Bible Commentaries
2 Peter 1

Verse 1

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST PETER Introduction

Authenticity and Canonicity —The authenticity of 2 Pet is more disputed today than any other book of the NT. Most non-Catholic scholars class it as pseudonymous, chiefly for two reasons: (a) lack of external evidence in the early centuries; (b) difference of style from 1 Pet (cf. § 952j). Catholic exegetes, and some prominent non-Catholics, defend its authenticity. It may be admitted that the evidence of early recognition of 2 Pet is weaker than for any other NT writing. There are no undisputed quotations from it before the time of Origen ( a.d. 230), but as Bigg says: ’The shortness of the Epistle, its subject-matter of limited interest, and containing few quotable phrases, may account for the fact that it was not quoted then, as it is probably very seldom quoted even in the present day; yet its attestation is strong’, 210 f. There is good evidence for its canonicity, even if its Petrine authorship is not so well attested. It is of course included in the Tridentine Canon.

Let us list the external evidence for both authenticity and canonicity that is undisputed. Origen records the controversy (cf. Eusebius, HE 6, 2, 58), but places the Epistle in his canon of Holy Scripture, PG 12, 837, and quotes from it six different times in his writings, sometimes naming St Peter as the author. Bishop Firmilian, a contemporary of Origen, mentions in a letter to St Cyprian, that St Peter wrote an epistle against the heretics, which can only refer to 2 Pet, Ep. 75, 6. St Athanasius quotes it twice, De Trin. dial. 1; Contra Arian. or. 3; Bishop Methodius of Olympus, Frag. de Resur.; Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autol. 2:9, 13; St Basil , Adv. Eun.5. Clement of Alexandria, according to Eusebius, HE 6, 14, 1, wrote a commentary on all seven Catholic Epistles, a work which has not come down to us. 2 Pet is listed as one of the inspired books of the NT in the canons of SS Athanasius, PG 26, 1176; and Cyril of Jerusalem, PG 33, 500; of Codex Claromontanus, and Codex Mommsen; of the Councils of Laodicea, and of Carthage, Dz 92; of Popes SS Damasus, Dz 84, and Innocent I, Dz 96. Although Eusebius places it on his list of disputed books, HE 3, 25, 3, and expresses doubt about its authenticity, HE 3, 3, 1, yet St Jerome acknowledges all seven Catholic Epistles as Scripture, Ep. ad Paulin. 53, 9; but mentions the controversy about authenticity, De Vir. Illustr. 3, 1. Didymus of Alexandria wrote a commentary on 2 Pet, which has survived in a Latin translation. The statement in a postscript, that the Epistle is not authentic, is probably by the translator.

The Internal evidence favours authenticity (in the writer’s opinion) despite the difficulties raised by (a) its more original vocabulary and style, (b) its quotation of, and dependence on, ’lesser’ authorities, such as Jude and the Pauline Epistles. Neither difficulty is insuperable. As regards the latter, it is clear that the author of 2 Pet regarded the writings of St Paul as inspired scrripture, and there is no reason to think that he regarded Jude in any other light. As regards the former, St Jerome (Ep 120 ad Hedibiam, 11) considered that the difference was due to the employment of different secretaries, and this may be the true explanation. Nevertheless, these differences are often exaggerated, and it has been said (by B. Weiss, quoted in Jacquier, Histoire des Livres du N.T., III, 300-1) that no book of the New Testament is so like 1 Pet as 2 Pet! There is undoubtedly a deep underlying parallelism and connexion of thought between the two epistles, which does not seem to be the result of slavish imitation by some pseudepigrapher, but which is rather the result of references to, or drawings upon the same stock of ideas, as might be expected from two products of the same brain; e.g. in both epistles we find the same approach to such topics as Noah and the Flood, the Last Days, the New Creation, the Transfiguration of Christ, the Galilean appearance to Peter, the influence of the Pauline Epistles, the Parousia and the virtues of patience, vigilance and sobriety. Moreover, the writer claims to be ’Simon Peter, servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ’, 1:1; and mentions that he was present at Christ’s transfiguration, 1:16-18. He calls St Paul ’our most dear brother Paul’, 3:15; says that he had a prediction from Christ regarding his sudden death, 1:14; and identifies himself with the author of 1 Pet, 3:1. This last circumstance indicates that he knew this Epistle. But would a forger have been so careless about imitating the manner of address, style and vocabulary of 1 Pet? If a studied and conscious imitation of 1 Pet are lacking, are there perhaps subtle similarities of thought and expression in both epistles? Yes, the ardent temperament, which is so noticeable a characteristic of St Peter in the Gospels, betrays itself in 2 Pet every now and then, e.g. in the way that he comes quickly to the point, 1:3-5; 2:1; in the use of vigorous language against the false teachers, 2:3, 9-13; in the tender and affectionate manner of addressing his readers, 3:1, 11-14.

