6 the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty 7 hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all 8 your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 9 walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you I perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and ΙΟ II parents, submission to authority, deference to the wise, docility to teachers, modesty and courtesy to all-these are diamonds which, whoso wears, grace the youthful brow with a crown of glory and beauty. Clothed with humility. Literally, they should wear humility as a badge. It should be as a garment perpetually worn and never put off. No fabric of the loom, no garment of pride is so rich and beautiful as the garb of humility. Under the mighty hand of God. Still more if such is the grace of humility towards our fellow men, how much more does it become mortals under the infinite majesty of the Almighty God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Casting all your care upon him. There is none of this play upon words in the original, but it is simply, "committing all your anxiety to him for he is concerned for you.' 8, 9. Your adversary the devil. Exactly what opinions were entertained by the New Testament writers of the actual existence and personal presence of a being called Satan or the devil, it is difficult now to ascertain; but that there was much of a figurative and symbolic character attached to these words is evident from the use which Jesus makes of them when he says to Peter, "get thee behind me Satan," and one of you is a devil." Matt. xvi. 23, John vi. 70. Perhaps there was a variety of opinions then as now respecting this subject. In many passages like the present the devil stands 66 for an accuser, a slanderer, an adversary. In the character described here under the imagery of a roaring lion, going about and seeking whom he might devour, we recognize not a tempter or crafty insidious foe, but an open, fierce and terrible enemy, such as the persecuting Roman emperor, or the threatening mob of a great city. These verses descriptive of the dangers menacing the church, are set in contrast to the security enjoyed under the mighty hand of that Heavenly friend, who resisteth the proud. Steadfast in the faith, etc. The makeweight against their foes was to be found in a confirmed faith, confident that the same sorrows are common to others as to themselves and that they were not to think it strange that fiery trials were to try them. 10, II. But the God of all grace, etc. He repeats the same assurances in another form which he had given in verses 4 to 7. After that ye have suf fered a while, etc. Or as the Greek has it "a little." The writer would speak lightly of the afflictions they were to endure, compared with that eternal glory which was promised them, and not only so, but these very sufferings were designed more perfectly to strengthen and settle them in faith, hope and charity. To him be glory and dominion, etc., i. e. God to whom gratitude and praise are expressed for the work he carries on in human souls, in touching them to finer issues and crowning them with eternal blessedness. dominion for ever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful 12 brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with 13 you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one 14 another with a kiss of charity. in Christ Jesus. Amen. 12. By Silvanus. Or in the Hebrew form "Silas." 2 Cor. i. 19. Acts XV. 22, 32, xvi. 19, 25, 29, etc. The identification however of the Silas of the Acts and the epistles of Paul is somewhat doubtful though probable. Written briefly. This epistle might be called brief as compared with some of those which Paul had written and with which he was familiar. Testifying that this is the true grace of God. As much as to say, that the religion they professed and taught was the truth and worthy of all acceptation. Wherein ye stand. Stand ye fast therein, as the Revision has it. 13. The church that is at Babylon, etc. Some suppose that not the church, but the wife of Peter, is referred to in this passage, but with little probability. Several Babylons have been conjectured as referred to here, but we give the preference to the Babylon of the Euphrates in Chaldea, as the destination of the apostle's Peace be with you all that are epistle. So doth Marcus my son. This is supposed to have been the nephew of Peter, his sister's son, called his own son as a title of affection. Acts xii. 12, xv. 37. He is identified with the author of the second gospel. 14. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity, or love. The sacred token given by the early Christians as a symbol of affection and adopted from the Oriental custom of salutation. Peace be with you all, etc. This was considered the sum of all possible blessing and including every good thing. Salutations and greetings may be considered as a ritual of daily, social life, as has been said, a plank from the wreck of Paradise lost, and prophetic of Paradise to be regained, for the great consummation is loving and treating all as brethren and loving God with all the heart. Amen. The subscription of the three MSS. is "the first of Peter." INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. THE caption in the three chief MSS. is simply "The Second of Peter." GENUINENESS AND AUTHENTICITY. 66 This book was among the "Antilegomena" or controverted books of the New Testament, and the testimony to its canonicity among the early Christian writers is deficient. Clement of Alexandria in the second century speaks of its existence. Eusebius in the fourth century said, "of the controverted books of the New Testament but yet well known and approved by many, are that called the epistle of James and that of Jude and the second and third of John." Elsewhere he says, one epistle of Peter called the first is universally received. This the presbyters of ancient times have quoted in their writings as undoubtedly genuine. But that called his second, we have been informed has not been received into the canon. Nevertheless appearing to many useful, it has been carefully studied with the other Scriptures." Jerome in the fourth century says, "Peter wrote two epistles called Catholic; the second of which is denied by many to be his because of the difference of the style from the former." Origen also in the third century says, "Peter on whom the church is built has left one epistle canonical. Let it be granted that he also wrote a second. For it is doubted of." Various references in earlier writers and indirect quotations, as is claimed, are found in Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Hermas, Clement of Rome and others, but these are rejected by Davidson in his introduction as too obscure to be relied upon. The old Syriac version does not contain this epistle. It was introduced into the canon at the council of Carthage, A. D. 397. But the internal character of the work and its contents and style furnish the strongest arguments against its genuineness. Hence it is supposed by those who discard the Petrine authorship of the work that the mention of his name and office in chap. i. 1, and the reference to his death in chap. i. 14, and to the transfiguration of Christ in chap. i. 16-18, and reference to the first epistle as by the same author in chap. iii. 1, are simply disguises to encourage the belief of its apostolical composition. The formidable objection to such a view is the inconsistency and improbability of the writer earnestly and apparently with sincerity recommending righteousness and practising falsehood. PLACE AND DATE. These are unknown. If genuine, the presumption is that, like the first, it was written from Babylon. The period of its composition is assigned by critics all the way from A. D. 60 to the second century. But the internal character of the work would encourage the idea that it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem A. D. 70. Chap. iii. 10–14. OBJECT. The writer wishes to confirm his readers in their Christian faith and character, warn them of the approaching day of the Lord, rebuke heretics and eliminate the leaven of fatal error, which was fermenting in the bosom of the church. STYLE AND CONTENTS. Davidson divides the epistle into three parts after the introduction. The first division, chap. i., is an exhortation to steadfastness and progress in the Christian faith and life. The second division, chap. ii., describes false teachers and immoral members of the church, who are threatened with their fitting punishment. The third division, chap. iii., dwells on the approaching judgment-day, the overthrow of the Jewish state which is described in the highly figurative and brilliant imagery, familiar to the old Hebrew prophets, and adopted by Jesus in Matt. xxiv. In style a remarkable parallelism has been struck between this epistle and the epistle of Jude. Which copied from the other, cannot now be known. The passages thus similar will be mentioned in the course of the commentary. Neander says, "this epistle was probably forged by those who wished to combat the Gnostic errors, and the opinion broached by the Gnostics of a contrariety between the apostles Peter and Paul, by the borrowed authority of the former.” Bleek remarks, "as to the value of the epistle in a moral point of view, we cannot, of course, approve of the author's conduct in adopting such a disguise and counterfeiting another person. Still, in judging fairly of this proceeding, we must not leave out of account the fact that, in the age when it was written, such a disguise and assumption of another name was not uncommon in hortatory writings, and was not considered inadmissible even for men of earnest Christian moral sense. The epistle itself throughout teaches us to regard the writer as such,—a man whose spirit and principles were thoroughly in accord with those of the apostolic writings and presented nothing unchristian or heretical." |