1 Peter: Edit history

Definition and Meaning

First Peter is one of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Because it is addressed not to a particular church but to believers in several regions, it is classified as a General Epistle (also called a Catholic Epistle). Its name means "the first letter written by Peter." It forms a pair with 2 Peter and has five chapters.

Biblical and Historical Background

The letter opens by identifying its sender as the apostle Peter. It is addressed "to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter 1:1), that is, to believers dispersed across what is now Türkiye. Near its close, the letter states that it was written through Silvanus (1 Peter 5:12) and conveys greetings from "the church that is at Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13). Many interpreters understand "Babylon" here as a reference to Rome.

Views on authorship and date differ. The traditional view holds that Peter wrote the letter in Rome in the 60s, around the time of the emperor Nero. Some scholars argue that it was written after Peter's death by someone writing in his name.

The letter's major themes include the following:

• The "lively hope" obtained through the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3)
• The call "Be ye holy" (1 Peter 1:16) and a life of holiness, that is, sanctification
• The passage calling believers "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9)
• A life that follows the example of Christ's sufferings (1 Peter 2:21)
• The passage stating that Christ preached to "the spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:19) and the reference to baptism (1 Peter 3:21)
• The exhortation to elders to feed the flock (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Use and Interpretation

First Peter 3:19 has been cited as a basis for the doctrine of Christ's descent into hell, the teaching that Christ descended to Hades after his death. How the verse should be interpreted, however, varies among denominations and scholars.

The baptismal passage in 1 Peter 3:21 likewise receives differing emphases. Denominations that practice infant baptism read the verse in connection with the covenantal meaning of baptism. Baptists emphasize that believer's baptism by immersion, received by those who have professed faith, is a sign expressing an inward response.

In Korean Protestant churches, 1 Peter 2:9 is frequently cited to explain the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which holds that every believer may come directly before God. First Peter 5:1-4 is reportedly a common sermon text at elder ordination services in these churches. "Casting all your care upon him" (1 Peter 5:7) and "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8) are widely used there as memory verses. The translation of the Apostles' Creed widely used in Korean Protestantism does not include the phrase "he descended into hell."