as well as the early church leaders like polycarp, irenaeus, clement of alexandria, tertullian and origen who all quote from the book naming peter. The first epistle of peter or peter 1 was written by the apostle peter around 60 a. The book of 1 st peter is a general epistle apostolic letter.
Blum affirms that 1 peter is reflected in the gospel of truth which seems to use the books regarded as authoritative in rome c. The letter is addressed to various churches in asia minor suffering religi. Peter was called to follow christ in his early ministry mark 1. This is the very purpose of the word of god in the old and new testaments that we await the coming of the lord and meet. Book of second peter overview insight for living ministries. The epistle of 1 peter is addressed to pilgrims 1 peter 1. Peter wrote 2nd peter due to infiltration of false teachers into the church bringing destructive teachings contrary to the gospel of repentance and faith brought by jesus christ mark 1. The first epistle of peter, usually referred to simply as first peter and often written 1 peter, is a book of the new testament. They are included in the body of the text so the reader can see them as he reads the book without having to page over to a separate outline. Letters of peter, two new testament writings attributed to the foremost of jesus 12 apostles but perhaps written during the early 2nd century. He reminds them again that their real home is not in this world 1 peter 1. This offers a very strong case for petrine authorship. In this way, 1 peter might be called the job of the new testament, providing encouragement for the true believer to continue on in the way that jesus has laid out for all his followers.
The material in this letters bears definite resemblance to his messages in the book of acts. The first letter, addressed to persecuted christians living in five regions of asia minor, exhorts the readers to emulate the suffering christ in their. For in suffering they are following in the footsteps of their savior, by whose death and resurrection they are saved. Peter s familiarity with the old testament and jesus is evident in this book as he relates several teachings toward how believers should respond to persecution based on the life that christ lived fulfilling the old testament. Book of first peter overview insight for living ministries. Pilgrims of the dispersion, elect, obedient children 2 to reflect upon the salvation, inheritance, and grace to come at the revelation of jesus christ 3 to note how we have been served by. Peter wants them to stop doing the evil things that they used to do 1 peter 1. The headings and subheadings make up an outline of the book.
Esv 1 peter, an apostle of jesus christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in pontus, galatia, cappadocia, asia, and bithynia. Let us receive the suffering and the refiners fire and rejoice knowing that we are never alone as jesus said i am with you even to the end of the age. That the apostle simon peter is the author of the letter we call 1 peter has been overwhelmingly supported from the earliest times. Elliott emphasizes the theme of the christian household oikoscf. What are some common misconceptions about philippians 4. Its purpose was to encourage suffering christians and to call them to personal holiness. The authorship of the petrine epistles first and second peter is an important question in biblical criticism, parallel to that of the authorship of the pauline epistles, since scholars have long sought to determine who were the exact authors of the new testament letters. In fact, no other known writing is as much like 1 peter as 2 peter. That the apostle peter is the author of 1 peter however, is certain. Peter portrays christ as the precious cornerstone of our faith. Jun 22, 2017 the first and second epistles of peter were written for practical purposes.
According to elliott, the purpose of 1 peter more generally is precisely nonassimilation to grecoroman cultural values. They dumpster dive, use popups on the internet, skim your credit card number from a machine, steal your change of address info, scam you through a phone call, or just rob you. In this way, 1 peter might be called the job of the new testament, providing encouragement for the true believer to continue on in the way that jesus has laid out. However, several references point to a gentile audience, such as the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors 1. The central theme of this book is persecution, which peter knew all too well because he had also suffered the same fate as many other early christians did. The text of the letter states that it was written from babylon. This section includes james, t he petrine epistles, the johannine epistles, and jude some would classify hebrews here as.
