a. I am sending this by faithful Silvanus (5:12a)
a. I am sending this by faithful Silvanus (5:12a)
12a. Silvanus is also closely connected with Paul’s ministry (he is mentioned in 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1), and is the same person whom Luke calls ‘Silas’ in Acts (mentioned twelve times between Acts 15:22 and 18:5). In fact, Acts 15:22 names Silas as a messenger carrying the apostolic letter from Jerusalem. (A. T. Robertson, Grammar, pp. 172–173, gives a long list of Gk. names which had both long and short forms in the same pattern as Silas/Silvanus.)
By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you has been thought by some commentators to indicate that Silvanus was a messenger who carried Peter’s letter, by others to indicate that he was the ‘amanuensis’ (secretary) who recorded the letter as Peter spoke (cf. Rom. 16:22; the use of an amanuensis explains Paul’s habit of adding a personal postscript ‘with my own hand’: 1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Phlm. 19). The evidence presented in the Introduction clearly favours the ‘messenger’ view, not the ‘amanuensis’ view (see pp. 25f.). (The NIV translation, ‘With the help of Silvanus [see mg.] … I have written to you briefly’, is apparently based on the view that Silvanus is the amanuensis.)
In addition to the sense of the phrase ‘by Silvanus’ (see p. 23), further evidence that this sentence merely designates Silvanus as the messenger is found in the fact that Peter calls him a faithful brother as I regard him. This commendation of the bearer of a letter is common and appropriate (apparently found, for example, in 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Eph. 6:21–22; Col. 4:7–9; Titus 3:12–13), but nowhere is there a clear example of such a commendation given for an amanuensis who helped to write a letter, nor would there seem to be a good reason for Peter to do so. (Although Tertius mentions himself in Rom. 16:22, no NT author himself specifically mentions or commends an amanuensis.)
Of course, one could argue that even though this verse designates Silvanus as the bearer of the letter, he could also have been the amanuensis who wrote at Peter’s direction and (perhaps) polished the style of composition. But if this verse is entirely explained as a designation showing Silvanus to be the bearer of the letter (see discussion in Introduction), then there is nothing here which also designates him as the amanuensis, nor is there historical data elsewhere which would indicate this role for Silvanus. It is best, therefore, to conclude that there is no clear evidence in the letter indicating that Silvanus had a role in its composition.