Bible Studies

The Epistles of Peter the Apostle are the second largest segment of the New Testament, eclipsed only by the writings of Saint Paul. Peter’s second place positioning in the New Testament may be surprising when one recognizes Peter as the “rock” upon which Jesus said he would build his church. Peter was first among the Apostles in ecclesiastical leadership and priority, and yet, the framers of the Bible placed his writings behind the gospels and then the writings of the late arriving apostle Paul. This positioning should in no way diminish the importance and power of Peter’s epistles, for they provide some of the most significant reflections on the meaning and practice of Christian faith in the Bible.

The First Epistle of Peter is particularly important as a witness to faith in times of uncertainty, threat and danger. We cannot overstate the relevance of this letter for our times, as the world struggles with the devastation brought on by the health crisis of the Covid 19 virus.  In a world beset by forced isolation, family separation, and imminent threat from simple actions like food gathering, the setting and proclamation of 1 Peter speaks a bold message of hope, life and ethics to our unusual times.

At the time of the writing of the First Epistle of Peter, the world was in a state of turmoil, particularly the world of Christians. Written between AD 60 to 64, the First Epistle of Peter gives instructions on holy living for those suffering a period of immense persecution and danger. It was written during a time of Roman occupation when Emperor Nero sat on the throne of the most powerful empire in the world. An unhinged despot, Nero had a particular distain for Christians, whom we viewed as an aberrant and politically threatening offshoot of Judaism. During his short reign, Nero set out to disband and obliterate the Christian church. He was largely successful in debilitating the Christian strongholds in Rome, scattering many Christians to the hinterlands of Asia Minor – communities to which First Peter is addressed.

According to the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Zondervan, Walton & Keener, 2016), “Nero’s persecution devastated the Christian community in Rome,  although its numbers remained strong afterward.  A fire burned much of Rome in AD 64 yet suspiciously left unscathed the estates of Nero and his older boyfriend Tigellinus. Like any good politician, Nero needed a scapegoat for his ills, and what appeared to be a new religious movement, understood as a fanatical form of Judaism begun by a crucified teacher some 35 years before, filled the need perfectly.”

“Romans viewed Christians, like Jews, as hostile to the rest of society.  Certain charges became so common that they were stereotypical by the second century. Christians were “athiests” (for rejecting the Roman gods), “cannibals” (for eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood) and incestuous people (for statements like “I love you, brother” or “I love you, sister”). Judaism was a poor target for outright persecution because its adherents were numerous, and it was popular in some circles.”

“According to the early second-century historian Tacitus (Annals, 15:44), who disliked Christians himself, Nero burned Christians alive as torches to light his gardens at night.  Nero killed other Christians in equally severe ways. In all, he murdered hundreds, and probably thousands, of Rome’s Christians, although many Christians escaped his grasp.”

The First Epistle of Peter is written to some of these exiled refugees who lived in the Christian diaspora in Asia Minor during their time of unimaginable stress.