(Origen 6.25.8) 3. There is no external evidence prior to Origen indicating that Peter wrote 2 Peter. Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. "A Commentary on the Second Epistle General of Second Peter" Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, 1990. Peter reminded the church “that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. A Bible Study, "Sondergaard is a member of the New Apostolic Reformation cult. Further, it goes as far as to name the Pauline epistles as "scripture"—the only time a New Testament work refers to another New Testament work in this way—implying that it postdates them by some time. However, just prior to this, Paul had written Timothy to bring Mark to Rome with him (1 Timothy 4:11). The conceptual world and the rhetorical language are so strongly influenced by Hellenism as to rule out Peter definitely, nor could it have been written by one of his helpers or pupils under instructions from Peter. 2 Peter was written toward the end of Peter’s life (cf. Certainly, these truths are not dependent upon 1 Peter 2:9–10! A Bible Study. [11], The Peshitta, the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition, does not contain the Second Epistle of Peter and thus rejects its canonical status. Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! We have no credible reason to believe that anyone but the Apostle Peter wrote the 2nd Book of Peter and probably very close to the time that Peter was crucified upside down so 2nd Peter was probably written near AD 68, just two years before the destruction and fall of Jerusalem to the Roman’s. 66-68 A.D. 2 Peter: 1. Some have argued that this date is too early for the writing of 2 Peter, but nothing in the book requires a later date. This page was last edited on 29 December 2020, at 08:55. But that’s another story. 2 Peter 1:4 - Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.. 2 Peter 1:20-21 - Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 2 Peter is an intense, passionate farewell speech addressed to the same Messianic church communities as 1 Peter. Jesus has fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law of Moses, so trust in Him and stand firm. (225 AD) 2. Supersessionism struggles to stay coherent if 1 Peter was written to Jews Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2nd Pet 2:2-3). "The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter". 1:12–15), after he had written a prior letter to the same readers (probably 1 Peter). If so, Peter would have to be dead and 2 Peter already written. So when 2 Peter 3:1 says, “Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you,” the letter in mind may well be Jude rather than 1 Peter, especially since the content of the letter described in 2 Peter 3:2 fits Jude better than 1 Peter. Each of these can be fully justified on the basis of other texts. Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. The 2 Peter usage seems to be later in time, after the fuller meanings of Christ’s prophecies became more apparent to the Church; thus the usage of 1 Peter is logically followed by 2 Peter. In an effort to stem the tide of heresy and false teaching among the Christians, Peter 2 Peter. (Confirming One’s Calling and Election. 1:12–15) not too long before his death by execution, Acceptance of the letter into the canon did not occur without some difficulty; however, "nowhere did doubts about the letter's authorship take the form of definitive rejection. Why did Peter write the Book of 2nD Peter? Jesus gives all of us only one of two choices; “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). The book also shares a number of passages with the Epistle of Jude, 1:5 with Jude 3; 1:12 with Jude 5; 2:1 with Jude 4; 2:4 with Jude 6; 2:5 with Jude 5; 2:6 with Jude 7; 2:10–11 with Jude 8–9; 2:12 with Jude 10; 2:13–17 with Jude 11–13; 2:18 with Jude 16; 3:2f with Jude 17f; 3:3 with Jude 18; 3:14 with Jude 24; and 3:18 with Jude 25. Since Peter was martyred during the reign of Nero, his death must have occurred prior to a.d. 68; so it is very likely that he wrote 2 Peter between 65 and 68. 2 Pet. 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:. 50, Jude-2 Peter, Waco. 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The second epistle of Peter is generally attributed to the apostlePeteras the letter opens with salutation "Simon Peter, a servant andapostle of Jesus Christ," however there are some questions concerning theauthenticity of this claim. 