was kept in reserve ready to be revealed when "the fulness of the time" was come in the Messianic age of the Christian dispensation, cf. i. 20 φανερωθέντος δὲ ἐπ ̓ ἐσχάτου τῶν χρόνων δι' vμâs, cf. also Romans xvi. 25-26 and Eph. iii. 5, where the admission of the Gentiles as fellow - heirs (σvykλnpovóμa) is described as being now revealed (ảπeкaλúþoŋ).

In i. 10-12 St Peter says that the prophets who prophesied of the favour of God destined to be extended to you (rns eis vμâs xápiros) learned by revelation that it was not for themselves but for you (vμîv, so W.H. not μiv as T.R.) that they were ministering.

In i. 25, after quoting the message of good tidings originally addressed to the Jews in Babylon that "the word of the Lord endureth for ever," he says this is the word which has been preached as good tidings reaching to you (eis vμâs).

In ii. 4 the readers are described as "coming"” (πроσeрxóμevοL) to the living stone that even they (κaì avroí) may be built into a spiritual Temple, because faith is the one requisite for sharing the preciousness of the stone laid in Zion; therefore it belongs to you (vμîv). You who were previously not a people are now the people of God; and all the old titles of honour addressed to God's chosen people Israel are now true of you (vμeîs), cf. Ephesians ii. 20—22 where Jews and Gentiles are built into one Temple united by one corner stone (ἀκρογωνιαῖον).

In iii. 18 the best text is vuâs, and the meaning seems to be that it was only by His death that Christ was able to win access (προσαγάγῃ) to God for Gentiles (cf. Eph. ii. 18 προσαγωγή).

In i. 12 the extension of God's favours to you (Gentiles) opens up a fresh vista to the angelic students of God's mysterious purpose for the world, cf. Eph. iii. 10.

If then we regard the Epistle as addressed primarily to Jewish Christians much of its meaning is lost. There were doubtless numerous Jewish settlers in the provinces of Asia Minor, but the bulk of the inhabitants, and therefore presumably of the Christians, were Gentiles, and it is to them that the Epistle iş primarily addressed. One great object of St Peter is to assert the truth which he had championed at the Apostolic conference (Acts xv. 14), that God had "visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name.”

I PETER

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C. The circumstances of the readers. We have no certain evidence as to when and by whom they had been converted. St Peter makes no claim that he had himself worked among them, and the statement of Origen (Eus. H. E. iii. 1) to that effect is probably based only upon the salutation of this Epistle.

In i. 12 St Peter merely refers to "those who preached the Gospel to you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." Some of them doubtless were converts of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, others of Paul, Silas and Timothy on the second journey, others may have been converted by Epaphras, or Aquila and Priscilla. Again the description of Silvanus in v. 12 "as a faithful brother to you" very probably may refer to his previous work in the provinces addressed.

In ii. 2 they are described as "new-born babes," but this does not necessarily imply that they were very recent converts. The phrase denotes rather the simple childlike tastes which even the maturest Christian should retain (cf. 1 Cor. xiv. 20 "in malice be ye babes"). St Peter assumes that there were presbyters in some at any rate of the Christian communities which he addresses, and such presbyters are exposed to the temptations of "lording it over the flock” (v. 3) or of seeking office for the sake of sordid gain, neither of which would be probable dangers in an infant church, even if the latter warning refers to the management of Church funds rather than to official stipend. The Christians are already a marked body among their heathen neighbours. Their lives have a conspicuous influence upon the world around. They are exposed to constant obloquy, insults, injustice, even bodily violence for the sake of their religion. The advice to servants, without any corresponding instruction to Christian masters such as we find in Ephesians and Colossians, may suggest that most of the Christians were of humble rank, but this argument from silence must not be overpressed, as the passage is dealing with submission and patience under unjust treatment, and it would have involved a slight digression to teach masters their duty towards their servants.

There is no reference to any controversial questions about Circumcision or clean and unclean meats, such as we find in St Paul's earlier Epistles. But even in Ephesians and Colossians these do not seem to have been such burning questions as had

been the case a few years earlier. Possibly Jewish influence was not so strong in the northern provinces. At any rate St Peter, in welcoming the Gentiles as included in the New "Israel of God," abstains from referring to minor questions of ritual and deals only with general principles of Christian conduct.

Moreover the perils, to which Christians were now exposed, were not so much from the Jews or from false brethren as "perils among the heathen."

