In this letter, Peter sends greetings to his readers from her “who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen” (1Pt 5:13). This no doubt refers to a church (the Greek word for church is feminine), and the church referred to is in all probability the church at Rome. Christianity seems to have taken over this name for Rome from late Judaism. Babylon had been branded by Old Testament prophecy as the embodiment of world power at enmity with God and His people. Peter is, in using this name for Rome, reminding his readers that the hostile world, which now has power to impose the fiery ordeal upon the scattered and homeless people of God, is doomed to destruction under the judgment of God. The letter was thus written at Rome.
Historical and Cultural Setting
As for the circumstances that prompted Peter to write to Gentile churches, some of which had their origin in Paul’s missionary labors, one can only guess. Commentators on 1 Peter have wondered whether Peter may have written at Paul’s suggestion. Paul, about to leave for Spain in AD 61 or 62, having heard of the situation of the churches of northern Asia Minor, may have laid it upon Peter’s heart to write to them a circular letter, just as Paul himself had written somewhat earlier to a group of churches in Asia Minor (Letter to the Ephesians). This receives some confirmation from the fact that Silvanus, Paul’s longtime companion, had a part in the writing of the letter. … Silas as the trusted companion of Paul and a man endowed with the gift of prophecy (Ac 15:32) may have been called into the consultation between Peter and Paul when the letter was planned and was thus acquainted with its purpose and content from the outset.
Contested Authorship of 1 Peter
The authenticity of 1 Peter is questioned by some scholars on the grounds that (a) the Greek of the letter is too delicately idiomatic and literary to be the work of a Galilean fisherman like Peter; (b) that the letter borrows from the Letter of James and from Paul to an extent that makes authorship by one of apostolic stature unlikely; (c) that the persecution the letter has in view is of a kind not possible within the lifetime of Peter, since persecution for the “name” itself (that is, for merely being a Christian) did not take place before the time of Emperor Domitian (AD 81–96) or even that of Trajan (AD 98–117).
a. We should remember that we really have no way of knowing how much Greek Peter could or did know. Peter’s home country, Galilee, was more open to Greek influence than any other part of Israel. The part that Silvanus … had in the composition of the letter must be reckoned with also.
b. The so-called dependence of Peter’s first letter on other New Testament writings can easily be overstated. Not every similarity between New Testament writings is proof that one of the authors drew upon the work of the other. The apostles and other leaders of the Early Church did not merely read one another’s letters in studious seclusion; these men heard and knew one another; they confessed together, worked together, and above all, they had one Lord and possessed one Spirit. Moreover, they lived for and with the Church, enriching the life of the Church and being enriched by it (cf Rm 1:11–12), so that whatever one apostle gave the Church became the property of all. The question of the interrelationship of the apostolic writings cannot be determined by the study of the coincidences of language in the writings alone; the whole historical picture must be considered. … One can hardly, therefore, draw long conclusions from a limited number of literary coincidences between the Letter of Peter on the one hand and the Letter of James and the letters of Paul on the other, even if some of these coincidences are very close.
c. As was noted above, the kind of persecution indicated by the letter does not demand a dating later than the lifetime of Peter. … It should be remembered that from the point of view of the apostle and the Church, every persecution was a persecution for the sake of the “name” of Christ, whatever reason might be put forward by the persecuting power itself.
Positively, there are two features of the letter that speak strongly for authenticity. One is the claim of the writer to be an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ (1Pt 5:1), a claim supported by many little touches throughout the letter. The other is the amount and kind of agreement between the letter of Peter and the sermons of Peter as recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts. Neither of these would, of course, prove that Peter wrote the letter; but they do indicate that there is no reason to doubt the early, widespread, and clean-cut tradition that Peter wrote the letter.
