The Living Stone and the Living Stones (1 Peter 2)
The Living Stone and the Living Stones
(1 Peter 2)
Vs. 1 Ἀποθέμενοι οὖν—See Ephesians 4:25.
κακία—malice, the desire of doing ill to others.
Vs. 2 ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα—the new birth, a leading idea in 1 Peter. The force of this conception in the case of the Gentile.
γάλα—Not here as in St. Paul and the other Epistles, as opposed to βρῶμα, ἡ στερεὰ τροφή (solid food) (cf. 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12), as the inferior to the superior.
ἄδολον—‘unadulterated’ not ‘guileless,’ for this would be to restrict the meaning too much.
Connected with the previous πάντα δόλον in 1 Pet 2:1. See 2 Cor 4:2—μηδὲ δολοῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας, and so 2 Cor 2:17—καπηλεύοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐξ εἰλικρινίας. A practice of Rome in the first century not less than of London in the 19th. See Irenaeus iii.17.4—‘as I have already observed, not only do they hold opinions which are different, but absolutely contrary, and in all points full of blasphemies, by which they destroy those persons who, by reason of the resemblance of the words, imbibe a poison which disagrees with their constitution, just as if one, giving lime mixed with water for milk, should mislead by the similitude of the colour; as a man superior to me has said, concerning all that in any way corrupt the things of God and adulterate the truth, “Lime is wickedly mixed with the milk of God.’’’
λογικόν—to show that it is a metaphor, not the material milk, but rather the spiritual milk. It is the milk for the λόγος in man, and not for his σάρξ. See Rom 12:1; Test. of Twelve Patri. Lev. 3; Eusebius, H.E. iv.23—λογική τροφή. A feast of reason and a food of soul.
αὐξηθῆτε—metaphor continued.
εἰς—introducing the standard of mature growth, as e.g. Eph 4:13, 15.
εἰ ἐγεύσασθε—When you accepted the facts of it. From Psalm 34:9 (Ps 33:9)—γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος· μακάριος ἀνήρ, ὃς ἐλπίζει ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν.
χρηστὸς as a reference to χριστὸς is improbable. Observe that the Κύριος (Jehovah) of the Old Testament applied by St. Peter here, as frequently with St. Paul is our Lord.
See Ps 118 (Ps 117)—λίθον, ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας· παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη καὶ ἔστιν θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν.
See Is 28:16—διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ ἐκλεκτὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἔντιμον, εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ.
Vs. 5—καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡς λίθοι ζῶντες, partaking of the character of the Living Stone.
εἰς ἱεράτευμα. The correct reading. The Temple is for the priesthood. The Church however is both priesthood and Temple.
Vs. 6—διότι—Alford comments as if it read διότι καὶ.
περιέχει—The right reading, impersonal, as e.g. Josephus, Ant. xi.4.7 which reads ‘just as in it (i.e. the letter), Περιέχει.’
ἐν γραφῇ—A Scripture. Is 28:16. On γραφῇ, γραφαί See Gal 3:22 and whence the use of the definite article or not. The quote here is from the LXX mostly, but as modified after the Hebrew e.g. ἐν Σιὼν for εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ. The LXX here obviously has a double translation.
The οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ is decisive for the text in 1 Peter coming from the LXX, for the Hebrew has לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני יסד בציון אבן אבן בחן פנת יקרת מוסד מוסד המאמין לא יחיש
Vs. 7—ἡ τιμὴ and so οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ but with a reference also to ἔντιμον (1 Pet 2:6). His living becomes their living—he is the living λίθος, they are the living λίθοι.
ἀπιστοῦσιν δὲ—the correct reading, but refers to previous disbelieving. The other reading has come from ἀπειθοῦντες (1 Pet 2:8), below.
١١١λίθος is the right reading. See the LXX of Ps 128 (Ps 127):22. There is reference to this passage in St. Peter’s speech in Acts 4:11. It is quoted also in Mt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:7. But why to unbelievers? We might rather have expected it to be to believers. His glory, their condemnation—see Rev 1:7. So the quotation is a threat in the Gospels, especially in Luke 20:7.