8. THE OCCASION AND PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE.

The order in which the provinces are named in i. 1, coupled with the fact that Pontus and Bithynia, which formed one Roman province, are mentioned separately, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the list, probably indicates the route which Silvanus, the bearer of the Epistle, proposed to follow. It would seem that he intended to land at one of the seaports in Pontus, possibly Sinope, and travel south through Galatia and Cappadocia and then eastwards, again passing through part of Galatia to Asia and thence northwards, regaining the shore of the Black Sea somewhere in Bithynia. Such a route implies an extensive and organized missionary journey, and it may be conjectured that Silvanus was either intending to revisit districts where he had already been working (cf. v. 12) or, as Dr Chase suggests (Hastings' D. of B. iii. 791), he may have been undertaking the journey as St Paul's messenger. At any rate St Peter avails himself of the opportunity afforded by this proposed journey of Silvanus to send a letter to the scattered Christians of that vast district. No doubt there were many Jewish Christians among them but the majority were Gentiles, and it is to them that St Peter chiefly addresses himself. One of the chief objects of St Peter's visit to Rome was probably to promote union between Jews and Gentiles in the Church. That object, as we know from Acts, was no less dear to Silvanus. It would therefore be a real strength to him in his mission to the provinces of Asia Minor to have such a letter as this, written by the recognized leader of the Jewish Christians, welcoming the Gentiles as members of the New Israel of God.

Moreover it was a time of threatened danger and rising

persecution. Satan was going about "desiring to have them" in the smelting fire which was to test their faith. It was therefore a fitting opportunity for St Peter, who had himself known the shame of falling in the hour of trial, when Satan had "sifted him as wheat," to fulfil his Master's command, "When thou hast turned again strengthen thy brethren."

In v. 12 St Peter says that his object in writing to them was (a) to encourage them, (b) to testify that this is in very truth the "grace" or "loving favour" of God, and bid them stand fast in it. What is this "favour"? Does it refer only to the immediately preceding section about persecution or to the whole theme of the Epistle? Probably to the latter, including the thought of suffering as one item in God's work of loving favour. Their privileges were part of God's eternal purpose, the extension of God's "favour" to Gentiles (i. 10) had been long foretold and is now revealed.

It is on that "favour" that they are to set their hope (i. 13). Husbands and wives are fellow-heirs of the "favour” or free gift of life iii. 7. God's "favour" is only bestowed upon the humble v. 6: let them therefore humble themselves to bear the discipline of suffering which He is sending upon them. It is the God of all "favour" who called them to eternal glory in Christ (v. 10): if the road to that glory leads through a short tract of suffering it is no mark of disfavour but rather of favour, because such suffering is the prelude to the glory.

The three main topics of the Epistle are: (a) the privileges of Christians, (b) the consequent duties of Christians, (c) the present trials of Christians. These three topics respectively form the theme of the three sections into which the Epistle may be divided : (a) i.—ii. 10, (b) ii. 11—iv. 11, (c) iv. 12-v. 14. But the Epistle is no formal treatise capable of being strictly analysed, and the three topics are to some extent interwoven throughout.

(a) The privileges of Christians.

They are the New Israel of God, chosen by God's foreknowledge, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, sprinkled with the Blood of Christ as the Covenant Victim. They are begotten to a living hope of attaining to an incorruptible inheritance which has all along been kept in reserve for them. Prophets long ago foretold this

extension of God's favour to them. Angels are watching this development of God's all-embracing plan of love with eager eyes. They have been ransomed from slavery, as Israel was from Egypt. They are living stones built into a holy Temple of which Christ is the corner stone. They are a holy nation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. They are begotten by the word of God who lives and abides for ever. They are called to eternal glory.

(b) The duties of Christians.

Such privileges carry with them corresponding responsibilities. In the first section therefore St Peter bids his readers to gird themselves for active service with sober earnestness and confident hopefulness (i. 13). They must prove themselves obedient children. In the days of their ignorance it was more excusable to follow the shifting fashion of their own wayward desires, but now they have been called by One who is all-holy and therefore they must be holy (14-16). In claiming God as their Father they must remember that He is also the Judge, by whom everyman's work must be tried, and He will not shew partiality or favouritism to His children. They must therefore pass their time as sojourners in the world in reverent fear of offending God (17).

The seed from which they are begotten is nothing less than the word of God who lives and abides for ever, its fruits in their lives should therefore be of the same character. Their love for their fellow-members in God's family must be heartfelt and unrelaxed. Malice, guile, hypocrisy or unkind talk must be put away (i. 22—ii. 1).

In the exercise of their "holy priesthood" they must offer spiritual sacrifices to God (ii. 5). As a "peculiar people" it is their task to proclaim the excellences of the God who has called them out of darkness (ii. 9).

In the second section the duties of Christians are emphasized in fuller detail. They must remember that they are only settlers in the world whose true home is in heaven, but there are all kinds of fleshly lusts carrying on a constant campaign against their soul, and from these they must abstain (ii. 11). They must set an example of honourable conduct to the heathen among whom they live (12).