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Who is Peter writing to? One thing that we Christians should understand is that the authors of the scriptures were God’s mouthpiece. So, when you are reading the New Testament, the author is Matthew, the saved Jewish tax collector. John Mark, AKA Mark, was buddies with Barnabas, Luke, Peter, and Paul. Dr. Luke is a saved by grace physician. The Jewish Pharisee turned Christ follower and gospel presenter to the Gentiles, also known as Paul. James and Jude, the half-brothers of Jesus, turned followers of Christ. And the disciple John, who wrote four journal entries and the revelation of Jesus.
What is Dispersion?
What is Dispersion? Peter writes in his first sentence, “To those who are the elect exiles of the Dispersion (or Diaspora). First thing is, Peter is writing to Christians. Secondly, he is writing to those Christians who are Jewish, and who evacuated Jerusalem and Palestine for many reasons. I’ll name a few. The Romans ruled the land and there was animosity between the Greeks and the Jews. The Romans believed in a polytheistic method. Serving many false gods. Remember the guy Pontus Pilate? He decided it was time to replace the Jewish religion with a new cult dedicated to the Roman rulers. So, he had statues erected in the temple and surrounding areas. This upset the Jewish population, and there was major friction between the Pharisees and the Romans. So, thousands of Jews and Jewish Christians left Jerusalem and flocked to Pontus (Borders the Black Sea), Cappadocia and Galatia (South of Pontus), Bithynia (West of Galatia), and Asia Minor (which is modern-day Turkey).
If you want to check my geography, take a look at the maps in the back of your Bible.
So, if we think about this scenario in our day and age, think about the war between Russia and Ukraine. Not every citizen of Ukraine stayed to fight. Millions of families left the war-torn areas. Many moved to Poland. In Peter’s letter, he was writing to the refugees. A basic definition of a refugee is someone who fears their life because of their beliefs or nationality.
The letter’s approximate time stamp was in the early 60’s. About thirty or so years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. As I mentioned in my last post, was Peter’s letter written before Paul’s? Well, I believe Paul wrote his letters earlier than Peter’s two letters. One reason I say this is that Peter references Paul’s letters in his own – 2 Peter 3:15. So, it shows us that Peter wrote his letters after Paul.
Where did Peter write his letters?
Where did Peter write his letters?
Babylon. Peter is beginning his sign off or signature his letter – 1 Peter 5:13 – KJV – The church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; as does Marcus my son.
What’s the difference between a Jewish and a Gentile Christian?
One key point is that Peter wrote these letters to his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who left Palestine and Syria were in fear for their lives. Paul wrote his letters mainly to gentile Christians, who were non-Jewish Christians. If you are not Jewish, you are called a Gentile. But just because Peter and Paul wrote to different groups doesn’t mean the same principles don’t apply today because they do. That is the beauty of God’s word. It goes on from generation to generation. God’s word will outlive mankind and already has.
To be continued…