1 Peter Gospel

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1 Peter Gospel Essay, Research Paper

Biblical historians have many different opinions on who is responsible for the

authorship of the New Testament writings. Concentrating on 1 and 2 Peter, their

different conclusions can be analyzed. Scholars approach the study of authorship

by carefully going over the writings themselves. They discover the how, when,

why, who, and where of the writings. Each New Testament scholar has come to

their own conclusion of the authorship of 1 and 2 Peter through this. Their

different views of the authorship of 1 and 2 Peter will be discussed and

compared in this paper. 1 Peter is a New Testament writing. It has only five

chapters that seems to portray the purpose of bringing hope to Christians.

Christians should lead their lives by serving God and knowing that the judgement

of God will be coming. Their faith will be tested, but Christians are told stay

true to God. The point is to tell Christians that they should keep to their

faith no matter what is going on in the world. The people being addressed where

those of the church whom were estranged from their old life. This letter has the

same pattern of a Pauline letter, opening with a greeting and thanksgiving. Then

it gives the purpose and reflects on the identity of Christians. It ends with an

exhortation and closing. It is done neatly and kept in order. 1 Paul seems to

have been written in Rome. It is written for the churches in the area of

northern Asia Minor. The time period could range from 60-72 C. E. during the

time of Paul whom is considered to have traditional authorship. 2 Peter appears

to be the "last testament" of the apostle who had authorship of it.

Correct teaching is emphasized, showing that is a major concern of the author.

The letter gives a warning that judgement will condemn those without good

ethical conduct. This includes all heretics. In 2 Peter’s three chapters, the

author expresses his believe of the time when judgement will come. The author

uses the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophets’ testimonies, Peter’s eyewitness of the

transfiguration of Jesus, and the writings of Paul. The author’s point is that

the Parousia is real and not a myth. 2 Peter tells that the reason for the delay

of the Parousia is that God’s time is different from human time. So, the coming

has not occurred when it was believed it should have. It also says that God is

delaying the coming to give time for humans to repent. 2 Peter seems to also

have been written during the Apostolic Age and is one of the last New Testament

writings. In The New Oxford Annotated Bible, the authorship seems to be pointing

to Peter himself to be the author. It also says that Silvanus could have been

the author, but it is very doubtful. In the beginning, Peter is named, but at

the end, Silvanus is mentioned in the closing. In 2 Peter, the letter is

presented to have been written by Simeon Peter. He says that he is the servant

and apostle of Jesus, but there is doubt to this. By him saying this, doubts of

authorship is brought forth. The time period is confused by the author saying

this. The reason for this is Simeon Peter’s death was predicted by Jesus. If

this happened, then he could not have been an apostle of Peter. Also, he claims

to have had fellowship with Peter, but the way the author presents his

interpretation of Paul’s letters, it is doubtful. Another source is The

Interpreter’s Bible Volume 12. This source also expresses authorship concerns,

stating that 1 Peter was written by Peter with the help of Sylvanus who was like

a brother to Peter. The place where 1 Peter was written seems to have been Rome.

This is because of the fact Babylon is mentioned, and it is considered to be a

cryptic name meaning Rome. The time period seems to have been in 60 C. E.

because this is during the time of the lifetime of Peter. 2 Peter’s authorship

is also discussed. Simon Peter is said to have been the author but this source

doubts it. The difference is style with 1 Peter expresses that they do not have

the same authors. The author is unknown, but wrote in the spirit of Peter,

condemning heresy. Rome is considered to have been the place of authorship.

Since there is proof that 1 Peter was written in Rome, and due to the fact that

2 Peter is heavily influenced by it, then 2 Peter was also written in Rome. The

influence that 1 Peter has on 2 Peter proves this. 2 Peter is also considered to

have been written in the middle of the second century. A third source is The

Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. It expresses that the beginning of 1

Peter definitely shows that the author is Peter himself. Also, the author

stating that he was an eyewitness to Jesus backs up the belief that he is the

author. There is no evidence why he wrote it. Only the belief that he did it to

fortify the faith of who he was writing to could have been the explanation.

There are arguments against Peter being the author. These come from claims that

he only speaks of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The only explanation is that he

is less concerned with his life, and more concerned with the fact that his death

brought grace. This source states that there is no proof that can say Peter was

not the author. If Peter is the author, then the date of the writings can fall

around 64 or 67 C. E. This source also discusses the authorship of 2 Peter. The

apostle Simon Peter is considered to have authorship. This is considered to be

an unclear fact though. The purpose of 2 Peter is clearer than the authorship.

It is to go against the skepticism of the Parousia. It is considered to be

written around the second century, long after the apostolic age. A fourth source

is The Anchor Bible Series. This source discusses that the question of the

author’s identity is raised in the text. Silvanus is questioned to be the

author. He could be Peter’s secretary, his collaborator, or the true author.

Paul is noted to be the author, but the mention of Silvanus in the text puts

questions on this fact. The theological character of 1 Peter seems to have some

of Silvanus’s touch in it. The language of 1 Peter also suggests this. The

author has heavy influence of Pauline writings, and this shows that Peter might

not be the author. For Peter to base a lot of 1 Peter on Pauline writings would

make him switch from his Jewish beliefs to a more Gentile Christianity. It could

be possible but very doubtful. The language of 1 Peter is more toward a Greek

style than that of a Galilean fisherman, which was what Peter was. This could

possibly show that he must have collaborated with someone, which was Sivanus. 2

Peter’s author presents himself as the apostle Peter. This would be Simeon

Peter. This source believes that it was a follower of Peter that wrote 2 Peter

though. The author’s purpose seemed to have been to preserve the apostolic

tradition. Also, 2 Peter does not have any personal information about Jesus,

showing that he could not have been Peter. The language is portrayed as

Hellenistic, and not of a Galilean fisherman. This shows that the author is

unknown. There is no other evidence that tells who the author could have been.

The latest 2 Peter was written could have been 90 C. E. It is also believed that

since the author wanted to have the identity of Peter, then the place of

authorship was Rome. As noted above, there are different views on the authorship

of 1 and 2 Peter. Some of the bible scholars contrast each other and others are

agree upon certain facts. For 1 Peter there is very many questions as to who the

author is. The evidence points mostly to Peter being the true author. Silvanus

has also been considered to be the author. If the evidence is examined closely,

he could have only been Peter’s scribe. Some say that he was the author, or

either he helped Peter write the letter. The text has many different influences

that come from Peter though, so Silvanus might not have had anything to do with

the writing of the letter. 2 Peter’s author will probably stay anonymous.

Although Simeon Peter could have been the author there is strong evidence that

he was not. It could have been someone who wanted to uphold the apostolic

tradition, so this person wrote as Peter. The author only portrayed himself as

Peter and was not actually Peter himself. Bible scholars will probably continue

to study the authorship if 1 and 2 Peter. One day they might find hard evidence

to who the author really was. Until then they can only use the text of the Bible

to research the authorship. For 1 Peter, the authorship has more evidence

showing Peter was the author. 2 Peter’s author could have been Peter but more

evidence points to an unknown author.

Beasley, James R., et al. An Introduction to the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon

Press, 1991. The Anchor Bible Series: The Epistles of James, Peter, and Luke.

New York, New York: Doubleday, 1964. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible.

Nashville: Abingdon, 1962. The Interpreter’s Bible: The Holy Scriptures Volume

12. New York: Abingdon Press, 1957. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York:

Oxford University Press, 1994.

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