This epistle was written to give christians a fuller understanding of whats going on. The differences that do exist may be accounted for by variations in subject matter, in the form and purpose of the letters, in the time and circumstances of writing, in sources used or models followed, and in. The writer refers to himself as peter in 1 peter 1. The first word of this epistle, peter, identifies the author, who called himself an apostle of jesus christ 1 peter 1. Some also maintain that the book reflects a situation that did not exist until after peters death, suggesting that the persecution referred to in 4. The goal of 2 peter is to restore confidence and order to. The first epistle of peter chapter one objectives in studying this chapter 1 to consider terms used by peter to describe the people of god. He strongly stressed the authenticity of the word of god and the sure return of the lord jesus. Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle john, makes use of 1 peter in his letter to the philippians. The persecution of the believers helped peter to meditate on the suffering, death, and resurrection of christ. Letters of peter new testament writings britannica. The apostle peter wrote this letter for the purpose of encouraging the jewish christians who had been dispersed throughout the region 1st pet 1. They will certainly enjoy endtime salvation, since they already enjoy gods saving promises through christs death and resurrection. This summary of the book of 1 peter provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 peter.
To encourage steadfastness in the face of persecution 1pe 5. Peter, one of jesus twelve disciples, wrote 1 peter encouraging believers who were, and are, experiencing persecution 1. The key personalities are the apostle peter, silas, and mark. What threefold purpose did peter have in writing this epistle. Peters authorship of 2 peter has been challenged more than that of any other book in the new testament. Intro to 1 peter biblica the international bible society. Peter wrote 2nd peter due to infiltration of false teachers into the church bringing destructive teachings contrary to the gospel of repentance and faith brought by jesus christ mark. Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle john, makes use of 1 peter in his letter to the. When the city of rome burned, the romans believed that their emperor, nero, had set the city on fire, probably because of his incredible lust to build. Peter stresses many times that knowledge of our lord jesus combats these ideas.
It is considered a noncanonical gospel and was rejected as apocryphal by the catholic churchs synods of carthage and rome, which established the new testament canon. Peter introduced himself at the beginning of the letter as a bondservant and apostle of jesus christ, and he addressed the letter to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours 2 peter 1. Holiness is so essential thus the book of hebrews says, without holiness no once can see god heb 12. He finishes by addressing concerns surrounding the lords return. Peter, the fisherman from galilee is the author of the book of 1 peter. The endurance peter called these believers to is similar to jobs, a man who suffered despite his righteousness. Aug 18, 2009 the author of the book we call 2 peter, on the other hand, has been questioned by some, almost exclusively because of the differences in the style of greek between 1 peter and 2 peter. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of jesus christ. Background study of 1 peter first peter belongs to that section of the new testament known as the general epistles or catholic epistles. Scholars agree on authorship as well as the early church leaders like polycarp, irenaeus, clement of alexandria, tertullian and origen who all quote from the book naming peter as the author. From the time of abraham, gods people were a misunderstood minority and should expect to face hostility because they live under king jesus rule. Peters familiarity with the old testament and jesus is evident in this book as he relates several teachings toward how believers should respond to persecution based on the life that christ lived fulfilling the old testament.
The letter claims to be from peter, an apostle of jesus christ 1. Peter wrote this letter to encourage believers scattered around the known world to persevere through suffering. Irenaeus, clement, origen, cyprian, and tertullian all not only quoted from the book, but also explicitly attributed it to peter. This section includes james, t he petrine epistles, the johannine epistles, and jude some would classify hebrews here as well. The author presents himself as peter the apostle, and, following catholic tradition, the epistle has been held to have been written during his time as bishop of rome or bishop of antioch, though neither title is used in the epistle. Because of his unique prominence, there was no shortage in the early church of documents falsely claiming to be written by peter. He wrote this letter to a group of christians scattered throughout the northern areas of asia minor, where he may have previously preached the gospel. Clarify share report asked november 15 20 anonymous via gotquestions. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original.
Although 1 peter does bare the form of a letter, the tone is that of a homiletical, paraenetic sermon designed to provide direction for believers under persecution. That calling entails many hardships in this life and requires submission, selfsacrifice and patient endurance. Peter used an amanuensis for 1 peter and wrote 2 peter himself. It is thus clear that peters authorship of the book has early and strong support. This seems quite likely in light of the fact that 1 the greek is quite different between 1 peter and 2 peter. The early church universally acknowledged the authenticity and authority of first peter. Bible biblestudytools video whats the purpose of the book of 1 peter.
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