Lesson 5 - 2 Peter

Question 1

What are the 3 main problems with Peter as author?

Answer 1

1. ) External Attestation in the Early Church
2. ) Stylistic and Literary problems with 1 Peter and Jude
   - - Language and style is different
   - - 2 Peter is repetitive, poor grammar, fewer references to OT, more elaborate, more rare and unusual words
3. ) Historical and Doctrinal problems that seem to indicate internal inconsistency and a late date
   - - Personal references: includes Simon Peter, transfiguarion
   - - Historical problems: references all of Paul’s letter (3:16), 2 Peter 3:4 (1st generation has died); 2 Peter 1:4 (how his death is imminent might be a reference to John and hasn’t been written yet)
   - - Doctrinal Differences: contradictions between 1 & 2 Peter; soteriorology, christology, and eschatology

Question 2

What is the problem of pseudynominity with Peter? How would you tackle the problem of pseudynominity?

Answer 2

Pseudynominity = most common Scholary belief; a person writing under a false name; later date

1. ) Peter’s own claim (2 Peter 1 - transfiguration) - if it’s not Peter the author is lying (can’t have pseudynominity and inspiration together)
2. ) Authorship was central concern to early church
3. ) Paul cautioned against this (2 Thess. 2:2)

Particular weakness with Pseudynoniminity = lacks a motive (doesn’t teach anything new/contradictory to the rest of the NT)

• Gospel of Peter = promoted Docetic Christology
• Gospel of thomas = gnostic worldview

Question 3

How would you respond to the 3 main problems with Peter’s authorship?

Answer 3

1. ) External attestation in the early church
   - - The early church viewed the epistle more favorably (Origen cites 6x, Eusebius, Jerome, Augustine, Athanasisu, majority of early church accepted it)
   - Evidence for early date is not a lot compared to other NT books but is a lot compared to other 1st c. documents
   - at best external evidence is inconclusive
2. ) Stylistic and Literary problems with 1 Peter and Jude
   - Language and style is different because they have different purposes and audiences (2 Peter is written against false teachers, 1 Peter is written is written in facing persecution)
   - Peter’s writing style is not easily defined (didn’t write a ton)
   - There are similiarities: greeting/salutation; reference to Noah; 2nd coming of the Lord; prophecy
3. ) Historical and Doctrinal Problems that seem to indicate internal inconsistency and a late date
   - 3:16 - Reference to all of Paul’s letter (all they had)
   - 2 Peter 3:4 - 1st generation had died (referring to Jewish Patriarch, not early church)
   - 1:14 - death is imminent (didn’t need to rely on John; Jesus said it to him)
   - Doctrinal differences are exaggerated

Question 4

What are all the views surrounding the interpretation of 2 Peter 2:1?

Answer 4

Key Issue: In what sense has Christ “bought” these false teachers?

View #1 (lose their salvation)

• Sense of bought: salvific
• Results of being bought: owned and redeemed; believers
• Analysis: these false teachers are lost forever in hell

View #2 (universal atonement)

• Sense of bought: salvific
• Results: Never fully owned/redeemed, salvation only offered, Christ didn’t get what he paid for
• Analysis: goes against plain meaning of Greek “agorazo”

View #3 (limited atonement)

• Sense of bought = non-salvific
• Results: God owned them as part of covenant community
• analysis: best option; fits context

Question 5

How would you argue a proper understanding of 2 Peter 2:1?

Answer 5

General Response: this is apostasy (part of the visible church, not invisible church)

1. ) Apostasy - (part of visible church, not invisible church)
2. ) Meaning of agorazo
   - - always means purchasing something
   - - text says Christ bought these men, not bought something for these men
   - View #1 & #2 make same error that agorazo must be salvific (owning can be covenantal)
   - Context is non-salvific (apostasy, not redemption)
   - Peter uses the Greek word for master, not lord

Question 6

Explain the Relationship of 2 Peter to Jude?

Answer 6

1. ) Jude has 25 verses, 19 being similar to 2 Peter
2. ) Options
   - - 2 Peter copied Jude
   - - Jude copied 2 Peter
   - - They both copied outside/unknown source
3. ) Conclusion: Option 2 is preferred
   - - Jude’s language (v.18) - quoting apostles
   - - Jude seems to be citing someone else
   - - Jude wasn’t an apostle
   - - Fitting when you think about the role of Peter vs. role of Jude in early church