Purpose/Recipients
The First Letter of Peter is addressed to the Christians of five provinces of Asia Minor. Peter calls them “exiles of the Dispersion” (1Pt 1:1), a term that suggests “the Dispersion of the Jews” and might naturally be thought to imply Jewish Christian readers, especially since Peter was primarily the apostle to the circumcised (Gal 2:7–9). But the letter itself shows that the readers have a Gentile background (e.g., 1Pt 1:14; 2:9–10; 4:3–4); they are therefore “exiles of the Dispersion” in a figurative sense, strangers and sojourners on this earth (1:17; 2:11), dispersed in an unbelieving world. There is nothing to indicate that Peter and his readers knew each other personally.
The Christians addressed are undergoing some form of persecution (3:16–17) and are perhaps being threatened by an even severer form of persecution (4:12–19). They are being slandered, ridiculed, and suspected of disloyalty to the state (4:14, 16; 4:4; cf 2:13–17); but there is nothing to indicate a full-scale official persecution. We hear nothing of a demand for emperor worship, for instance; nor is there any hint of confiscation of property, imprisonment, or martyrs’ deaths.
Summary of 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:1–2 Peter writes to Christians who struggle because they live in this world but are really citizens of heaven. He reminds them of their election in Christ and of His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
1 Peter 1:3–12 Through Jesus Christ, we now have a living hope and know the promise of God that we will live in Him forever. We can face any trial or challenge, knowing that we are safe in His care.
1 Peter 1:13–25 In God’s love, before the world was made, He determined to send His Son, the unblemished Lamb, to be our sacrifice. Now through His Word, He calls us to life and sets us apart to His glory and for the service of our neighbor.
1 Peter 2:1–12 Christ, the light of the world, has called us out of darkness into His light. He makes us His own, gives us a place as citizens of His kingdom, and empowers us to live as His royal priesthood. We are not alone but are part of His people, a holy nation.
1 Peter 2:13–25 Scripture never teaches that those who follow Jesus will be immune to suffering. Just as Jesus, our sinless Savior, faced unjust suffering and death, so we may be called to take up our own cross to follow Him.
1 Peter 3:8–22 In the midst of trials, we may be tempted to feel self-pity and despair. But God calls us to something greater. Our powerful Lord forgives us in our Baptism and gives us His life.
1 Peter 4:1–11 Christ suffered in the flesh and became sin (2Co 5:21) in our stead. He now calls us to live the new life He has given us as stewards of His gifts.
1 Peter 4:12–19 God permits suffering in our lives for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it comes as a direct result of our own sin in order to discipline us. Other times it is an effect of being God’s child in a world that wants to crush His Church. Although we do not know God’s hidden will, we trust He has only the best in mind for us.
1 Peter 5:1–11 The chief Shepherd calls undershepherds to teach, preach, administer the Sacraments, and guard His sheep, always keeping in mind that sin and the devil seek to entrap them.
1 Peter 5:12–14 Peter encourages these persecuted Christians to stand firm in the one thing that is truly trustworthy: God’s grace in Christ.
Martin Luther on 1 Peter
This epistle St. Peter wrote to the converted hea- then; he exhorts them to be steadfast in faith and to increase through all kinds of suffering and good works.
In chapter 1 he strengthens their faith through the divine promise and power of the salvation to come. He shows that this salvation has not been merited by us but was first proclaimed by the prophets. Therefore they ought now to live new and holy lives, and forget the old life, as those who have been born anew through the living and eternal Word of God.
In chapter 2 he teaches them to know Christ as the Head and the Cornerstone, and like true priests to sacrifice themselves to God as Christ sacrificed himself. And he sets about giving instructions to the various estates. First he teaches in general subjection to temporal rulership; afterward he teaches in particular that servants are to be subordinate to their masters and [even] to suffer wrong from them, for the sake of Christ who also suffered wrong for us. (AE 35:390–91)
Blog post adapted from Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 2: Intertestamental Era, New Testament, and Bible Dictionary © 2014 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture: ESV®.
The quotation from Luther’s Works in this publication is from Luther’s Works, American Edition, vol. 35 © 1960 by Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of the publisher.
Read more about 1 Peter and every book of the New Testament in Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 2
