2Peter Essay Research Paper Authorship and CanonicityNone

2Peter Essay, Research Paper

Authorship and Canonicity.

None book in NT has been so disputed as to authorship and canonicity than 2Peter. There are convincing arguments for and against Peter.s relation to this book.

Arguments against Paul.s authorship:

1.The style differs from that of 1 Peter.

2.Knowledge of 2 Peter was geographically limited.

3.The conceptual and rhetorical language is too Hellenistic for a Galilean fisherman.

4.Christian writers do not mention 2 Peter in the second century.

5. It could be a pseudonymous book bearing Peter.s name.

Arguments for acceptance of 2Peter as an apostolic writing.

1.The style may differ because Peter could use different amanuensis.

2.As for the claim that knowledge of 2 Peter was geographically limited, it could be that persecution, the brevity of 2 Peter or its remote destination resulted in its not being widely circulated in the first hundred years of the church.

3. We don.t know anything about Hellenistic influence on Peter. Either we don.t know was he bilingual or not. There is a possibility that someone assisted him in writing this letter (amanuensis).

4. Brevity of 2 Peter, persecution of his recipients, its remote destination could have led to the lack of attention to it of Christian writers.

5. Although it could be pseudonymous letters like .The Gospel of Peter., .The Apocalypses of Peter., .The letter of Peter to James., none of these works was accepted into the canon because they hadn.t God.s inspiration.

Finally, by the time of Cyril of Jerusalem, 2 Peter was considered canonical; and Cyril.s acceptance of it as well as its acceptance by Athanasis, Augustine, and Jerom settled the issue for the early church. These leaders acknowledged 2 Peter to be Scripture because the evidence, both internal and external, showed its solid worth.

Nevertheless, disputes about this subject continue even today.

The author.

Peter was one of Jesus. disciples who later became an apostle and a very bold leader of Jerusalem church. He devoted all his life to the ministry of Jesus Christ. He was imprisoned with Paul in Mamertime dungeon and executed outside Rome in 68 AD.

Date.

From 2 Peter 3:15-16 it is clear that the letter could not have been written until a number of Pauline epistles had been written and gathered together. This means that earliest date of writing would be AD 60. If the apostolic authorship of 2 Peter is accepted and the letter was published while Peter was still alive, the date would be shortly before his death, approximately 64-68 AD.

Place of origin.

There is no reliable information about where the book was written. It could be Rome, because Peter visited it and was well known there or some other cities or countries: Palestine, Asia Minor, Corinth. It is impossible to determine the place of origin unless new information comes into light.

Audience.

The letter is addressed .to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours. (1:1). This may imply that Peter wrote to Christians in various places: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethynia. From the warnings in the letter concerning the false teachers(2:1-20) it is more likely to be addressed to Gentiles than Jews.

Occasion.

The occasion for writing 2 Peter may be inferred from its contents. The immediate occasion was Peter.s knowledge that his time was short and that people of God still face many dangers.

Content.

The original text differs in some way from already translated one. It is important to view some of the most important passages of the original to have fuller and more vivid understanding of the intended meaning.

Greetings 1:1-4.

The author identifies himself as .Simon Peter. from Herbraic .Sime.n. and a nickname .Petros.-Greek translation of Aramaic word .Cephas. which means .stone.Peter calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ (doulos; lit., .slave.). Servant is bought by his master and should obey his commands. Peter is also purchased for the price of Jesus. precious blood and does his will.

Christian.s virtues 1:5-15

Peter presents 7 virtues that should be added to the faith to make it effective and productive. These virtues are: .goodness. (aret.)- virtue of moral excellence, .knowledge. (gnosis)-constant goal of Christian.s life, .self-control.(egkrateia), .perseverance. (hypomon.)- patience in waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ, .godliness. (eusebeia)-devotion of person to God, .brotherly kindness. (philadelphia)-virtue that characterizes the fellowship of believers and .love. (agape)-the main of all virtues, denotes self-sacrificing action in behalf of another.

Divine nature of Jesus Christ 2:4-10.

Divine nature of Jesus Christ was attested by his apostles and O.T. prophecy. Peter claims that he was eyewitness (epoptai) of Jesus Transfiguration. This scene showed Jesus as the Son of God and the King of the World.

In verse 1:19 Peter calls Jesus the .morning star.. Related expression is found in the O.T. .a star.from Jacob. (Numbers 24:17) which supports the idea that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

False teaching and their judgment 2:1-22.

The aut

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