2 Peter
Chapter 1
Greeting
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been sanctified by our God and Savior Jesus Christ, and have received a faith as precious as ours:
may grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord.
Christian Vocation
His divine power has provided us with everything necessary for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power.
Through these things he has given us his precious and great promises, so that through them you may escape the corruption and evil desires of this world, and may become participants of the divine nature.
So, strive with the greatest determination and grow your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
knowledge with moderation, moderation with perseverance, perseverance with piety,
piety with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.
If all these qualities are present in you and flourish, you will not be ineffective or unproductive. Instead, you will be firmly grounded in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Anyone who lacks this is blind and shortsighted, forgetting the cleansing from past sins.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, work hard to answer God’s call who chose you. If you do, you will never fall.
Additionally, you will receive a gracious entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
So, I will always remind you of these things, even if you already know them, and I will stay committed to the truth you hold.
It is fitting that as long as I live in this body, I remind you of these truths,
knowing that my tent may soon be taken down, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.
Still, I will do my best to make sure you remember this long after I leave.
Witness to the Glory of Christ
Indeed, what we taught you about the power and the return of Christ Jesus our Lord was not based on myths or mere theories. We ourselves were eyewitnesses of his majesty
when he received glory and honor from God the Father. From his magnificent glory, this extraordinary voice came upon him: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
We personally heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Therefore, we strongly believe in the message of the prophets. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Understand this clearly: no prophecy in scripture can be subject to private interpretation,
since no prophecy is given by human decision. Instead, men and women of God, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke under God’s influence.
Commentaries
Greeting.
A typical opening in letters, this serves as a clear example of pseudonymity: to strengthen his message, the sender introduces himself, though not as himself, but as Simon Peter. The recipients are all those who share the same faith and the same justice—mercy—of God—likely Judeo-Christian communities in Asia Minor.
Christian Vocation.
Expressions such as “divine nature,” “evil desires,” and “world” (4) are clearly influenced by Hellenistic philosophy. Only by choosing God’s plan can we overcome the world, a symbol of corruption and evil.
In verses 5-7, we find a list of the eight virtues typical of Hellenism, also seen elsewhere in the New Testament (Rom 5:3f; Gal 5:22f), beginning with faith and ending with love; seeds that only grow through knowledge of Jesus. Verses 10ff are an invitation to stay strong in the faith received, as an initial payment to enter the kingdom of Jesus.
Witness to the Glory of Christ.
The author defends the parousia of Christ (16) as the result not of legends but of lived experience. The parousia, instead of focusing on what is to come, is a prophetic act in the present that fosters communal memory of Jesus. The content of verses 20 and following has been crucial in shaping the principles of biblical inspiration and interpretation within the Church’s tradition. Scripture requires the Spirit for proper understanding. This does not exclude reason, the human language through which the Spirit acts, nor the ecclesial community, the privileged place where the Spirit operates.