First Peter - Lorin

Outline of Contents
in First Peter:
Praescriptio: 1:1-2
• Superscriptio, 1:1a
• Adscriptio, 1:1b-2a
• Salutatio, 1:2b
Proem: 1:3-12
• Core, 1:3a
• Expansion, 1:3b-12
Body: 1:13-5:11
• Holy living 1:13-2:10
• Ideals 1:13-25
• Privileges 2:1-10
• Obligations 2:11-3:12
• Civic 2:11-17
• Haustafeln 2:18-3:7
• Social 3:8-12
• Persecution 3:13-5:11
• Encouragement 3:13-4:11
• Explanation 4:12-19
• Proper Conduct 5:1-11
Conclusio: 5:12-14
• Sender Verification, 5:12
• Greetings, 5:13-14a
• Benedictio, 5:14b
by the model prayer of Jesus in the sermon on the mount (cf. Mt. 6: 7-13). That is, it was given both to be
prayed in formal worship and as a guide for composing individual prayers. Thus both Judaism 28 and Jesus 29
28 “2.1.1. Influence from Judaism.The early church was thoroughly Jewish, which meant that its prayer life was governed by
the common practices of Jewish prayer, informal and formal, private and public, individual and corporate. While continuing the
ancient practice of personal, spontaneous prayers (note that Cornelius as a God-fearer both kept traditional times of prayer as well
as prayed ‘continuously,’ Acts 10:2–4), Jews of the late Second Temple period gathered for increasingly fixed, communal prayer
(Charlesworth, 265–66). In Diaspora Judaism Jews were characterized by their commitment to times of communal prayer (see Acts
16:13, 16). The synagogue and temple were places Jews gathered to pray. We find that the early church was a distinct entity gathered
for prayer (Acts 1:13–14; 2:42), while at the same time they carried out the traditional times of prayer individually (Acts 10:9) and
at least at the beginning attended the temple at the prescribed hour of prayer (Acts 3:1; cf. Acts 2:42, 46, “the prayers”). The apostle
Paul regularly went to the synagogue upon arriving at a new location on his missionary journeys (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 16:13; 17:1–2,
10, 17; 18:4, 19: 19:8).” [Ralph P. Martin and Peter H. Davids, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments,
electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000).]
29 “2.1.2. Influence from Jesus. The prayer life of the early church was also influenced by its relationship to Jesus. In the first
place Jesus’ personal practice of prayer set an example for the early church. Jesus derided public, ostentatious prayers and called his
followers to personal prayer with the Father (Mt 6:5–8), thereby enhancing private prayer and leading to silent prayer as a discipline
(cf. van der Horst, 16–18). Jesus prayed at special times of crisis and need, but prayer was also the ‘daily inspiration of His life’
(Martin 1974, 28–29).
“Second, Jesus’ practice of prayer reflected his relationship to Judaism. All four Evangelists concur that Jesus frequently
attended synagogue services on the sabbath, and his cleansing of the temple was based upon his desire that it should be a ‘house of
prayer’ (Mk 11:17). These activities established continuity with Judaism but also set the stage for the breach between the church and
Judaism (see Christianity and Judaism). ‘The originality of Christian worship is not that it rejects Jewish worship but that it reforms
and develops that worship, in accordance with Jesus’ teaching and in recognition of his saving work’ (Beckwith, 65).
“Third, therefore, ‘the prayers the church offers are now Christocentric’ (Turner, 73–74). What Israel had identified as divine
prerogatives the church now attributes to Jesus: he is the one Lord on whose name (in Joel’s terms) people are now to call for
salvation (Joel 2:17–39); he speaks to Saul in conviction (Acts 9:4–6) and Peter in direction (Acts 10:13–16); prayer is offered to
him by Stephen (Acts 7:59) and Ananias (Acts 9:10–16). Soon after the ascension of Jesus, the nascent church gathered to pray
(Acts 1:14). They prayed for the Lord to show them which of the two who qualified—Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias—should take
Judas’s place (Acts 1:15–26). This scene marks a central aspect of the new form of discipleship: although their Lord is no longer
with them personally, they can still ask him and the Father for help in times of need through prayer.
“Fourth, the age of fulfillment that was announced by John the Baptist and Jesus (Mt 3:2; 4:17) was now experienced in the
outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:14–41). The earliest gathering of the Christian community involved devotion to the apostles’
teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). The primitive church, already both within and outside Israel,
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