Destination and Purpose —In 3:1 the author says: ’Behold this second epistle I write to you’, thus indicating that it is addressed to the same group, of readers to whom 1 Pet was sent. This was inscribed ’to the elect, who are sojourners in the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia’, 1 Peter 1:1, five provinces of Asia Minor, where the Christian congregations consisted of both Jewish and pagan converts.

The occasion and purpose must be gathered from the epistle itself. Certain false teachers, of low morals and covetous disposition, were threatening to corrupt the faith and conduct of these Christian communities, 2:1-3. They denied that Jesus Christ was the Redeemer, 2:1, spoke disparagingly of holy things, particularly about the angels, 2:10, taught licentiousness by word and deed, 2:2, 10, 13 f., ridiculed the second coming of Christ and the judgement, 3:3 ff. Accordingly the Apostle exhorts his readers to have a high regard for their Christian calling, to grow in knowledge of the truth and in holiness, and avoid sin most carefully, that they may be found worthy of admission into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ, 3:4-11. He also warns them against those who are trying to seduce them by immoral practices and ruin their faith, 2:1-3, 12-19; 3:11-18.

Time and Place of Composition —This letter was probably written a short time before the Apostle’s death, 1:12-15. According to an ancient tradition, St Peter died in Rome during the persecution of Nero, a.d. 66 or 67. So we may tentatively date the epistle, a.d. 65 or 66, and give as its probable place of origin the city of Rome.

Theme and Analysis —Because of the certainty of Christ’s return and the judgement which follows it, it is important for all followers of Jesus Christ to grow in the knowledge of the truth, and in the practice of Christian virtues. Let the readers beware of certain false teachers, who are seeking to deceive and destroy them.

After the introductory address and greeting, the Apostle exhorts his readers to progress in knowledge and every Christian virtue, in order to show themselves grateful to God, who called them to be partakers of the divine nature here and hereafter, 1:3-11. Communicating to them that Christ had predicted his sudden death, St Peter states his purpose in writing this letter, 12-15. As a solid basis for his exhortation and warning, he adduces the transfiguration of Christ as a proof of the credibility of the Apostles, who preached to them the return of Christ, which event had been foretold long ago by the prophets, 16-21. There follows a stem denunciation of certain false teachers, whom God will punish severely for their impiety, 2:1-11. He describes their immorality, avarice and duplicity, 12-19, and warns the Christians of the grave danger of relapsing into pagan vice, 2-22. Then he takes issue with the claims and assertions of the heretics, and answers all their difficulties against the fact of Christ’s return, 3:1-6. He describes the destruction of the present world by fire, 7-10, and concludes with an exhortation to watchfulness, 11-18a. He ends with a doxology to Christ, 18b.

