1-2 Peter: Living in the Apocalypse
Sources: Willis Barnstone, ed., The Other Bible: Ancient Alternative Scriptures (HarperCollins, 1984); Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3d ed. (Oxford, 2004); I. Howard Marshall et al., Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (IVP, 2002), chapter 21.
- I. Jewish Christian Contexts
Being human communication, the Bible is thoroughly cultural, and multicultural. t contexts, and face different challenges.
- Whereas some NT writings assume Gentile or mixed Christian audiences (Mark, Luke/Acts, Paul, 1 Peter, Revelation?),
- others assume primarily Jewish-Christian audiences (Matthew, Hebrews, James, Jude, John?).
- Yet the multicultural church has deep commonalities of faith and outlook that situate those differences.
- II. Apocalyptic: A Paradigm for Interpreting Reality and Responding
A key (Jewish) cultural/philosophical feature of NT faith is its apocalypticism. The entire New Testament is apocalyptic in outlook.
- A basic apocalyptic assumption is that the world is the grip of transcendent evil, and helpless to overcome it on its own.
- Rules, desires, practices, and even cardinal virtues cannot save us.
Our capacity for goodness is limited, broken, incapacitated, helpless.
Old creation’s good human structures and holy workarounds (e.g., families/tribes, Torah, David’s throne) are accommodations at best, and powers and principalities (channels of transcendent evil) at worst.
- Some possible (Jewish) responses to unbeatable evil, exemplified by characters and groups in the NT:
- Submit: Succumb to misery, pessimism, depression, fear/anxiety (sufferers).
Fight: Resist anyway, and lose (Zealots in the Jewish War and Bar Kochba Rebellion).
Deny and avoid: Seek a comfortable distance and even advantage within the system (scribes, the wealthy).
Collaborate: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em (Herodians, tax collectors).
Escape: Abandon this evil world for some ideal spiritual realm (Hellenistic Jews).
- Today our loyalties to creation’s good but fallen principalities yield …
- Anarchism or rebellion: the self, in sin. The person becomes a ‘lord,’ a tyrant.
Tribalism: identity, in the group. The person becomes a party member, a faceless collective noun.
Statism: power, in the state. The person becomes a serf, a follower of the beast.
Capitalism: desire, in the market. The person becomes homo economicus, a slave to passion.
Progressivism: an ideal outcome, in dedication. The person becomes an ideologue, judging all according to their fidelity or usefulness to the cause.
Other idolatries: other lesser ‘principalities’ or gods. The person becomes a supplicant.
Polytheism: Syncretistic combinations of these. The person becomes a manager/arbitrageur.
- A further Jewish apocalyptic assumption is that God is coming to act to end the evil, destroy its system, and restore a good, even perfect order.
- This engenders a variety of responses and examples, all apocalyptic in character:
- Retreat: Withdraw outwardly to stay pure until the time of deliverance (Essenes, monastics).
Clean up: Withdraw inwardly to become pure for then (Pharisees, mystics).
Hang on: Wait and invite the expected Reign of God with repentance (John the Baptist, Luke 1’s remnant).
- Christianity’s particular apocalyptic claim: God has come as promised, in Jesus Christ, with a cosmic new arrangement.
- This warrants a previously absurd ethic in the face of unstoppable evil:
Conquer: Respond to the news of the invading Reign of God, by entering it through the Messiah’s grace (Jesus of Nazareth, apostles, faithful disciples).
- Later Christianity tends to focus more narrowly on this claim, neglecting or forgetting the first two.
- III. Our (Apocalyptic) World of the Bible
The NT authors interpret current events from inside this original Christian apocalyptic framework, relying on the stories of Israel and Jesus.
- Churches and believers (Jewish and Gentile) thus become 'characters' in the continuing gospel story.
Many Christians today live 'in' a biblical paradigm, though not all.
- The enveloping narrative seems fundamental, a quality of the gospel, rather than just a useful literary device.
Christianity's insight into reality's deeper story drives the figural interpretation of the Bible that ought to follow (but not lead!) literal interpretation.
- The Bible's vocabulary comes to resonate differently in Christ, spurring medieval 'fourfold allegorical method.'
- IV. Christians on Display: 1 Peter
Structure: 1 Peter's structure follows an adapted Hellenistic letter:
- Introduction (from/to 1:1-2a, greeting 1:2b, thanksgiving/blessing (1:3-9? -12? previewing themes),
body (exhortation, thesis, theological treatment, ethical implication),
closing (5:12 practical matters, 5:13 personal greetings, 5:14a postscript, 5:14b doxology).
