other book of the entire New Testament, including the Gospels, which are much, much longer. The author assumes that his readers themselves are undergoing persecution and that they will beexperiencing yet more in the future. âNow for a little while,â he tells them, they âhave had to suffer various trials.â But that is all to the good, because through being âtestedâ their faith will be refined and become âmore precious than gold that isâ¦tested by fireâ (1:6â7). They should not therefore be âsurprised at the fiery ordeal that is comingâ¦, as if something strange were happening,â but they are to ârejoice,â because they âshare in the sufferings of Christâ (4:12â13).
Scholars have long debated what kind of suffering the author has in mind. The older view was that the author was dealing with official state persecutions, such as happened when the emperor Nero imprisoned and then executed Christians in the city of Rome in 64 CE , blaming them for starting the horrible fire that destroyed much of the city, a fire that his own arsonists may have set. But over the past twenty years or so scholars have begun to stress that the book of 1 Peter never says much about âofficialâ persecution, where Christians are arrested, put on trial for their faith, and martyred. Instead, the opposition seems to come from former friends and neighbors who do not understand or appreciate the Christiansâ new lifestyle, which is removed from the joyful celebrations of pagan religions (4:1â5). That is to say, Christians stopped attending pagan festivals to form their own secret societies, and pagans became upset, suspicious, and hateful, leading to local opposition to Christians that could at times turn nasty.
If this is the case, it makes sense that the author stresses to his readers that it is important for them to be obedient to the government and governing officials (2:13â15), to show good conduct among outsiders (2:12), to be devoted slaves, wives, and husbands (2:18â3:7), to do nothing to warrant any opposition, but to suffer only for doing what is right (2:20). A good deal of the exhortation and encouragement to his readers is based on a sophisticated interpretation of key passages in the Old Testament, quoted, of course, in Greek, the so-called Septuagint (the legendary origins of which are described in the forged Letter of Aristeas discussed in Chapter 1), as can be seen, for example, in 1:24â25; 2:3, 6â9, 22, 24â25; 3:10â12.
The author ends his exhortation to be steadfast in the face of adversity by indicating that he has written his letter âthrough Silvanus, a faithful brotherâ (i.e., a true Christian) and by sending greetings from âshe who is in Babylon, who is also chosenâ (5:13). Scholars have long realized what this last bit means. Babylon was the city that was seen as the ultimate enemy of God among Jews, since it was Babylon that had defeated Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple in the sixth century BCE . By the end of the first century, Christians and Jews had started using the word âBabylonâ as a code word for the city that was the enemy of God in their own day, the city of Rome, which also destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, in the year 70 (see, e.g., Rev. 14:8; 17:5). The author, then, is claiming to be writing from the city of Rome. This makes sense, given the later traditions that associated Peter with the city of Rome, in fact as its first bishopâthe first pope.
But tradition also indicates that Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero in 64 CE . Would it make sense that he would be calling Rome âBabylonâ before the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70? By the time that catastrophe hit, Peter was long dead. As it turns out there are other, very good grounds for thinking that Peter did not actually write this book. It was written by someone
Scholars have long debated what kind of suffering the author has in mind. The older view was that the author was dealing with official state persecutions, such as happened when the emperor Nero imprisoned and then executed Christians in the city of Rome in 64 CE , blaming them for starting the horrible fire that destroyed much of the city, a fire that his own arsonists may have set. But over the past twenty years or so scholars have begun to stress that the book of 1 Peter never says much about âofficialâ persecution, where Christians are arrested, put on trial for their faith, and martyred. Instead, the opposition seems to come from former friends and neighbors who do not understand or appreciate the Christiansâ new lifestyle, which is removed from the joyful celebrations of pagan religions (4:1â5). That is to say, Christians stopped attending pagan festivals to form their own secret societies, and pagans became upset, suspicious, and hateful, leading to local opposition to Christians that could at times turn nasty.
If this is the case, it makes sense that the author stresses to his readers that it is important for them to be obedient to the government and governing officials (2:13â15), to show good conduct among outsiders (2:12), to be devoted slaves, wives, and husbands (2:18â3:7), to do nothing to warrant any opposition, but to suffer only for doing what is right (2:20). A good deal of the exhortation and encouragement to his readers is based on a sophisticated interpretation of key passages in the Old Testament, quoted, of course, in Greek, the so-called Septuagint (the legendary origins of which are described in the forged Letter of Aristeas discussed in Chapter 1), as can be seen, for example, in 1:24â25; 2:3, 6â9, 22, 24â25; 3:10â12.
The author ends his exhortation to be steadfast in the face of adversity by indicating that he has written his letter âthrough Silvanus, a faithful brotherâ (i.e., a true Christian) and by sending greetings from âshe who is in Babylon, who is also chosenâ (5:13). Scholars have long realized what this last bit means. Babylon was the city that was seen as the ultimate enemy of God among Jews, since it was Babylon that had defeated Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple in the sixth century BCE . By the end of the first century, Christians and Jews had started using the word âBabylonâ as a code word for the city that was the enemy of God in their own day, the city of Rome, which also destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, in the year 70 (see, e.g., Rev. 14:8; 17:5). The author, then, is claiming to be writing from the city of Rome. This makes sense, given the later traditions that associated Peter with the city of Rome, in fact as its first bishopâthe first pope.
But tradition also indicates that Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero in 64 CE . Would it make sense that he would be calling Rome âBabylonâ before the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70? By the time that catastrophe hit, Peter was long dead. As it turns out there are other, very good grounds for thinking that Peter did not actually write this book. It was written by someone
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