καί is not part of the quotation.
Notice λίθος is not connected with ἐγενήθη (vs. 7), but with ἀπιστοῦσιν directly.
λίθος προσκόμματος, Is 8:14 here culled from the Hebrew, not the LXX which has καὶ ἐὰν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ πεποιθὼς ἦς, ἔσται σοι εἰς ἁγίασμα καὶ οὐχ ὡς λίθου προσκόμματι συναντήσεσθε αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ ὡς πέτρας πτώματι·
Note the coincidences with St. Paul—Rom 9:33: 1) combination of passages, the third passage referred to in Eph 2:20; 2) coincidences of language, ἐν Σιών connected with the fact that both are adapted from the LXX and the use of the double phrase λίθος προσκόμματος καὶ πέτρα σκανδάλου. See also the connection of τῷ λόγῳ ἀπειθοῦντες as 1 Pet 3:1 (comp. 1 Pet 4:17). It explains how they stumble. Note the ἀπιστοῦσιν (intellectual), ἀπειθοῦντες (practical) basis of stumbling. St. Peter therefore can hardly be independent of St. Paul here. Note that Luke 20:17 points to this second passage of Israel.
Vs. 9—ὑμεῖς δὲ. The Church enlarged by the admission of the Gentiles.
γένος ἐκλεκτόν—Is 43:20. See below on ὅπως τάς ἀρετάς.
βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, see Ex 19:6—ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον. ταῦτα τὰ ρήματα ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿ Ισραήλ. The moment of the giving of the Law. The Hebrew however has ‘a kingdom of priests’ ממלכת כהנים Cf. Rev 1:6—ἡμᾶς βασιλείαν, ἱερεῖς τῷ Θεῷ and Rev 5:10—ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς. St. John has probably followed the Targum Onkelos which has ‘kingdom, priests’ and so Targum Hemos [?]. The Peshitto has ‘a kingdom and priests.’ Aquila ‘a kingdom of priests.’ Sym. Theod. has βασίλεια ἱερεῖς (see Fields, Hex. I, p. 114). This is the right meaning, they are both kings and priests.
The Stoic modes of speech, see Horace, Sat. i.3.123 (with Aretus [?] notes II, pp. 63, 66)—‘If as the Stoics say the wise man’s rich, uniquely handsome, a brilliant cobbler, a king for sure, why do you need to be given what you already have?’
ἅγιον denoting consecration, hence οἱ ἅγιοι.
١١٢λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν see Ex 19:5—ἔσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπό πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστι πᾶσα ἡ γῆ·
λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν is an independent translation = λαὸς περιούσιος. See Trench, Revisions etc. p. 236. Symmachus—‘You are to me chosen from out of all the peoples.’
εἰς περιποίησιν—The verb e.g. Acts 20:28. The substantive is always in the active sense. Thus when it appears, observe—Eph 1:4—εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως, see 1 Thess 5:9—ἀλλὰ εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας.
ὅπως τὰς ἀρετὰς—Comp. Is 43:21—λαόν μου, ὃν περιεποιησάμην τὰς ἀρετάς μου διηγεῖσθαι. Thus the λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν is the connecting link between the two passages in Exodus and Isaiah.
In the LXX τὰς ἀρετὰς it translates הודו in Hab 3:3 and תהלתי in Isaiah 43:21 etc. Here ‘the excellences’ comp. 2 Pet 1:3. There is an avoidance of this Greek term in St. Paul see my note on Phil 4:8.
τοῦ ἐκ σκότους—comp. Col 1:13.
εἰς τὸ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ φῶς—see Clement of Rome 36.
Vs. 10—Here the reference to Hosea 2:23. See Rom 9:25, 26.
λαός and ἔθνος see Acts 4:27; 26:17, 23. For λαὸς and δῆμος See Acts 10:2, and Acts 12:22.
ἠλεημένοι—μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται (Mt 5:7). The perfect here in 1 Peter is accounted for by the quotatation.
νῦν—with the aorist, under the present dispensation.