- Authorship: Is the author Peter, with Silvanus assisting in some way (5:12)?
- His audience are former pagans in regions around Asia Minor.
Yet he assumes their facility with the Tanakh, especially Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah (2:4-10).
1 Peter draws on traditions common to Matthew and Luke, Paul, James, Hebrews, and Ephesians—an apostolic mainstream.
The work and teachings of Jesus are central to the letter's ethic (2:20-25 in 2:13-3:12).
- Highlights: All demonstrate a Christian apocalyptic paradigm (e.g., 1:13).
1. Jesus is fundamental and pivotal!
- His body brings a cornerstone (2:4-5),
his suffering brings ransom (1:18) and an example (2:21-25, 4:1-2),
his resurrection brings hope and power (1:3, 3:18-21),
his baptism brings rebirth (3:21),
his fellowship brings identity and peace (2:9, 5:14),
his reign from heaven brings cosmic dominion and security (1:4, 3:22, 4:11),
and his return brings lasting vindication and glory (4:5-6, 4:13, 5:4).
Is there a hint of Trinitarian theology in 1:2? Or perhaps the tip of an iceberg? We'll see many more such hints in the NT.
- 2. God's work in Christ is the foundation of their new standing in a stubbornly evil situation (1:3-25: note Isaiah 40:4-8's good news).
3. Christians experience their own forefathers' imperial culture as Israel-in-exile (1:1, 1:14, 1:18, 2:11-12, 5:13, cf. Jeremiah 29:1-14).
- Yet their Christ-given new being amidst the old (1:3-2:9) transforms this relationship (2:18-5:11).
- 4. The righteously suffering Christian community (like Daniel 1-7's exiles) extends Jesus' atonement to the public and domestic world,
- through 'civil obedience,' or (John Howard Yoder) 'revolutionary subordination' (2:13).
- Peter sees Christ's exiles accomplishing our mission thus:
- The weak submit to the strong (rulers, employers, patriarchs) trustfully and suffer, following "in his steps" (2:21-25).
This wins over the 'strong' by showing them Christ's way (3:1).
The strong honor the weak as joint heirs (3:7-8).
The innocent bear abuse from the wicked with a clear conscience (3:13-22), mindful of their own similar pasts (1:18, 4:1-6).
The wicked
are subject to God's harsh judgment (4:17-18).
What is on display (before outsiders, insiders, and God) is the ordinary life leaders are to cultivate, which leads to eternal life at Christ's appearing (5:1-11).
- 5. Many 'believers' in Peter's audience aren't following orders.
- So his argument follows our familiar biblical 'indicative-imperative' pattern: Here's our situation, so here's what we do. (Cf. up to 1:12, then 1:13ff.)
In sum,
"this is the true grace of God: stand fast in it" (5:12).
A contemporary1 Peter-style vision is Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony.
- V. Holiness, not Cheap Grace: 2 Peter
This letter is "Peter's testament."
Explain by analogy: A 'farewell discourse' from a legend.
- Authorship is disputed.
- The circumstances indicate a generation of Christians has passed (3:4).
Paul's letters are being circulated and read among the scriptures (3:16).
The letter was less widely known than 1 Peter in the early church, and even then its authorship was disputed.
How much this matters depends on the reader's agenda.
- The message stresses the costs of missing out on the gospel's breathtaking opportunities (1:5-11, 1:16-19).
- 'False teachers' misrepresent Paul's teaching in order to indulge their sinful desires and return to their old lives (2:20-22).
- Distorting Paul's gospel of grace? (3:16-17)
- 2 Peter 2 probably uses Jude ('plagiarizes' is anachronistic).
- "Source criticism" investigates such dependencies and their possible significance.
- The dilemma is framed in a stark Jewish-Christian apocalyptic context:
- Disciples are granted life, godliness, deliverance someday, and entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ (1:3-4, 11).
The end of both groups is fire: the last judgment of the Lord Jesus (3:1-13, cf. Malachi 4).
The stakes are absolute (2:1, 2:20, 3:16).
- The delay in that judgment expresses God's missional mercy on those who can still repent (3:8-9).
So 2 Peter reminds, encourages, and warns the tempted
- to persevere (1:12-21, 3:1-2) and "grow in grace and knowledge of Christ" (1:10-11, 3:18).
- Disciples are called to virtue, preparedness, holiness, and stability (1:5-11, 3:11-17).
This goodness hastens the very judgment day it awaits (3:12).
