brought him to the conviction that "in every nation he that fears God and works righteousness, is
acceptable to him," and that Jews and Gentiles are saved alike by the grace of Christ through faith,
without the unbearable yoke of the ceremonial law.^769
II. The Epistles of Peter represent this riper stage of knowledge. They agree substantially
with the teaching of Paul. The leading idea is the same as that presented in his addresses in the
Acts: Christ the fulfiller of the Messianic prophecies, and the hope of the Christian. Peter’s
christology is free of all speculative elements, and simply derived from the impression of the
historical and risen Jesus. He emphasizes in the first Epistle, as in his earlier addresses, the
resurrection whereby God "begat us again unto a lively hope, unto an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven," when "the chief shepherd shall be
manifested," and we "shall receive the crown of glory." And in the second Epistle he points forward
to "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."^770 He thus connects the
resurrection of Christ with the final consummation of which it is the sure pledge. But, besides the
resurrection, he brings out also the atoning efficacy of the death of Christ almost as strongly and
clearly as Paul. Christ "suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring
us to God;" he himself "bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins,
might live unto righteousness;" he redeemed us "with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot."^771 Christ is to him the only Saviour, the Lord, the Prince of life, the Judge of the
world. He assigns him a majestic position far above all other men, and brings him into the closest
contact with the eternal Jehovah, though in subordination to him. The doctrine of the pre-existence
seems to be intimated and implied, if not expressly stated, when Christ is spoken of as being
"foreknown before the foundation of the world" and "manifested at the end of the time," and his
Spirit as dwelling in the prophets of old and pointing them to his future sufferings and glory.^772
III. Peter extends the preaching, judging, and saving activity of Christ to the realm of the
departed spirits in Hades during the mysterious triduum between the crucifixion and the
resurrection.^773 The descent into Hades is also taught by Paul (Eph. 4:9, 10).
IV. With this theory correspond the practical exhortations. Subjective Christianity is
represented as faith in the historical Christ and as a lively hope in his, glorious reappearance, which
should make the Christians rejoice even amidst trials and persecution, after the example of their
Lord and Saviour.(^769) Acts 10:35; 15:7-11.
(^770) 1 Pet. 1:3-5; 5:4; 2 Pet. 3:13.
(^771) 1 Pet. 1:18 sqq.; 2:4; 3:18 sqq.
(^772) 1 Pet. 1:20: Χριστοῦ προεγνωσμένου μέν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, φανερωθέντος δέ, κ. τ. λ.; 1:11: τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς(τοῖς
προφήταις)πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον, κ. τ. λ. Schmid, Lechler, Gess, and others understand these passages as teaching
a real pre-existence; Beyschlag (l.c., p. 121) finds in them only an ideal pre-existence in the foreknowledge of God, and emphasizes
the ἐποίησεν in Acts 2:36. He refers the π́εῦμα Χριστοῦto the Holy Spirit, which was afterwards given in full measure to Christ
at his baptism. So also Weiss (p. 161). But in this case Peter would have said τὸ πεῦμα ἅγιον, as he did 1 Pet. 1:12; 2 Pet. 1:21;
Acts 2:33, 38.
(^773) 1 Pet. 3:19; 4:6; comp. Acts 2:27. The reference of the first passage to a preaching of Christ through Noah at the time of
the flood is artificial, breaks the historic connection (ἀπέθανεν ... θαματωθείς ... ζωοποιηθείς πνεύματι ... ἐκήρυξεν –ϊ... –ͅϊπορευθεὶς
εἰς οὐρανόν ) and is set aside by 1 Pet. 4:6, which explains and generalizes the statement of the former passage. Baur (p. 291)
understands the πνεύματα ἐν φυλακῇ to be the fallen angels (comp. 2 Pet. 2:4; Gen. 6:1), and the preaching of Christ an
announcement of the judgment. But in this case we should have to distinguish between the ἐκήρυξεν, 1 Pet. 3:9, and the
εὐηγγελίσθη in 4:6. The latter always means preaching the gospel, which is a savor of life unto life to believers, and a savor of
death unto death to unbelievers.
A.D. 1-100.