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Introduction and Background

Theology for Pilgrims

The apostle Peter the Apostle is named as the author of the letter (1 Pet. 1:1). At the end of the letter, Silvanus (that is, Silas; Acts 15:32) and Mark are also mentioned (1 Pet. 5:12–13). Because of this, some have suggested that Silvanus may have written the letter according to Peter’s dictation or instructions. The Greek of the letter is so polished and refined that Peter himself may not have known the language at such a high level.

Even though Peter was considered an “uneducated, common man” by the Jewish council (Acts 4:13), we cannot know exactly how well he spoke Greek. The council’s description mainly meant that Peter was not trained as a teacher of the Law and had not received formal Jewish religious education. Peter’s home region near the northern end of the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44) was bilingual, and Greek was commonly spoken there as well.

The place of writing is called Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13), which was already early on understood as a symbolic name for Rome (compare Rev. 16:19; 17:5, 9–10).

The recipients were the “elect exiles” living in the central and northern parts of present-day Turkey. Although both “elect” and “exiles” (diaspora) could refer to Jewish Christians, it is generally believed that the readers included all Christians in the area—both Gentile and Jewish believers (compare 1 Pet. 1:14, 18 and 4:3–4, which hardly fit former Jews).

We do not know exactly who founded the churches in the region. Paul the Apostle preached the gospel in Galatia, but not in Bithynia (compare Acts 16:7). Perhaps the churches were founded by disciples of Paul and/or Peter. First Peter 1:12 may suggest that Peter himself had not visited these churches.

The reason for writing the letter was the persecution faced by Christians in the region. Some believers had abandoned the faith, while others cursed their persecutors. Peter encouraged his readers to remain in Christ, because only in this way can salvation be obtained:

“who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
(1 Pet. 1:5, ESV)

The letter was probably written in the mid-60s AD. The persecutions under Nero may not yet have begun—or at least had not spread to Asia Minor, since they mainly affected Rome. The letter speaks rather positively about governing authorities (1 Pet. 2:13–17). Therefore, the year of writing may have been AD 63 or 64.

The authenticity of the letter has been questioned for several reasons:

1. The Greek is considered too polished to have been written by Peter.

2. Large-scale persecutions of Christians are thought to have begun only after Peter’s death.

3. The content is considered too “Pauline.”

4. The letter contains many quotations from early Christian tradition.

Because of these arguments, some scholars date the letter to the end of the first century, perhaps during the persecutions under Domitian in the 90s AD. According to this view, the author would have been a disciple of Peter. Others believe the writer may have been a follower of Paul who wrote in Peter’s name to strengthen the unity of the church.

However, these arguments do not necessarily require rejecting Peter as the author of the letter.

1. The influence of Silvanus may explain the high quality of the Greek.

2. The book of Acts already describes persecutions against Christians. The issue may not have been state-organized persecution, but rather hostility and violence from crowds against believers (compare Acts 19:23–40).

3. The strong “Pauline” character of the letter may also be explained by the influence of Silvanus, who was a co-worker of Paul. In addition, 2 Pet. 3:15–16 mentions Paul’s letters, showing that Peter knew Paul’s teaching.

4. Paul himself also used early Christian tradition in his letters (for example, Phil. 2:5–11).

It should also be remembered that writings such as the Gospel of Peter and the Apocalypse of Peter were rejected when the New Testament canon was confirmed, because they were not considered apostolic writings. Why then would Peter’s letters have been included into the New Testament if they had been known to be written by someone other than Peter?

Suffering

The letter contains more than thirty short exhortations, many of which are connected to the suffering the readers were facing (for example, 1 Pet. 3:17). Words related to suffering appear fourteen times in the letter. Christ Himself also suffered, yet He did not slander back those who persecuted Him (1 Pet. 2:21–25).

Peter even encourages his readers to rejoice in their sufferings (1 Pet. 4:12–19), because the sufferings of Christians can also serve the advance of the kingdom of God.

Another important question was whether faith should be visible in everyday life. If faith was openly shown, persecution often followed. Because of this, it was tempting to think that faith could be “hidden” in daily life and that one could be a Christian only during worship services. But a Christian cannot live as a believer only part-time.

Bishop Bo Giertz described the First Letter of Peter as "a sermon on how to live by the grace of baptism."

The letter has also been called “theology for pilgrims.” It contains many exhortations to spiritual struggle and perseverance in faith.

The letter includes around sixty quotations or references to the Old Testament.