Who wrote 1 Peter, and when?
Peter the apostle, with Silvanus. About AD 62–64, from Rome (“Babylon”).
The letter opens in the name of Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and says it was written with the help of Silvanus (see 1 Peter 5:12), the co-worker Paul calls Silas. That help may explain the polished Greek in a letter from a Galilean fisherman. Traditionally Peter wrote it from Rome, which he calls Babylon, about AD 62 to 64, shortly before he died in Nero's persecution. Many scholars accept this. Others think a disciple of Peter wrote in his name somewhat later, pointing to the Greek style and to hints of organised hostility towards Christians. Believers on both sides of that question have long read the letter as apostolic teaching.
Who was 1 Peter written to?
Christians scattered across five provinces of Asia Minor, mostly Gentile converts facing hostility.
The letter names five Roman provinces in what is now Turkey, a wide region rather than a single church (see 1 Peter 1:1). Peter calls the readers exiles and strangers, which describes their standing with their neighbours rather than where they were born. Most seem to have been Gentiles who had turned away from the religion of their families and towns, and that choice cost them. They were gossiped about, shut out of trades and clubs that met around pagan temples, and sometimes dragged before local officials. There is no sign yet of an empire-wide campaign against them, just the steady grinding of suspicion from people who found this new way of life strange and insulting.
What was happening at the time?
The readers were being slandered, shunned and sometimes hauled before authorities for their faith. Peter reminds them of their new birth and inheritance, calls them a chosen people and royal priesthood, and tells them to live such good lives among the pagans that accusations fall flat. Christ’s own suffering is the model: he left an example that you should follow his steps.
Why was 1 Peter written?
To strengthen suffering believers with hope and to guide holy conduct in a hostile world.
Peter writes to hold suffering believers steady. He begins with what they have been given, a new birth and an inheritance kept safe for them, and lets that hope carry everything else (see chapter 1). Then he shows them how to live: holy conduct, honest work, respect for those in authority, patience under unfair treatment, and gentle answers when people ask about their hope (see 1 Peter 3:15). The model is Christ, who suffered without hitting back. Peter also gives them a new name for themselves, taking the words God used for Israel at Sinai and applying them to a mixed crowd of Gentile converts, which shows how the story of God's chosen people opens out to the nations.
How to read 1 Peter today
Read 1 Peter straight through in one sitting, then go back to chapter 1 slowly. Watch the pattern that repeats: what God has done first, then how to live in response. Keep in mind that the readers were outsiders with little power, which explains the counsel to submit and endure. Those passages, especially 1 Peter 2:18-25 and 1 Peter 3:1-7, concern witness under pressure, and they should never be used to tell anyone to stay in danger or abuse. Christians read 1 Peter 3:19-20 in several ways, so hold it loosely. While reading, pray for Christians in places where faith still costs a job or a family.
The key verse in 1 Peter
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Passages worth knowing in 1 Peter
- 1 Peter 1:3-12
A living hope
An inheritance incorruptible, reserved in heaven.
- 1 Peter 2:4-10
Living stones
A chosen generation, a royal priesthood.
- 1 Peter 2:18-25
Christ our example in suffering
By his stripes you were healed.
- 1 Peter 3:13-17
Always be ready to give a defence
With meekness and fear.
- 1 Peter 5
Shepherds and humility
Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you.
The main themes of 1 Peter
- Living hope
- Suffering for Christ
- Holiness
- The people of God
- Submission and witness
- Humility
An outline of 1 Peter
| Section | Chapters |
|---|---|
| Salvation and holiness | 1–2 |
| Living among unbelievers | 2–3 |
| Suffering and glory | 4–5 |