2 Peter speaks of the false teachers as yet to come while Jude presents them as recently infiltrating the church. Understand the book of 2 Peter better. I think it can be said that 1 Peter was written around AD 65 with 2 Peter coming about in AD 67. Author: Peter Date Written: 67-68 AD Major Theme: To expose false teachers and encourage believers to be on guard against destructive doctrines. For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2nd Pet 3:3-4) and today, a lot of anti-Christian’s have been saying that, however “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2nd Pet 3:9), meaning God wants everyone to be saved but tragically not everyone will humble themselves and repent before God and trust in Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Getting The Most Out Of Your Bible Reading. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. It criticizes "false teachers" who distort the authentic, apostolic tradition, and predicts judgment for them. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2nd Pet 1:20-21). Arguments have been made both for and against this being part of the original text, but this debate largely is centered on the acceptance or rejection of supernatural intervention in the life of the writer.[13]. [14] Because the Epistle of Jude is much shorter than 2 Peter, and due to various stylistic details, the scholarly consensus is that Jude was the source for the similar passages of 2 Peter. "[7] The earliest record of doubts concerning the authorship of the letter were recorded by Origen (c. 185–254), though Origen mentioned no explanation for the doubts, nor did he give any indication concerning the extent or location. Peter was quite aware that he was writing scripture. Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners, What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of 1st Peter? • Reading 2 Peter as a "testament" of the Apostle Peter. The Second Letter of Peter is principally concerned with the Second Coming of Christ. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. This lesson in Second Peter looks at the latter part of chapter one. Since Peter was martyred during the reign of Nero, his death must have occurred prior to a.d. 68; so it is very likely that he wrote 2 Peter between 65 and 68. but not ...". 17:1–8). For them, “it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2nd Pet 2:21). This book served as Peter’s final warning to his fellow Christians. The Second Epistle of Peter, often referred to as Second Peter and written 2 Peter or in Roman numerals II Peter (especially in older references), is a book of the New Testament of the Bible, traditionally held to have been written by Saint Peter. This is part of the reason why commentators have so long debated whether 1 Peter was written to Jews or Gentiles. Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you. But what is lost when the priesthood of the believer is based upon this passage is its original significance regarding the remnant of Israel. 1:12–15), after he had written a prior letter (3:1) to the same readers (probably 1 Peter). We have no credible reason to believe that anyone but the Apostle Peter wrote the 2nd Book of Peter and probably very close to the time that Peter was crucified upside down … Just thinking about this should make us ask, “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn” (2nd Pet 3:11-12) so “since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (2nd Pet 3:14). [1][2] Reasons for this include its linguistic differences from 1 Peter, its apparent use of Jude, possible allusions to 2nd-century gnosticism, encouragement in the wake of a delayed parousia, and weak external support.[4]. 2:11; Jude 9]) b. Peter is Prior: Though weak, the arguments for the priority of 2 Peter are as follows: 1) Jude makes reference to 2 Peter in verse 4 and 17 (cf. Donald Guthrie suggests that "It is fair to assume, therefore, that he saw no reason to treat these doubts as serious, and this would mean to imply that in his time the epistle was widely regarded as canonical. Most critical biblical scholars have concluded Peter is not the author, considering the epistle pseudepigraphical. Bauckham suggests that 2 Peter 2:4 is partially dependent on Jude 6 but is independently drawing on paraenetic tradition that also lies behind Jude 5–7. The Apostle Peter is more concerned about the false teachers than just about anything else in 2nd Peter and so he tells the church, “take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2nd Pet 3:17) and one way to prevent that from happening is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” [so] “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. According to the Epistle itself, it was composed by the Apostle Peter, an eyewitness to Jesus' ministry. What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of 2nd Peter? Jerome also accepted 2 Peter as authentic.1… This was a time of severe persecution for the Jews and more so for the Jewish Christians, as most of the church was composed of Jews who placed their trust in Christ and suffered for it, which is