2 PETER 1 — DIVINE POWER, GROWING IN VIRTUE, AND THE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY

Second Peter is the shortest of the letters that bear Peter's name, and it is one of the most debated in the New Testament. It claims to be written by "Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ" (1:1), refers to an earlier letter (3:1), recalls Peter's presence at the transfiguration (1:16–18), and speaks of the Lord's prediction of his death (1:14), probably a reference to Jesus' words in John 21:18–19. The author expects to die soon, which places the letter in the mid-to-late 60s AD, probably from Rome shortly before or during Nero's persecution. Early tradition places Peter's martyrdom in Rome at that time. The authenticity of the letter was questioned in the early church. Origen mentions that some doubted it, and Eusebius counted it among the disputed books, but it was recognized as Scripture by the end of the fourth century and has a strong early manuscript attestation, including the third-century papyrus P72, which contains 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. The differences in style from 1 Peter are often explained by Peter's use of a secretary in the first letter (Silvanus, 1 Peter 5:12) and his own hand in the second, or by differing subject matter. Some scholars hold that the letter is a later work in Peter's name, and this view is a serious one among sincere believers, though this commentary accepts the claim of the letter itself and the traditional view that Peter wrote it. The purpose is to warn against false teachers who deny the second coming and live immorally, and to call believers to growth in the knowledge of Christ. The letter is saturated with the language of knowledge, and the first chapter lays the foundation: the knowledge of God given in Christ is the source of everything believers need, and the pursuit of virtue is how that knowledge matures.

The most important apologetic statement in the letter is Peter's claim to be an eyewitness. He insists that the apostles did not follow cleverly invented stories but saw and heard the glory of Christ. The Greek word for "myths" refers to the fables about gods and heroes that were common in the pagan world, and Peter is drawing a sharp line between those stories and the gospel. The apostles were willing to suffer and die for what they claimed to have seen and heard, and Peter's own martyrdom in Rome, attested by Clement of Rome, Tertullian, Origen, and others, is consistent with this. People may die for what they believe to be true, but they do not usually die for what they know to be a lie, and the apostles were in a position to know whether the resurrection and the transfiguration had really occurred. The reference to the transfiguration is also significant. The event is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels, and Peter is the one who responded with the suggestion of building tents (Mark 9:5). Peter's recollection of the voice from heaven matches the Gospel accounts. The letter's statement about inspiration is also an important piece of evidence about how the early church regarded the Scriptures. By the time of Peter's writing, the Old Testament was seen as the product of the Holy Spirit, and Peter's later reference to Paul's letters as Scripture (3:15–16) shows that the apostolic writings were already being placed alongside it. The manuscript evidence for 2 Peter is strong for a New Testament book of its size: it appears in the early papyrus P72, in Codex Vaticanus, and in Codex Sinaiticus.