The Epistles of Peter and Jude (Black’s New Testament Commentary | BNTC)
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
The letters of Peter and Jude are among the most pastorally sensitive in the entire New Testament, because they contain messages of encouragement and warning. In his commentary on the epistles of Peter and Jude, Kelly offers an introduction and overview of the important literary, textual, and theological themes. With only nine chapters on which to comment, Kelly has ample room for adequate discussion of problem passage and challenging interpretations.
Top Highlights
“The accent is rather on the definition; the writer’s point is that, since the God whom his readers address as Father is to be their judge, they would be wise to have a healthy dread of His judgment and shape their behaviour accordingly. In particular, they should not rely on their privileged status as His children (cf. John the Baptist’s similar rebuttal of the Jews’ claim, ‘We have Abraham as our father’ in Mt. 3:9), for His decisions will be determined solely by the quality of each man’s actions.” (Page 71)
“We must therefore conclude that 2 Peter belongs to the luxuriant crop of pseudo-Petrine literature which sprang up around the memory of the Prince of the apostles.” (Page 236)
“First, does the maltreatment envisaged in 3:13–17 take the form of judicial prosecution and condemnation?” (Page 7)
“This hope is more frankly stated in settled temporarily (parepidēmoi: cf. 1:17; 2:11), a term which connotes one who is merely passing through a territory, with no intention of permanent residence. So what the writer is suggesting is that, just as the Jews of the Dispersion were a scattered people cut off from their country but with the prospect of ultimately going back, so Christians are bound, wherever they are, to be transitory sojourners yearning for home. The difference is that for them ‘home’ cannot be identified with any place on earth, but only with the new order which God is bringing in. For closely related ideas, cf. Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 11:13–16; Ep. ad Diognetum v (esp. 9: ‘they [i.e. Christians] pass their time on earth, but belong as citizens to heaven’).” (Page 41)
Great erudition lightly carried, precise attention to detail which always illuminates and never obscures the argument, clarity of treatment even when the subject is itself confused, and an infectious enthusiasm for the task of decoding an ancient and well-loved text.
—Interpretation
J. N. D. Kelly was Principal of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, from 1951 to 1979. He was the author of many books, including Early Christian Creeds, Early Christian Doctrines, Jerome, the Oxford Dictionary of Popes, and Golden Mouth.