why Peter wrote 1st Peter. The main things about salvation are also the plain things like “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9)? The Second Epistle of Peter, often referred to as Second Peter and written 2 Peter or in Roman numerals II Peter (especially in older references), is a book of the New Testament of the Bible, traditionally held to have been written by Apostle Peter. I also speculate that 1 Peter was written shortly after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem (cf 1 Peter 2:5). Taken literally, it would have been written between 65–68 AD because Peter was martyred around 68 AD by Nero and also because Peter references his approaching death in 2 Peter 1:14 ("since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me"). Some have argued that this date is too early for the writing of 2 Peter, but nothing in the book requires a later date. Guest Essay: Is America Suffering from Moral Injury? [10], Eusebius (c. 275–339) professed his own doubts (see also Antilegomena), and is the earliest direct testimony of such, though he stated that the majority supported the text, and by the time of Jerome (c. 346–420) it had been mostly accepted as canonical. The letter refers to the Pauline epistles and so must post-date at least some of them, regardless of authorship, thus a date before 60 is improbable. If 2 Peter 3:1 alludes to 1 Peter, the audience of the epistle is the various Churches in Asia Minor in general (cf. It is elaborated on in Jude 6. The epistle presciently declares that it is written shortly before the apostle's death (1:14). Was it a follow up to his first letter or about something altogether different? It was to become one of his last epistles, as he was martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero in 68 A.D. The date of composition has proven to be very difficult to determine. Jude 6 however, is a clear reference to the Book of Enoch. He speaks of Paul's letters as scripture (2Peter 3:15-16), so it follows that he would regard his own letters in the same way. Frank did not write this post. 2 Peter was written toward the end of Peter’s life (cf. The early church also hesitated to accept 2 Peter because of the large number of obviously phony gospels and letters claiming to have been written by Peter (such as the Gospel of Peter). Peter’s point is for the Christians to believe the Scriptures and not “someone’s own interpretation.” That should keep them from being led into error by these many false teachers. 2 Peter 3:3) 25 The paraenetic traditions are in Sirach 16:7–10, Damascus Document 2:17–3:12, 3 Maccabees 2:4–7, Testament of Naphtali 3:4–5 and Mishna Sanhedrin 10:3. [3], Most biblical scholars have concluded Peter is not the author, considering the epistle pseudepigraphical. [5] Scholars consider the epistle to be written anywhere between c. AD 60-130, with a favour for a date between 80-90[6] and so contend that it is pseudepigraphical. Learn what the Bible teaches in the book of 2 Peter. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. He specifically mentions that he was an eyewitness of the transfiguration (1:16–18; see Matt. This is a blog series featuring contributors to the new book, Cruciform Scripture. Peter identifies himself as an “apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1). Purpose of Writing: Peter was alarmed that false teachers were beginning to infiltrate the churches. The questions of authorship and date are closely related. "The Second Epistle of Peter and The Epistle of Jude: An Introduction and Commentary", Leithart, Peter J. Second Peter is the apostle Peter’s last reminder to the church. 2. Peter introduces 2nd Peter by writing “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2nd Pet 1:1). When was 1 Peter written? the writing styles [between 1 and 2 Peter] are vastly different. He was alarmed … [16], The letter is usually outlined as follows:[citation needed]. Get updates from Christian Crier delivered straight to your inbox. The Second Epistle of Peter or Peter 2 was written by the Apostle Peter likely between 65 and 68 A.D. Peter was martyred about 67 (The Ryrie Study Bible, p. 425).” Furthermore, it is argued that Peter states Mark (5:13) was with him at the time the epistle was written. 16:18), has left one acknowledged Epistle; possibly also a second, but this is disputed." We can thank God that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority” (2nd Pet 2:9-10). "[7], Origen, in another passage, has been interpreted as considering the letter to be Petrine in authorship. But based on the other three lines of evidence above, it’s more natural to take Peter’s reference to Gentiles as an ethnic distinction first, and a religious distinction only by extension. 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