Vs. 11— ὡς παροίκους—as wayfarers ready for the march, simply tenting in this present world, cf. 1 Pet 1:17; 2:11. See 2 Cor 5:1, 4; 2 Pet 1:13, 14. Marching forward to your land of promise, the new Jerusalem, like the participants in the sojourns of old. See Ex 12:11 (LXX)—οὕτως δὲ φάγεσθε αὐτό· αἱ ὀσφύες ὑμῶν περιεζωσμέναι, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, καὶ αἱ βακτηρίαι ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν· καὶ ἔδεσθε αὐτὸ μετὰ σπουδῆς· πάσχα ἐστὶ Κυρίῳ. The very expression used by our Lord in St. Luke.
τῶν σαρκικῶν—the fleshly lusts, because in the flesh you are only sojourners, not citizens.
αἵτινες—‘seeing that they . . .’ They will rise up against you in anger as unprotected aliens.
Στρατεύονται—campaign. See James 4:1—Πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν; Comp. Rom 8:23.
Vs. 12 ἐν ᾧ—see Rom 1:1; Heb 2:18—‘wherein’ or ‘while’?
κακοποιῶν—See Suetonius, Nero 16; Tacitus, Annal. xv.44; Pliny x.44 noting the reference to ‘flagitia’ for the ‘nomini’ in the last two references. Note the frequent charge in the Apologists.
ἐποπτεύοντες—comp. 1 Pet 3:2—‘being spectators of them’ as of some magnificent exhibition.
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς—Luke 19:44 i.e. when God appears in some signal visit. The ἐπισκοπῆς may be for punishment (Is 10:3 LXX—καὶ τί ποιήσουσιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς; ἡ γὰρ θλῖψις ὑμῖν πόρρωθεν ἥξει· καὶ πρὸς τίνα καταφεύξεσθε τοῦ βοηθηθῆναι;).
Vs. 13—Ὑποτάγητε πάσῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κτίσει διὰ τὸν Κύριον· εἴτε βασιλεῖ ὡς ὑπερέχοντι, comp. Rom 13:1
κτίσις—creation = institutions, ‘unto every human creature’
εἴτε βασιλεῖ ὡς ὑπερέχοντι—This can hardly be said in Latin ‘autokrator’ = Emperor.
Vs. 14—ἡγεμόσιν—the provincial governors, procurators (legates), and proconsuls.
εἰς ἐκδίκησιν κακοποιῶν ἔπαινον δὲ ἀγαθοποιῶν, used here of a person punished, but elsewhere of a person avenged, e.g. Luke 18:7-8.
Vs. 15 ἀγνωσίαν—stolid ignorance. See 1 Cor 15:34—it implies moral blame which is absent with ἀγνωσία, cf. Ovid xiii.1. An active ignorance is implied in the form.
Vs. 16—ὡς ἐλεύθεροι see Gal 5:13.
Vs. 18—See the imperatives in Eph 6.
Οἱ οἰκέται ὑποτασσόμενοι—participles and adjectives used as imperatives are found frequently in exhortating passages e.g. Rom 8:9 sq, 16sq.; Eph 4:2, 3; Col 3:16 sq.; Heb 13:5. So above 1 Pet 2:16 and again below. It would produce altogether a forced connection to attach the participle to πάντας τιμήσατε (1 Pet 2:17).
ἀγαθοῖς καὶ ἐπιεικέσιν—Kindly and gentle, reasonable.
σκολιοῖς—crooked, perverse.
χάρις—trustworthy, acceptable i.e. something which exceeds the rigid rule of so much for so much, the law of buying and selling. See Rom 4:4, οὐ λογίζεται κατὰ χάριν ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφείλημα. And see Rom 4:16—κατὰ χάριν, as opposed to according to works.
See Luke 6:32—not obtaining grace, but in an act of grace. Comp. Mt 5:47—τί περισσὸν ποιεῖτε, outside the compact.
διὰ συνείδησιν Θεοῦ—See 1 Cor 8:7—the right reading there is συνηθείᾳ.
