CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRITING

AUTHOR: The author of 1 Peter identified himself as “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1). He viewed himself as a divinely ordained, directly commissioned, authoritative representative of the Lord Jesus himself. Several statements in the letter indicate that the Peter who plays a prominent role in the Gospels is the author. For example, he called himself an “elder and witness” to Christ’s sufferings (5:1). Further, he described Christ’s crucifixion with an intimate knowledge that only a disciple would have of that event (2:21-24).

Several expressions in 1 Peter reflect Peter’s experiences with Jesus. For example, the exhortation for elders to “shepherd God’s flock” (5:2) evokes the charge that Jesus gave Peter in John 21:15-17. Moreover, the command to “clothe yourselves with humility” (1Pt 5:5) may recall the episode in John 13:2-17 where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.

Several themes in 1 Peter can also be found in Peter’s sermons in the book of Acts. For example, God is “the Father who judges impartially” (1:17; cp. Ac 10:34) and who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory (1Pt 1:21; cp. Ac 2:32-36). Christ is “the stone that the builders rejected” (1Pt 2:7-8; cp. Ac 4:10-11).

Objections to the letter’s authorship by Peter are inconclusive and cannot be proven. The claim that someone wrote this letter using the apostle’s name as a pseudonym cannot be sustained. A number of early church leaders—e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria—accepted the letter as authentic. Further, the early church soundly rejected the practice of writing under an apostolic pseudonym as forgery. In light of the above, the epistle should be accepted as genuinely written by the apostle Peter. Silvanus may have in some fashion helped Peter write the letter while serving as his secretary, but more likely he was merely the letter carrier (5:12).

BACKGROUND: The recipients of 1 Peter are identified in 1:1. Peter wrote to the “exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” These were Roman provinces located in the northern part of what is now modern Turkey, unless Galatia includes the Galatia in the southern region of Asia Minor. These people were likely persecuted Gentile Christians. They had earlier been involved in idolatry (4:3), were ignorant (1:14) and “empty” (1:18) before they came to Christ, and formerly were “not a people” but now were “God’s people” (2:9-10).

The reference in 1 Peter 5:13—“She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings”—suggests Rome as the place of the letter’s origin. “Babylon” was used cryptically to refer to a place of exile, but specifically for Rome. Other possibilities include the cities of Babylon in Mesopotamia and Egypt, but these places are highly unlikely because we have no record of Peter ever being in those places.

First Peter was probably written sometime between AD 62 and 64. While Paul was under house arrest from AD 60 to 62, he did not refer to Peter in Rome. Peter likewise did not mention Paul as being in Rome; only Silvanus and Mark were his companions (5:12-13). These facts suggest that Peter wrote 1 Peter some time after AD 62 and before the writing of 2 Peter.

The theme of suffering appears throughout 1 Peter. The recipients of the letter are the sufferers in four of its five chapters. Given a composition date of about AD 62-64, 1 Peter was written during the persecution of Christians under Nero’s reign. The persecution arose in Rome and was spreading into Asia Minor.

MESSAGE AND PURPOSE

Peter wrote to encourage suffering believers in Asia Minor to stand firm for Christ in the midst of persecution. He urged them to do so by focusing on their spiritual privileges and, more specifically, the place where their rights and privileges lay: the next life. Believers in Jesus are “exiles” (1:1; 2:11) and “strangers” (2:11) in this world, a land of sojourn where they have no real rights or privileges. Inheritance rights, privileges, and justice for Christians really belong to another realm to which God has delivered believers—heaven, their ultimate home.

First Peter emphasizes that suffering is normal for believers because they are temporary residents in this world. As such, they lack rights and receive no justice in this foreign land. Though suffering occurs on earth for temporary residents, their inheritance and exaltation await them in their eternal homeland.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE

Peter’s intent in writing was to strengthen believers in the midst of the suffering and persecution they were facing. His message to them continues to speak to modern believers, reminding us of our heavenly hope and eternal inheritance in the midst of our sufferings. We are called to holiness and a life of love. We are also called to glorify God in our daily lives and to imitate Christ.

STRUCTURE

The structure of 1 Peter has been the subject of discussion from the earliest history of the church. The diversity of outlines illustrates that the task of exegesis is not merely a science but also an art. Peter wrote this letter with a typical opening for a letter (1:1-2) and then began the next major section (1:3-2:10) with a blessing (1:3). The two succeeding sections are marked by “dear friends” (2:11; 4:12), and as noted earlier the segment from 2:11-4:11 concludes with a doxology and “amen.” The fourth section of the letter also ends with a doxology and “amen” (5:11) before the closing.

OUTLINE

I.Opening (1:1-2)

II.Called to Salvation as Exiles (1:3-2:10)

A.Praise for salvation (1:3-12)

B.The future inheritance an incentive to holiness (1:13-21)

C.Living as the new people of God (1:22-2:10)

III.Living as Strangers in a Hostile World (2:11-4:11)

A.The Christian life as a battle and witness (2:11-12)

B.Testifying to the gospel in the social order (2:13-3:12)

C.Responding in a godly way to suffering (3:13-4:11)

IV.Persevering in Suffering (4:12-5:11)

A.Suffer joyfully in accord with God’s will (4:12-19)

B.Exhortations to elders and the community (5:1-11)

V.Concluding Words (5:12-14)

AD 1-29

Simon Peter is born in Galilee, probably in the village of Bethsaida. 1?

Simon, a fisherman by trade, moves to Capernaum. 20?

Simon’s brother, Andrew, introduces him to Jesus. 29

Jesus calls Simon Peter “the rock.” 29

Jesus calls Peter to be one of his twelve disciples. 29

AD 30-33

Jesus heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. 30

Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus is the Messiah 32

Peter, James, and John witness Jesus’s transfiguration. 32

Peter vows to die with Jesus. 33

Peter denies Jesus in the courtyard of Annas. 33

AD 33-40

Following his resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter and recommissions him. 33

Three thousand persons respond to Peter’s sermon at the feast of Pentecost. 33

Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road October, 34

Paul meets with Peter and James on his first visit to Jerusalem following his conversion. 37?

AD 40-114

Peter, James, John, Paul, Barnabas, and Titus meet in Jerusalem to deal with the question of whether Gentiles had to be circumcised to become Christians. 49

At Antioch, Paul confronts Peter’s refusal to share meals with Gentile believers. 49

Peter’s martyrdom in Rome during Nero’s persecution of Christians 66

Destruction of Jerusalem 70

Polycarp’s Letter to Philippians shows dependence on 1 Peter. 112-114