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Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible
1 & 2 Peter (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible): A Theological Bible Commentary on 1 & 2 Peter from Leading Contemporary Theologians - BTC
This addition to the well-received Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible offers a theological exegesis of 1 & 2 Peter. This commentary, like each in the series, is designed to serve the church--through aid in preaching, teaching, study groups, and so forth--and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible.
"The Brazos Theological Commentary exists to provide an accessible authority so that the preacher's application will be a ready bandage for all the hurts of life. The Brazos Commentary offers just the right level of light to make illuminating the word the joy it was meant to be."--Calvin Miller, author of A Hunger for the Holy and Loving God Up Close
"The Brazos Theological Commentary exists to provide an accessible authority so that the preacher's application will be a ready bandage for all the hurts of life. The Brazos Commentary offers just the right level of light to make illuminating the word the joy it was meant to be."--Calvin Miller, author of A Hunger for the Holy and Loving God Up Close
- GenresTheology
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2009
9 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Harink
9 books3 followersDouglas Harink teaches theology at the King's University College in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the author of Paul Among the Postliberals: Pauline Theology Beyond Christendom and Modernity (Brazos).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 28, 2017
Read this for a recently preached sermon series through 1 Peter, and all told, I wasn't impressed, nor did I typically find it useful. The main theological lenses Harink tends to bring to bear on the text appear to be two: (1) Yoderian political theology, and (2) those novel strains of Continental philosophy that insist on treating "the messianic" and "the apocalyptic" as general philosophical categories, especially when applied to the philosophy of time. Each lens is deleterious in itself, but (in my own estimation) singularly noxious when combined.
That said, Harink does technically cover each verse of 1-2 Peter. He does rightly assess "the undoing of the faith" as frequently being "an 'inside job' done by (post-)Christian teachers who assert the authority of their own supposed enlightened and liberated opinions over against the prophetic and apostolic word of scripture" - and names names (163, cf. 171-172)! He quotes some potent passages from Sergei Bulgakov that make me quite eager to read The Bride of the Lamb, e.g., the depiction in 2 Peter 3:10 of the elements being 'burned up' as "the cosmic Pentecost" wherein "Pentecost's fiery tongues become the flame of the world fire, not consuming but transmuting the world" (182-183).
And Harink has a few quite pointed passages like this reflection pursuant to 1 Peter 4:1 and Romans 12:1-2, on rendering our bodies a living sacrifice to God alone and thus being prepared to suffer for not rendering them to the powers of this world: "Our warfare is not against other flesh-and-blood humans, but against the powers of sin and death that enslave us. For it is those powers that lay vigorous claim to fleshly bodies, demanding that we offer our bodies in the service of their persuasive promises of life and salvation. Empires and nation-states claim bodies for torturing, killing, and dying, promising peace and security; global markets claim them for producing and consuming, promising success and satisfaction; global entertainment industries claim them for competing and copulating, promising fame and fulfillment; technology and medicine claim them for engineering and experimenting, promising freedom and immortality" (105). Now that'll preach (though it's not the analysis I utilized this time around).
All in all, Harink deserves credit for all these positives, but it isn't enough to wholly compensate for the weaknesses of the theological approaches (and writing style!) he brings to bear on the text - hence a quite middling rating for him.
That said, Harink does technically cover each verse of 1-2 Peter. He does rightly assess "the undoing of the faith" as frequently being "an 'inside job' done by (post-)Christian teachers who assert the authority of their own supposed enlightened and liberated opinions over against the prophetic and apostolic word of scripture" - and names names (163, cf. 171-172)! He quotes some potent passages from Sergei Bulgakov that make me quite eager to read The Bride of the Lamb, e.g., the depiction in 2 Peter 3:10 of the elements being 'burned up' as "the cosmic Pentecost" wherein "Pentecost's fiery tongues become the flame of the world fire, not consuming but transmuting the world" (182-183).
And Harink has a few quite pointed passages like this reflection pursuant to 1 Peter 4:1 and Romans 12:1-2, on rendering our bodies a living sacrifice to God alone and thus being prepared to suffer for not rendering them to the powers of this world: "Our warfare is not against other flesh-and-blood humans, but against the powers of sin and death that enslave us. For it is those powers that lay vigorous claim to fleshly bodies, demanding that we offer our bodies in the service of their persuasive promises of life and salvation. Empires and nation-states claim bodies for torturing, killing, and dying, promising peace and security; global markets claim them for producing and consuming, promising success and satisfaction; global entertainment industries claim them for competing and copulating, promising fame and fulfillment; technology and medicine claim them for engineering and experimenting, promising freedom and immortality" (105). Now that'll preach (though it's not the analysis I utilized this time around).
All in all, Harink deserves credit for all these positives, but it isn't enough to wholly compensate for the weaknesses of the theological approaches (and writing style!) he brings to bear on the text - hence a quite middling rating for him.
January 16, 2020
Author and theologian Douglas Harink (professor of theology, The King’s University College) has produced a simple yet concise commentary on 1 and 2 Peter. A few hundred pages in length, what I most appreciate about this new release (2019) is its to the point nature. I’m quite excited with this commentary series so far in that it may act as a bridge since a great number of Christians are turned off by the more technical commentaries out there. This commentary is great for those who want to whet their appetite but are hesitant to jump in head first.
