The New Testament letter known as 1 Peter has often
been the victim of "benign neglect" and treated as a pale
reflection of some of Paul's epistles. Recent studies,
beginning with the commentaries of E. G. Selwyn and
F. W. Beare in the forties, began to redress this situation;
more recently still, with the work of Leonhard Goppelt in
Germany, a new phase of research employing the
approaches of sociology and offering a classification of the
letter as a "social tract" has opened up exciting new
possibilities for interpretation.
Dr. J. Ramsey Michaels builds on much of this
exegetical and background study in his new commentary,
adding fresh detail to the older works and breaking new
ground in the interpretation oftexts that are obscure or
much debated, such as the "spirits in prison" passage in
1 Pet 3:18-22, and the reference to "evangelizing the
dead" in 4:6. His Introduction will be valued by all
students of the New Testament for showing how 1 Peter
represents a document of a distinctive, non-Pauline
Christianity. Michaels cautiously accepts the tradition that
the Apostle Peter was the author of this "diaspora letter" to
Gentile Christians in Asia Minor, even while taking
account of the tradition's difficulties. His suggestion that
Peter may have written the letter on behalf of the church at
Rome as late as the decade of A.D. 70-80 raises anew the
question of how closely the issue of 1 Peter's authorship is linked to that of its date.
Pastors, teachers, and seminary students will value the
author's clear style and display of the evidence not easily
found in modern works on the New Testament. A blend of
theology and ethics is brought to the fore, as 1 Peter is seen
as a practical treatise intended to encourage and strengthen
faith and hope in God in stressful days. There is a
timeliness to 1 Peter and this new commentary on it which
will ensure a ready reception for Professor Michaels's
thorough and illuminating treatment.
Series : World Biblical Commentary
J. RAMSEY MICHAELS is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University (Springfield, MО).
Formerly Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, he holds the B.A. degree from
Princeton University, B.D. from Grace Theological Seminary, Th.M. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and Th.D. from Harvard University. Among his previous publications are John: A Good News Commentary; Servant and Son: Jesus in Parable and Gospel; and The New Testament Speaks (with G. W. Barker and William L. Lane).
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