Introduction to the Books of the Bible
From the NIV Study Bible.
Copyright 2002
© Zondervan.
All rights reserved.
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· From the NIV Study Bible
· About the Book Introductions & Main Listing
The Book of 1 Peter 
Author and Date
 The
author identifies himself as the apostle Peter (1:1), and the contents and
character of the letter support his authorship (see notes on 1:12; 4:13; 5:1–2,5,13).
Moreover, the letter reflects the history and terminology of the Gospels and
Acts (notably Peter’s speeches). Its themes and concepts reflect Peter’s experiences
and his associations in the period of our Lord’s earthly ministry and in the
apostolic age. That he was acquainted, e.g., with Paul and his letters is made
clear in 2Pe 3:15–16 (see notes there); Gal 1:18; 2:1–21 and elsewhere. Coincidences
in thought and expression with Paul’s writings are therefore not surprising.
From the beginning, 1 Peter was recognized as authoritative and as the work
of the apostle Peter. The earliest reference to it may be 2Pe 3:1 (see note
there), where Peter himself refers to a former letter he had written. 1 Clement
(a.d. 95) seems to indicate acquaintance with 1 Peter. Polycarp, a disciple
of the apostle John, makes use of 1 Peter in his letter to the Philippians.
The author of the Gospel of Truth (140–150) was acquainted with 1 Peter. Eusebius
(fourth century) indicated that it was universally received.
The letter was explicitly ascribed to Peter by that group of church fathers
whose testimonies appear in the attestation of so many of the genuine NT writings,
namely, Irenaeus (a.d. 140–203), Tertullian (150–222), Clement of Alexandria
(155–215) and Origen (185–253). It is thus clear that Peter’s authorship of
the book has early and strong support.
Nevertheless some claim that the idiomatic Greek of this letter is beyond
Peter’s competence. But in his time Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek were used in
the Holy Land, and he may well have been acquainted with more than one language.
That he was not a professionally trained scribe (Ac 4:13) does not mean that
he was unacquainted with Greek; in fact, as a Galilean fisherman he in all
likelihood did use it. Even if he had not known it in the earliest days of
the church, he may have acquired it as an important aid to his apostolic ministry
in the decades that intervened between then and the writing of 1 Peter.
It is true, however, that the Greek of 1 Peter is good literary Greek, and
even though Peter could no doubt speak Greek, as so many in the Mediterranean
world could, it is unlikely that he would write such polished Greek. But it
is at this point that Peter’s remark in 5:12 (see note there) concerning Silas
may be significant. Here the apostle claims that he wrote “with the help of”
(more lit. “through” or “by means of”) Silas. This phrase cannot refer merely
to Silas as a letter carrier. Thus Silas was the intermediate agent in writing.
Some have claimed that Silas’s qualifications for recording Peter’s letter
in literary Greek are found in Ac 15:22–29. It is known that a secretary in
those days often composed documents in good Greek for those who did not have
the language facility to do so. Thus in 1 Peter Silas’s Greek may be seen,
while in 2 Peter it may be Peter’s rough Greek that appears.
Some also maintain that the book reflects a situation that did not exist
until after Peter’s death, suggesting that the persecution referred to in 4:14–16;
5:8–9 is descriptive of Domitian’s reign (a.d. 81–96). However, the situation
that was developing in Nero’s time (54–68) is just as adequately described
by those verses.
The book can be satisfactorily dated in the early 60s. It cannot be placed
earlier than 60 since it shows familiarity with Paul’s Prison Letters (e.g.,
Colossians and Ephesians, which are to be dated no earlier than 60): Compare
1:1–3 with Eph 1:1–3; 2:18 with Col 3:22; 3:1–6 with Eph 5:22–24. Furthermore,
it cannot be dated later than 67/68, since Peter was martyred during Nero’s
reign.
Place of Writing
In 5:13 Peter indicates that he was “in Babylon” when he wrote 1 Peter. Among
the interpretations that have been suggested are that he was writing from (1)
Egyptian Babylon, which was a military post, (2) Mesopotamian Babylon, (3)
Jerusalem and (4) Rome. Peter may well be using the name Babylon symbolically,
as it seems to be used in the book of Revelation (see Rev 14:8; 17:9–10 and
notes). Tradition connects him in the latter part of his life with Rome, and
certain early writers held that 1 Peter was written there. On the other hand,
it is pointed out by some that (1) Babylon is known to have existed in the
first century as a small town on the Euphrates; (2) there is no evidence that
the term Babylon was used figuratively to refer to Rome until Revelation was
written (c. a.d. 95); (3) the context of 5:13 does not appear to be figurative
or cryptic.
Themes
Although 1 Peter is a short letter, it touches on various doctrines and has
much to say about Christian life and duties. It is not surprising that different
readers have found it to have different principal themes. For example, it has
been characterized as a letter of separation, of suffering and persecution,
of suffering and glory, of hope, of pilgrimage, of courage, and as a letter
dealing with the true grace of God. Peter says that he has written “encouraging
you and testifying that this is the true grace of God” (5:12). This is a definitive
general description of the letter, but it does not exclude the recognition
of numerous subordinate and contributory themes. The letter includes a series
of exhortations (imperatives) that run from 1:13 to 5:11.
Outline
- Greetings (1:1–2)
- Praise to God for His Grace and Salvation
(1:3–12)
- Exhortations to Holiness of Life (1:13—5:11)
- The Requirement of Holiness (1:13—2:3)
- The Position of Believers (2:4–12)
- A spiritual house (2:4–8)
- A chosen people (2:9–10)
- Aliens and strangers (2:11–12)
- Submission to Authority (2:13—3:7)
- Submission to rulers (2:13–17)
- Submission to masters (2:18–20)
- Christ’s example of submission (2:21–25)
- Submission of wives to husbands (3:1–6)
- The corresponding duty of husbands (3:7)
- Duties of All (3:8–17)
- Christ’s Example (3:18—4:6)
- Conduct in View of the End of All Things
(4:7–11)
- Conduct of Those Who Suffer for Christ (4:12–19)
- Conduct of Elders (5:1–4)
- Conduct of the Young (5:5–11)
- The Purpose of the Letter (5:12)
- Final Greetings and Benediction (5:13–14)
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