On the authorship of 2 Peter…
The author assumes 2 Peter to be written by Peter, though he acknowledges differences between 1 and 2 Peter. I myself find no good reason to discount 2 Peter as being written by another.
I enjoyed the author’s short treatment of Satan in Peter’s epistle (1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind: your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”). Harink finds that Satan is on the constant prowl against God’s people–the local community of faith–to disrupt its shalom. The community of faith must “resist the dangerous power of the devil to persuade us that there are better ways to triumph over evil than through the sufferings of Christ” (p. 128). We tend to think of Satan trying to influence us toward pride and lust and the more obvious vices, and while we can be sure that Satan will tempt us in any way he can, he often resorts to subtlety. Satan is often at work in our world and communities “through our very desires and actions for justice, good order, peace, and progress.” All the more reason to “stand firm in the faith” (5:9), which has to do with loyalty to Christ and the pattern/model of selfless suffering that he lays out for us to emulate.
Overall a great resource to have to aid one’s personal study of Petrine literature and a great resource for sermon preparation.
Thank you, Brazos Press, for the copy!
On the authorship of 2 Peter…
The author assumes 2 Peter to be written by Peter, though he acknowledges differences between 1 and 2 Peter. I myself find no good reason to discount 2 Peter as being written by another.
I enjoyed the author’s short treatment of Satan in Peter’s epistle (1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind: your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”). Harink finds that Satan is on the constant prowl against God’s people–the local community of faith–to disrupt its shalom. The community of faith must “resist the dangerous power of the devil to persuade us that there are better ways to triumph over evil than through the sufferings of Christ” (p. 128). We tend to think of Satan trying to influence us toward pride and lust and the more obvious vices, and while we can be sure that Satan will tempt us in any way he can, he often resorts to subtlety. Satan is often at work in our world and communities “through our very desires and actions for justice, good order, peace, and progress.” All the more reason to “stand firm in the faith” (5:9), which has to do with loyalty to Christ and the pattern/model of selfless suffering that he lays out for us to emulate.
Overall a great resource to have to aid one’s personal study of Petrine literature and a great resource for sermon preparation.
Thank you, Brazos Press, for the copy!
June 13, 2024
Amazing! Definitely will need to reread in the future. Really illuminates the apocalyptic vision of Christianity: How in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection God's reality shines through the illusions of our "reality".
If we want to participate in real life, instead of chasing after illusions which ultimately, in the light of the true ends of creation, will be shown to be futile and empty -just vapor-, we need to participate with Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection.
If we want to participate in real life, instead of chasing after illusions which ultimately, in the light of the true ends of creation, will be shown to be futile and empty -just vapor-, we need to participate with Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection.
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September 12, 20191 & 2 Peter is not currently available at local libraries.
October 3, 2019
One of the most important books that I have read.
October 30, 2014
Do you have a favorite commentary? If I do, this is it.
Doug Harink strikes just the right balance of historical contextualization, (broad) theological reflection, and practical consideration in this volume. No other text has made me feel as justified in my love of 1 Peter. No other volume has so redeemed 2 Peter's current relevance in my mind.
In general, I'm a fan of Brazos' Theological Commentary series. But it has been something of a mixed bag. For instance, Hauerwas' volume on Matthew was quite disappointing--a repetitive grabbag of gleaning from middle of the road biblical scholarship matched with a theological reflection that reminded me too much of a systematics classroom. Sometimes the theology erases the text.
Not so with Harink's contribution on 1 & 2 Peter. Here theology is both constructive and at the service of the text. Maybe it's the theologians Harink chooses, thinkers themselves immersed in Scripture, from JH Yoder to Bulgakov. Reading this commentary, I feel not only like my mind is wrestling with the person of God but also that I'm coming to understand these two letters better.
I do wish Harink had included just a little introductory material on authorship. He sidesteps the issue by referring to the literary "Peter" throughout the text. I'm curious how matters of authorship and date (both hotly contested for both epistles) would affect Harink's readings.
This is one of my favorite commentaries. One I return to time and again. Well done.
Doug Harink strikes just the right balance of historical contextualization, (broad) theological reflection, and practical consideration in this volume. No other text has made me feel as justified in my love of 1 Peter. No other volume has so redeemed 2 Peter's current relevance in my mind.
In general, I'm a fan of Brazos' Theological Commentary series. But it has been something of a mixed bag. For instance, Hauerwas' volume on Matthew was quite disappointing--a repetitive grabbag of gleaning from middle of the road biblical scholarship matched with a theological reflection that reminded me too much of a systematics classroom. Sometimes the theology erases the text.
Not so with Harink's contribution on 1 & 2 Peter. Here theology is both constructive and at the service of the text. Maybe it's the theologians Harink chooses, thinkers themselves immersed in Scripture, from JH Yoder to Bulgakov. Reading this commentary, I feel not only like my mind is wrestling with the person of God but also that I'm coming to understand these two letters better.
I do wish Harink had included just a little introductory material on authorship. He sidesteps the issue by referring to the literary "Peter" throughout the text. I'm curious how matters of authorship and date (both hotly contested for both epistles) would affect Harink's readings.
This is one of my favorite commentaries. One I return to time and again. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews