Heirs of Life, Followers of Christ’s Example of Suffering (1 Peter 3)
Heirs of Life, Followers of Christ’s Example of Suffering
(1 Peter 3)
Vs. 1—τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν and see 1 Pet 3:5. Comp. Eph 5:22, 25, 28.
ἄνευ λόγου
κερδηθήσονται—‘they may be won.’
Vs. 4—ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος—See Rom 7:22; 2 Cor 4:16; Eph 3:16. Comp. Polycarp in Eusebius, H.E. v.24.
Vs. 6—κύριον, comp. Gen 18:12.
ἐγενήθητε—‘were made’ when you came to the knowledge of Christ. Comp. Rom 4:16, 17; Gal 3:7 sq. As sons of Abraham, so daughters of Sarah.
ἀγαθοποιοῦσαι—‘if you do good . . .’
καὶ μὴ φοβούμεναι μηδεμίαν πτόησιν—a reference to the tumultuous times.
The spirit of persecution abroad would make itself felt in households. Comp. Mt 5:35; Luke 12:53—son against father, daughter against mother etc. A man’s foes will be those of his own household.
πτόησιν—cogn. accus.
Vs. 7—The connection—συνοικοῦντες . . . τῷ γυναικείῳ
ἀπονέμοντες . . . χάριτος ζωῆς
σκεύει—the body so called, as the receptacle of the Spirit. Comp. 2 Cor 4:7—Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν.
See also 1 Thess 4:4—εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι, to make himself master of his own body. See also Barnabas 7, 11, 21—‘the vessel of the spirit,’ as ‘natural beings’ (vs. 21).
ἀπονέμοντες τιμήν—The keynote of Christian structure. They are to be honored not although they are weak but rather because they are weak.
χάριτος—the grace, free gift.
ἐγκόπτεσθαι—‘to be hindered’ see Gal 5:7.
τὰς προσευχὰς ὑμῶν—as they would be by any want of honor.
Vs. 8—Τὸ δὲ τέλος πάντες—‘last of all’
Vs. 9—ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο ἐκλήθητε ἵνα εὐλογίαν κληρονομήσητε. For God would have you inherit a blessing, and this you cannot if you yourselves bless not.
Vs. 10—Ps 34 (33):13 sq. adapted—The LXX here has τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν, ἀγαπῶν ἡμέρας ἰδεῖν ἀγαθάς;
But our text must be translated ‘desires to be content with life,’ but it has no continuity with the Hebrew which has ‘what man is he that desireth life, length of days, that he may see (to see) good.’
The Psalm adds παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον. ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν, ζήτησον εἰρήνην καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν.
Vs. 14—A reference to the beatitude in Mt 5:10—μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. So here μακάριοι = you have the Lord’s word for it.
τὸν δὲ φόβον αὐτῶν μὴ φοβηθῆτε μηδὲ ταραχθῆτε, Comp. Is 8:13—Κύριον αὐτὸν ἁγιάσατε, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φόβος. The original shows that the fear phrase means ‘do not share their fears,’ αὐτός being subjective not objective genitive.
Vs. 15—Sanctify (elsewhere consecrate) the Christ as Lord. Christ takes the place of Yahweh as in 1 Pet 2:3.
Vs. 16—καὶ φόβου—fear, and yet ‘no fear’
Vs. 18—περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν, as you are required to suffer, δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων.
μὲν σαρκὶ ζωοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι·—as regards the flesh . . . as regards the spirit.
Vs. 19—ἐν ᾧ καὶ—For the interpretation Christ preaches in Noah see Pearson [?]. This interpretation is altogether forced: 1) ἐν φυλακῇ the construed sense; 2) πνεύμασιν—They were bodies; 3) πορευθείς; 4) there is the same subject, Christ, throughout, and the same sequence—sometime after his death; 5) cf. 1 Pet 4:6. It must therefore be interpreted of the disembodied spirits. It refers therefore to the descensus ad inferno.
But when? During the three days when his body lay in the grave? So said the early church generally. The passage in St. Peter says nothing on this point. But why? Not for their condemnation, comp. 1 Pet 4:6, though possibly for the condemnation of some.
τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ—guarded for the last day. See 2 Pet 2:4, 9—ταρταρώσας.
Vs. 20—ἀπειθήσασίν
διεσώθησαν δι’ ὕδατος
This passage indicates two principles: 1) that those who through no fault of their own were ignorant of the Gospel dispensation would share in its benefits. Christ died for the sins of the whole world; 2) that the benefits of the Incarnation cannot be communicated without the religion being appropriated. There is no mere mechanical change. The disobedience here was in some cases owing to defective knowledge.
Consider the strong belief of the early Church. Justin and Irenaeus (a spurious passage from the LXX), Clement, Hermas, Tertullian, Hippolytus, the Apostles’ Creed. The patriarchs and the prophets etc. hear the preaching. The passage before us extends the principle further to the heathen—so Clement of Alexandria. He was justified in this extension. The preaching in Hades is the counterpart to the preaching on earth. The Apostles (Hermas), the Baptist (Hippolytus).
[The manuscript breaks off at this point. (BW3)].