TJieodore W. Jennings, Jr. The Meaning of ... - Quarterly Review

translations understand it as neuter, which allows the sentence to be
broken up into more readable units in an English translation.
However, the structure of the sentence calls for understanding it as a
masculine pronoun ("in whom), referring back to God, 13
as does all
else in this doxological sentence. This reflects the biblical idea of
rejoicing in God, as does Mary's song in Luke 1:47-55.
1:3,4, 7 are explicidy eschatological affirmations but only reflect
one outcropping of the eschatological substructure that undergirds
the whole letter. There are other explicit statements such as 1:13 and
4:7, but an implicit eschatological perspective pervades the letter
throughout. For example, the remainder of this long sentence—not
included as part of the lectionary reading, 1:10-12—speaks of both
the Hebrew prophets and the heavenly angels as envying the
Christian community, since they participate in the eschatological
events into which prophets and angels would love to peek.
Eschatology is not "taught" or "explained." The living hope is
already celebrated in the duress of the church's present, for the
revelation of God's glory, not obvious now, will be revealed in the
eschatological future. The church already lives in view of this
eschatological reality, and without turning away from this world,
gives praise to God for the reality of this hope. The living hope is
not an explanation that someday there will be a resurrection and
things will be different but a celebration that there has already been
a resurrection, and things are already different.
1 Peter 1:17-23
For this writer, God is defined, or rather has defined himself, as
"the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:3). The Bible's patriarchal
imagery for God has become problematic for some in the church.
This is not the place to discuss a large, important, and complex
issue, on which there is already an enormous bibliography. Here I
would only note that the issue posed by such texts is whether
responsible Christian preaching is to replace biblical imagery or
interpret it. Before one decides to replace biblical images for God, at
least two questions must be faced: first, has the biblical imagery
been understood in its own terms? In the present instance, is the
content of the word Father for God filled in from cultural patriarchal
structures (ancient or modern), or from the reinterpretation of the
100 QUARTERLY REVIEW/SPRING 1993