Opening Question

What do you hope for most in this life?

Introduction

In this lesson, we examine the first chapter of 1 Peter. The first several verses provide typical Greco-Roman letter features: Author, audience and their situation, a greeting, and a blessing from God.

How different are current letter-writing conventions from those Peter uses?

Authorship

Before we examine the verses, a note about the author is necessary. Until the 1700s, there was no question that this Peter was the fisherman-turned-disciple of Jesus, the brother of Andrew (see John 1:35-42). But when the Bible became an object of literary and historical criticism, Petrine authorship started to ...