1 Peter, 2 Peter

About the Author

Most conservative scholarship has attributed the Petrine epistles to the apostle Peter's authorship (although perhaps with the assistance of a scribe like Mark - the same assumption is made by many of the Gospel of Mark). Peter was originally called Simon (which means "hearing"), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament, and he was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His younger brother Andrew first brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and was trained to the occupation of a fisher. His father had probably died while he was still young, and it appears that he and his brother may have been brought up under the care of Zebedee and his wife Salome (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). Imagine the possibility that 4 of the 12 disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were all brought up together at some point in their lives. Since this is a blog, I will simply only bring up this possibility as curious conjecture.

Culturally, Peter certainly reflected his background - we like to say in Kerrville that "he was a country boy". When Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he looked like an "unlearned man" (Acts 4:13). Simon was a Galilean, and he was that out and out......The Galileans had a marked character of their own. They had a reputation for an independence and energy which often ran out into turbulence. They were at the same time of a franker and more transparent disposition than their brethren in the south. In all these respects, in bluntness, impetuosity, headiness, and simplicity, Simon was a genuine Galilean.

They spoke a peculiar dialect. They had a difficulty with the guttural sounds and some others, and their pronunciation was reckoned harsh in Judea. The Galilean accent stuck to Simon all through his career. It betrayed him as a follower of Christ when he stood within the judgment-hall (Mark 14:70). It betrayed his own nationality and that of those conjoined with him on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:7)." It would seem that Simon was married before he became an apostle. His wife's mother is referred to (Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38). He was in all probability accompanied by his wife on his missionary journeys (1 Cor. 9:5; comp. 1 Pet. 5:13).

The name Jesus gave to Simon ("Cephas" in Aramaic, "Petros" in Greek) means "rock". Although the Gospels each tell of Peter as a bumbling fisherman with his foot in his mouth, after the ascension of Jesus, in the book of Acts, Peter finally begins to resemble the name Jesus gave him and takes on a serious role as a leader in the church. His two epistles include:

1 Peter

This epistle is addressed to "the strangers scattered abroad", i.e., to the Jews of the Dispersion (the Diaspora). Its object is to confirm its readers in the doctrines they had been already taught. Peter has been called "the apostle of hope," because this epistle abounds with words of comfort and encouragement fitted to sustain a "lively hope."

It contains about 35references to the Old Testament. It was written from Babylon, on the Euphrates, which was at this time one of the chief seats of Jewish learning, and a fitting center for labor among the Jews. It has been noticed that in the beginning of his epistle Peter names the provinces of Asia Minor in the order in which they would naturally occur to one writing from Babylon. He counsels:

(1) to steadfastness and perseverance under persecution (1-2: 10)
(2) to the practical duties of a holy life (2:11-3:13)
(3) he adduces the example of Christ and other motives to patience and holiness (3:14-4:19)
(4) concludes with counsels to pastors and people (ch. 5).

2 Peter

The question of the authenticity of this epistle has been much discussed, but the weight of evidence confirms Peter's authorship. It appears to have been written shortly before the apostle's death (1:14). This epistle contains 11 references to the Old Testament. It also contains (3:15-16) a remarkable reference to Paul's epistles. Some think this reference is to 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-5:11.

Peter in apocryphal writings

On a side note, in archaeology a parchment fragment, called the "Gospel of Peter," was discovered in a Christian tomb at Akhmim in Upper Egypt. Origen (died A.D. 254), Eusebius (died 340), and Jerome (died 420) refer to such a work, and hence it has been concluded that it was probably written about the middle of the second century. It professes to give a history of our Lord's resurrection and ascension. While differing in not a few particulars from the canonical Gospels, the writer shows plainly that he was acquinted both with the synoptics and with the Gospel of John. Though apocryphal, it is of considerable value as showing that the main facts of the history of our Lord were then widely known.