1 Peter: A Commentary on First Peter

Hermeneia

by Paul J. Achtemeier, Peter the Apostle

One of the general or catholic epistles near the end of the New Testament, this letter traditionally attributed to the apostle Peter contains important ideas and reveals a fascinating relationship to the surrounding literary world. The book shows what problems Christians faced at the time the epistle was written and how the author addressed them. The commentary discusses the Greek original, with translation, verse by verse.

Genres: Reference, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Theology

464 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[John Pawlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most helpful commentary I’ve gotten into so far! The text was laid out in a way that felt odd at first but was really helpful for parsing things out. Definitely an advanced commentary, but very helpful in going through the Greek. Even when I had disagreements with him, he was helpful in outlining the arguments.

[Cody Westcott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sound and useful commentary. Achtemeier coherently lays out the various interpretive options for each passage and then clearly presents his own critiques and arguments. He deals extensively with the original languages and textual critical problems. He gives a fair reading of the text, and his footnotes and excurses are as helpful and informative as the rest of the text.

The weakness of the commentary, however, is it's failure to engage theologically or pastorally with the text. The commentary is phenomenal in dealing with the technical details of the text, but leaves much to be desired in the realm of theology, applicability, and appropriation for the Church today.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent commentary, and I highly recommend it for those wanting to better understand 1 Peter.

[Travis Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent commentary

[Jeff Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical, so it should be read only with caution but this is only second to Michaels' WBC. It is very good indeed. For those willing to work through it, you will be rewarded for your efforts.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very learned and considered comments on 1 Peter, including significant interaction with the original languages. Achtemeier's work is sound; rarely does he go out on the skinny branches. His opinions occasionally wander off in directions that inerrantists can't follow, but that doesn't prevent the book from being very useful. He frequently deals with pastorally irrelevant and imaginative readings in the footnotes, leaving the body of the text for evaluating more responsible and plausible opinions.