Overview of the Book of 1 Peter
Purpose:
To encourage persecuted and bewildered Christians to stand fast together in their faith.
Date: A.D. 60-68
The external attestation to 1 Peter as a genuine epistle of Peter is widespread and early. There is no evidence that this epistle was ever attributed to anyone else. Irenaeus (c. A.D. 185; Against Heresies, 4.9.2), Tertullian (c. A.D. 160-225), Clement of Alexandria (c. A.D. 150-215), and Origen (c. A.D. 185-253) all attributed the epistle to Peter. By the time of Eusebius (c. A.D. 265-339), there was no question of its authenticity (Ecclesiastical History, 3.3.1).
Although the case for Petrine authorship is strong, linguistic and historical objections have been raised during the last two centuries. The Greek of 1 Peter is said to be too polished and too influenced by the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) to have come from an uneducated Galilean fisherman like Peter (cf. Acts 4:13). The persecutions alluded to in the epistle (1 Pet. 4:12-19; 5:6-9) are alleged to reflect a situation that occurred after Peter's lifetime.
None of these objections is decisive. In response to the linguistic objection, the following points can be made: First-century Galilee was bilingual (Aramaic and Greek), the description of Peter and John as "unschooled, ordinary men" (Acts 4:13) may only refer to their lack of formal training in the Scriptures, the 30 years that elapsed between the days of Peter the fisherman and Peter the writer would have provided ample time for Peter to improve his proficiency in Greek, and Silas' possible role as secretary (1 Pet. 5:12) could account for the smoother style of 1 Peter compared to 2 Peter.
With regard to the historical objections, the sufferings alluded to by Peter can just as well be accounted for by citing the local, sporadic harassment that was routinely experienced by early Christians from the days of the apostles on, as by citing the official persecution in the days of Domitian (c. A.D. 95) or Trajan (c. A.D. 111).
If Rome is the place of origin, the epistle must have been composed between A.D. 60 and 68. The earlier limit is established by Peter's familiarity with Ephesians and Colossians (1 Pet. 2:18; Col. 3:22; cf. 1 Pet. 3:1-6 and Eph 5:22-24); the later date, by the tradition that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome in or before A.D. 68.
Although 1 Peter has the character of a general epistle (cf. James, 2 Peter, 1 John, Jude), it differs from the other general epistles in that it specifies the areas in which the readers lived: "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Pet. 1:1). What is known from the epistle itself is that the readers were suffering persecution for their faith (1 Pet. 1:6-7; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:9-10). Nothing in the epistle indicates official, legislative persecution or requires a date of composition later than the 60s. The sufferings were the trials common to first-century Christians, including insults (1 Pet. 4:4, 14) and slanderous accusations of wrongdoing (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16). Beatings (1 Pet. 2:20), social ostracism, sporadic mob violence and local police action may have been involved as well.
Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. is Co-Founder and President of Third Millennium Ministries who served as Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary and has authored numerous books.