What makes 1 Peter special?
Although it appears on the
surface that 1 Peter addresses suffering and persecution, the letter
is, in fact, addressing the issue of Christian identity. It was written
in a period when Christianity was just beginning to come of age and to
imagine itself in a particular way in relation to Judaism, the Roman
Empire, and other elements of the religious, cultural, and political
environment of which it was a part. It was not very popular or socially
acceptable to be Christian. Believers were struggling against various
forms of opposition and pressure from those around them, and thus were
forced, in their response to that environment, to negotiate between
positions of resistance and rejection on the one hand, and
acculturation on the other.
Why was the 1 Peter written?
The
rhetorical situation of the letter is one of persecution. Whether or to
what extent that persecution is real or imagined remains a matter of
debate. A number of questions persist: What sort of persecution is
reflected in the letter? Was it due to Roman policy? Or was it of a
more unofficial nature? Either way, when did it occur? Roman policies
and attitudes toward non-Roman religions and toward volunteer groups
(collegia) in general was typically one of tolerance, provided such
practices did not threaten Roman power and authority. Nevertheless,
there was distaste for Jewish religious practices, which often
translated into official policy, and which often carried over to
Christians. Support for the argument that the suffering undergone by
the readers of 1 Peter was due to official persecution is drawn
principally from two references-3:15 and 5:9. Most interpreters have
tried to locate such official persecution with the reigns of Nero
(54-68 CE), Domitian (81-96 CE), or Trajan (97-117 CE), depending in
part on when one dates the composition of the letter. There is little
evidence to suggest any state-wide persecution in this period. Hence,
if the author had in mind any official persecution, it was most likely
localized and limited. The persecutions faced by the letter's audience
probably had more to do with unofficial harassment than sanctioned
policy. It was probably instigated by the hoi polloi in reaction
against the Christians' lifestyle rather than by Roman officials as a
matter of policy aimed at seeking out and punishing Christians.
What's the story behind the scene?
Traditionally,
the author of 1 Peter has been identified with Simon Peter the Apostle.
Those that support Petrine authorship argue that his faith and
personality are reflected in the letter and therefore attempt to show
similarities between the letter, the speeches of Peter in Acts, and
depictions of the Apostle in the Gospels. Unfortunately, general
similarities like an emphasis on baptism and resurrection also
characterize the rest of the New Testament. Furthermore, it should be
noted that the speeches in Acts and characterizations of Peter in the
Gospels are just that-characterizations. They are literary
constructions of the authors of Luke-Acts and the other Gospels.
Consequently, they are of virtually no value for determining the
authorship of 1 Peter. Alternative suggestions regarding authorship
have rarely been put forward and most are altogether unpersuasive. As a
result, authorship remains one of the major literary problems of the
text. The nature of the letter, its destination, and its content only
serve to further complicate the issue. For instance, the polished
rhetoric of the letter and the level of its Greek, its dependence on
the Septuagint, the letter's lack of references to events in the life
of Jesus, the strongly Pauline flavor of the letter in both language
and content (see e.g., Romans and Ephesians), evidence that the author
made use of other early Christian traditions (e.g., Qumran materials),
and the fact that the situation reflected in the letter (viz.,
references to persecution and the internal structures of ecclesiastical
organization) appears to suggest a period in Asia Minor later than one
could assume Peter lived through, all seem to argue against Petrine
authorship.
First Peter weaves together church community and
Christology, and ethics follow closely. Note, for instance, the way the
author interprets Scripture (cf. Hebrews) and describes the community
in terms drawn from the Old Testament. Christ as the rejected stone
foreshadows and parallels the fate of the church. The letter's
Christology is built around emphasis on the suffering of Jesus as a
necessary prelude to his exaltation. Whereas God is absolute ruler over
all creation, lordship is exercised exclusively through Christ, who
occupies a position superior to all other powers. In bearing our sins
on the cross, he became the pioneer and perfecter of faith and the
forerunner of salvation for those who obey him (1:3 - 2:25; 4:1-11).
The notion of the church as a body of priests (2:5 and 9) hints at
something even more developed than what we find in the writings of
Paul, which most scholars believe were written four or five decades
earlier. The basic ethical imperative of 1 Peter is expressed as being
holy because God is holy. Christ himself is the model for the Christian
way of life. The risen Christ ushers in a new reality, and God's saving
grace brings into being a distinctive way of life. The Christian's life
in society manifests God's presence. Thus, in 1 Peter, Christians are
not called to reform the social order but to exhibit true goodness
within it, because carrying out one's responsibilities toward society
in obedience to God's will is understood as an act of Christian worship.
Biblical
scholar Steven Bechtler uses the work of ritual theorist, Victor
Turner, to explore the nature of Christian identity depicted in the
text. According to Turner, the characteristic symbolism of liminality
is that of paradox, simultaneously "being both this and that" (and
hence neither fully one nor the other) in the moment of transition.
Bechtler draws on this to speak of the liminality of the Christian
life, particularly with respect to a context of suffering and social
disgrace. Bechtler argues that 1 Peter offers readers a "liminal
self-identity," which is neither assimilationist nor sectarian, neither
fully embedded within the larger society nor completely removed from
it. For Bechtler, 1 Peter's ambiguous statements and images together
construct an identity that is itself ambiguous with respect to the
larger society. The implied readers of the letter are marginalized,
both literally and figuratively. They are referred to as "children" and
"newborn babies." Conversion and initiation into the Christian
community is viewed as "birth." The author regards them as "free
persons" " but slaves of God"(2:16). Despite the fact that their true
identity lies elsewhere, they are admonished to uphold the laws of
state, social conventions, and so forth. Is this then a form of
cultural adaptation or a means of subtle resistance?
How is 1 Peter constructed?
Greetings (1:1-2)
The Salvation of God in Christ (1:3 - 2:10)
- God's salvation is a source of immutable hope (1:3-12)
- God's salvation sets us apart (1:13-25)
- Excursus: Jesus the cornerstone of God's chosen people (2:1-10)
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- Christians in a Hostile World (2:11 - 4:11)
- Living as aliens and exiles and suffering as Christ suffered (2:11-25)
-
- Family life (3:1-7)
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- Suffering for the sake of righteousness (3:8-22)
- Living as ambassadors of God's grace (4:1-11)
- Encouragement for Those Who Suffer (4:12 - 5:11)
- Personal Greetings (5:12-14)
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