Doctrinal Content —2 Pet is a strong appeal for a good Christian life, and in order to persuade his readers to embrace it more earnestly, St Peter exhibits ’our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ in the most fascinating light. Jesus Christ is God, 1:1, and God is the Father of Jesus Christ, 1:17. If as man he is subordinate to the Father, yet he has received from God the Father honour and glory, 1:17. The occasion was the transfiguration of Christ on the holy mount, which the writer himself witnessed, 1:18. Divine power and majesty are his, 1:16, and ’as all things of his divine power, which appertain to life and godliness are given to us’, 1:3, and ’as he has called us by his own proper glory and virtue’, 1:3, he has a claim on our gratitude and loyalty, 1:4; 3:14. Christ is the giver of grace and of knowledge, 3:18. Five times the title of’ Saviour ’ is applied to him, usually in combination with some other divine title, such as ’God’, or ’Lord’; and his kingdom, which we are called to enter, is everlasting, 1:11. His precepts we must obey, 3:2. The OT prophets foretold, and the Apostles preached his second coming, 3:2, which every Christian should look for, and even hasten by leading a holy life, 3:12, 14.

Thus the chief attention is centred on Christ, and the Father and Holy Spirit are mentioned in relation to Christ. Yet the patience and long-suffering of the Father, who desires the repentance of sinners, 3:9, is contrasted with his treatment of the rebel angels, whom he punished according to strict justice, 2:4. The Holy Spirit inspired the holy men, i.e. the prophets of the OT.

The nature of sanctifying grace is described by mentioning its most startling effect, namely, that by it we are made partakers of the divine nature. The true notion of biblical inspiration is given in 1:21, where St Peter says that the OT prophets did not speak their prophecies on their own initiative, but were Godinspired, i.e. the source of their utterances was the Holy Spirit. He illumined their minds, and moved their wills to speak or write only what God willed, and he guided them in the process of speech or composition in such a way that they uttered nothing contrary to the truth.

Text and Style —Variant readings of the Greek text are of minor importance. The Vg text has several minor additions in 1:2, 7, 8, 10; 2:4 and 3:4. Sometimes the same Greek word is translated by several Latin words, and 2:10 seems to be a mistranslation, cf. commentary in loc..

To explain the difference of style of the two Epistles of St Peter, St Jerome suggested that two different secretaries were used by the Apostle, Ep. ad Hedib.120. Bigg lists the vocabulary peculiar to both Epistles of St Peter, and draws the following conclusion: The vocabulary of 1 Pet is dignified; that of 2 Pet inclines to the grandiose’, 225. He notes the fondness of the writer of both epistles for the plural of abstract nouns, the similarities in the use of the article, the habit of repeating words.’ A curious feature of 2 Pet he says, ’is the tendency to fall into iambic rhythm’; yet he attaches little value to this feature. His conclusion is: (1) the style of the two epistles is different, but not openly incompatible in expression, and in the formal use of Scripture; (2) tile favourite phrases of one epistle are not those of the other’, 238.

Verses 2-21

I:1-2 Salutation —The writer makes use of his double name, ’Simon Peter’, and of a twofold title, ’servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ’. The readers, probably the same to whom 1 Pet was sent, 3:1, are designated here in general terms, ’to them that have obtained equal faith with us’. We might conclude from this that many readers were converts from paganism. That God called them to the same faith with the Apostles was a purely gratuitous favour, bestowed ’in the justice of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ’, i.e. impartially on all who desired it, whether Jew or Gentile. To them the Apostle wishes an abundance of grace and peace, and states the condition on which an increase of these blessings may be obtained; namely, a fuller knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

3-11 Exhortation to Spiritual Progress —Calling attention to the very great blessings which they received through faith, he points out that earnest co-operation is required to correspond with such a gift. 3. Christ, by his divine power, gives his followers all the graces that are necessary for a supernatural life of holiness. He it was who brought them the knowledge of God through which they are to achieve salvation, and by manifesting in his own person divine attributes of glory and virtue, he drew them to the faith. 4. Through these same attributes he gave ’ most great and precious promises’, namely, that those who abide in him, like a branch on a fruitful vine, will bear much fruit for eternal life, John 15:1-8. By abiding in Christ, they ’may be made partakers of the divine nature’, because like the sap that flows from the vine through the branches, enabling them to bear fruit, so from Christ there issues a new, supernatural force, which is shared by all who are united with him by faith and love. This intimate union of Christ with his followers, also unites them with God the Father, John 14:20-23; John 17:21-23, and with the Holy Ghost, John 14:16 f. By enjoying such intimate fellowship with the Blessed Trinity, 1 John 1:3, a Christian is in an analogous sense a partaker of the divine nature in the measure that is possible to a creature.

