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Composed in the summer of ca. CE 68, the epistle apparently was sent with Silas (I Peter 1:1) who had been one of Paul�s helpers. Silas is a short form of Silvanus (Greek: Silouanos), which can be seen by dropping the "ou" and "no" to become Silas. A comparison of Luke�s works with those of the apostle Paul shows that Paul utilized the more formal form of proper names while Luke tended to use the less formal short form of an individual�s name. To see that Silas and Silvanus are one and the same person, compare II Corinthians 1:19 with Acts 18:1-5; I Thessalonians 1:10 with Acts 17:4, 17:10; and I Thessalonians 2:2 with Acts 16:19-24.
Should Silas have acted as amanuensis for Peter, the polished Greek text of I Peter and the use of the LXX,F1 would not only be accounted for, but some of the expressions would have been quite Pauline, as Silas knew Paul�s sense of expression.F2
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The physical and political geography of the region suggests the western route probably taken by Silas with the epistle of I Peter in CE 68. His route took him from Pontus, to Galatia, to Cappadocia, to Asia, and ended in Bithynia. |
Silas personally carried the epistle (I Peter 5:12) addressed to the exiles. Prompted by the news of Paul�s martyrdom, the letter was one of encouragement. The epistle was the first such letter to be written by Peter to these churches (II Peter 1:1). John Mark, who sent his greetings in the epistle, was with Peter at the time of writing (I Peter 1:13). The brethren at Babylon also sent their greetings (I Peter 5:13). This suggests that Peter wrote the epistle at Babylon of Mesopotamia on the Euphrates, which was the main city from which the apostles in the east operated.F3 Similarly Paul, and the evangelists aiding him formerly used Antioch of Syria as their primary city (Acts 14:26). The order in which Peter names the provinces of Asia Minor, from east to west, further corroborates that the letter was sent from Babylon not Rome. The physical and political geography of the region suggests the route taken by a traveler in CE 68.
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For Peter to have been in Rome during this period is quite unlikely. Peter would have faced the same fate as Paul should he have fallen into the hands of Roman authorities. For him to venture into Rome served no real purpose. For Peter to place himself and the work to be completed at such risk would have been unconscionable. The task of forming the apostolic complement to the Hebrew Scriptures outweighed the risks involved in endangering his welfare by locating himself in Rome or anywhere a Roman threat existed. The safety afforded by distance was sensible. Peter was not a Roman citizen, unlike Paul and Silas, and the rights afforded Roman citizens would have no bearing in his case.
Eusebius confirmed I Peter as an early recognized document in the church. He wrote: "But Polycarp, in the epistle to the Philippians, still extant, has made use of certain testimonies taken from the first epistle of Peter" (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 4.14, Boyle 1955:142). He further states that Papias also made use of I Peter (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.39, Boyle 1955:127) and related that I Peter "was anciently used by the ancient fathers in their writings, as an undoubted work of the apostle" (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.3, Boyle 1955:83). He also quotes Serapion [ca. 190-ca. 210), Bishop of Antioch (of the Eastern Byzantine church) as writing "We...receive Peter and the other apostles as Christ himself" (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 6.12, Boyle 1955:231).F4
F1The Old Testament quotations in I Peter are taken from the LXX, the Septuagint, except there is some variance with the LXX at I Peter 2:4-8. Stibbs says "There are many quotations from and allusions to the Old Testament, and invariably these follow the Septuagint or Greek version in such as way as to suggest that the author was very familiar with it" (Stibbs 1959:23, 43; see also Selwyn 1912:268ff).
F2Silvanus, that is Silas, assisted the apostle Paul for many years.
F3The city of Rome did not become symbolically designated as a "prophetic Babylon" until nearly a quarter of a century later, after Peter�s death, when John wrote the Book of Revelation (Revelation 17).
F4See Zahn 1909:163f., 185f. and Chase 1898:780.
Taken from The First Christians by Michael P. Germano and edited for the worldwide web.
Copyright �1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000 by Michael P. Germano. All Rights Reserved.
Page last edited: 11/28/04 08:44 AM
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