Having dated 1 Peter at 65 A.D., which is not long before Peter’s death, the question arises whether 2 Peter actually must follow 1 Peter in time. 2 Pet 3:1 says “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you“, and this verse is the reason 2 Peter is considered “second.” 2 Peter continues to target Jewish Christians in danger of false teachers.
In 2 Peter perhaps more than any other New Testament book, the identity of the named author has been challenged, and many scholars do not believe the apostle Peter is the author of the book. However, the author clearly is claiming to be Peter, as he identifies himself as an eyewitness to the transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16-18). Scholars point to differences in Greek writing style between 1 Peter and 2 Peter, but this may be due to Peter using different scribes to actually do the writing for each book.
2 Peter warns of false teachers and has the unusual discussion of:
- angels that sinned (2 Pet 2:4, see Jude 6)
- Sodom and Gomorrha (2 Pet 2:6, see Jude 7)
- Balaam (2 Pet 2:15, see Jude 11)
Peter probably wrote both his letters with the help of a scribe – for 1 Peter it was apparently Sylvanus (1 Pet 5:12). With 2 Peter the scribe may have been Jude. This type of connection between Peter and Jude would explain the sharp similarities between the two books. It would also mean that 2 Peter and Jude should be dated to essentially the same time.
When would this time be? 2 Peter 3:16 carries a reference to Paul’s letters, thereby negating the possibility of a very early date for the book. Since James was executed in 62 A.D., and no hint of such an event is in 2 Peter. It was also around 62 A.D. that Peter went to Rome. For Jude to be Peter’s scribe, both would probably need to still be in Jerusalem. The most likely date window for 2 Peter and Jude therefore narrows to around 62 A.D.
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