To share this extraordinary favour, it is necessary to avoid ’the corruption of that concupiscence which is in the world, cf.I John 2:16, because it leads men to live alienated from God. So the first step towards union with God is freedom from sin. Christians should be ’dead to sin’, Romans 6:2, ’but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord’, Romans 6:11.5. hence ’employing all care, minister in your faith, virtue’, i.e. let your faith lead you to a life of virtue. The principles of faith point out what is right, and supply the motives for virtuous action. ’In virtue, knowledge’, i.e. he who practises virtue has a knowledge of God’s will and follows it.

6. This calls for ’abstinence’, i.e. self-control, and ’patience’, i.e. endurance of trials and sufferings with resignation, and one who has reached this stage of perfection is endowed with ’godliness’, i.e. perfect conformity to God’s will. 7. His will is, that we love our brethren, 1 John 4:7, and practise charity towards all men.

8. Where these virtues flourish, the knowledge of Christ is practical and productive of good works; 9, where they are lacking, blindness and short-sightedness have brought on a forgetfulness of having been cleansed from former sins. The sins referred to are those of the pagan past, which were washed away by the waters of baptism. This sacrament should have produced a marked change in their lives. When, however, no such change ’occurs, and no growth in holiness results, it is a sign that they have lost sight of their higher goal, the cause for which is culpable forgetfulness. 10-11. Therefore, let them strive earnestly to acquire solid virtue, in order to be worthy of their calling. The effort required for this will help to keep them from committing sin, and will entitle them ’to enter into the joys of their Lord’, Matthew 25:23.

12-15 Purpose of the Epistle —The Apostle thinks it necessary to remind them of these truths, because he knows that his departure from this earthly tabernacle is at hand. This the Lord Jesus made known to him; but we cannot be certain whether it was by a special revelation not recorded, or whether he is referring to the prophecy made by the risen Lord on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, John 21:18 f. 15. He promises to leave behind him a memorial of his teachings. Is the present Epistle such a memorial, as many think; or are we to look upon the Second Gospel, sometimes called ’the Memoirs of St Peter’, as the record ’whereby you may keep a memory of these things’?

16-21 Certainty of Christ’s Return —16. Changing now from the first person singular to the plural, perhaps to indicate that the return of Christ with power and majesty was considered a topic of prime importance by all the Apostles, he insists that this truth differs greatly from the artificial fables of the false teachers, who contradict the apostolic teachings. 17. The transfiguration or Christ, Matthew 17:1-9, is cited as a proof of the singular glory, which belongs to him; and St Peter vouches for its reality, because he was an eye-witness of the scene, and heard the Father proclaim Christ, ’My well-beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’. 19. After witnessing his glory, the prophecies regarding Christ’s return take on a fuller and clearer meaning for the author, and lie urges the readers to attend well to them, because they are ’as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn’, i.e. these prophecies should serve the faithful as a guide during the present dark times, until the time of fulfilment comes, when the ’day-star’, i.e. Christ himself, will illumine them. A less probable interpretation of this passage is: Whereas the Apostle’s testimony about the transfiguration is a definite proof of Christ’s return, yet prophecy affords a more conclusive one to refute the false teachers, or to convince his readers, because the OT prophecies concerning Christ are a light to illumine the path of faith until the day of their fulfilment. Some had already been fulfilled; hence the certainty they may hold regarding those still awaiting fulfilment.

20. It is of prime importance to know that prophecy of Scripture is not subject to private interpretation by every individual, as the false teachers assume it is, because prophecy is from God, and is not like mere human conjectures of future possibilities. Scriptural prophecy is divine revelation, and concerns future events known to God alone. Christ, and those appointed by him to teach in his name, have the authority to interpret God’s revelations. Another interpretation of this passage is: No prophecy of Scripture is made by private interpretation, i.e. prophets do not make up their own prophecies, but receive them from God, cf. §§ 35a, 932i.