Vs. 20—ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ κολαφιζόμενοι. See John 5:35 for the participles. The second participle describes that which is conditional on the first.
ἀλλ’ εἰ ἀγαθοποιοῦντες καὶ πάσχοντες ὑπομενεῖτε, τοῦτο χάρις παρὰ Θεῷ refers back to the κλέος.
Vs. 21—εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκλήθητε—‘for this was involved in your calling, you were summoned to this when you were incorporated into the name of Christ.’
καὶ Χριστός—‘and Christ, on his part . . .’ He was the first great example of χάρις. See Rom 5:7; 8:32.
ὑπολιμπάνων—leaving behind, when he ascended into heaven.
ὑπογραμμόν—See my note on Clement Rom. 5 (p. 51), which text shows dependence on St. Peter here. Clement after quoting Is 53 has ‘See beloved men, the model (ὑπογραμμός), which we have given you . . .’
ἐπακολουθήσητε—Follow close in.
Vs. 22—Is 53:9—καὶ δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἀνομίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. The last sentence in vs. 22 shows that it is quoted solely from the LXX here. See my note on Clement of Rome p. 74.
Vs. 23—λοιδορούμενος οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρει. See the parallel in Greek Anthol. vi.30—the use of the word ἀντελοιδόρει. Is 53:7—‘he opened not his mouth.’
παρεδίδου—If anything is to be understood here, it would not be either Himself, nor (still less), his enemies, but something as general as possible—τά ἑαυτοῦ. There is a tendency with the compounds (prepositions added up front) with δίδοναι to this abstract sense.
Vs. 24—Is 53:11—ἀπὸ τοῦ πόνου τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, δεῖξαι αὐτῷ φῶς καὶ πλάσαι τῇ συνέσει, δικαιῶσαι δίκαιον εὖ δουλεύοντα πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν αὐτὸς ἀνοίσει. He, says St. Peter in effect, was the fulfillment of this prophecy. So again Heb 9:28.
See James 2:21—ἀνενέγκας Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Here τὸ ξύλον = τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Comp. Heb 13:10. On the terminology here see Gen 8:20; Ex 29:18, 25; Lev 3:11, 16 etc. and very common in the LXX.
The translation here should not be ‘endured’ here, for whatever may be the meaning of the word in Is 53, the ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον makes it improbable here. Therefore, here ‘carried up’ and the sacrificial sense is involved.
ἀπογενόμενοι—The sinful part of our nature was crucified with Him, was slain in his death. See Rom 6:2, 6 (συνεσταυρώθη); Rom 6:8, 9. 2 Cor 5:15; Gal 2:20.
οὗ τῷ μώλωπι ἰάθητε—The right reading. See Is 53:5—αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν· παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν. τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν.
The reading αὐτοῦ in T.R. and B.M.T. inserted from Isaiah, but it is a quite legitimate reading and may have been dropped due to being seen as superfluous. The coincidence of the best authorities however points to the former reading without αὐτοῦ.
Vs. 25—Isaiah 53:6 quoted—πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν, ἄνθρωπος τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθη· καὶ Κύριος παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν (LXX). Noting the ἐπεστράφητε νῦν here in 1 Peter. Comp. Ezek 34:6 (LXX)—καὶ διεσπάρη τά πρόβατά μου ἐν παντὶ ὄρει καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν βουνὸν ὑψηλὸν καὶ ἐπὶ προσώπου πάσης τῆς γῆς διεσπάρη, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐκζητῶν οὐδὲ ὁ ἀποστρέφων. And Ezek 34:11 from that passage—διότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι αὐτά. And further Ezek 34:16—τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ζητήσω καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέψω καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον καταδήσω καὶ τὸ ἐκλεῖπον ἐνισχύσω καὶ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν φυλάξω καὶ βοσκήσω αὐτὰ μετὰ κρίματος.
Still, Christ is probably meant by ποιμένα in our vs. 25. Comp. 1 Pet 5:4.
On ἐπίσκοπον, see Ignatius, Rom. 9—‘Jesus Christ alone shall be its bishop—He and your love’ [JBL translation].