The Apostle Peter is rightfully considered one of the most famous disciples of Jesus Christ. Mentions of him are repeatedly found both on the pages of the Gospels and in the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. The New Testament also included two epistles written by the apostle Peter with his own hand. In all the texts mentioned above, Peter appears to us as a deeply sincere person, possessing an ardent temperament and strong faith in God. These qualities made him the informal head of the apostolic community and, as a result, one of the most famous disciples of Christ. The Apostle Peter was a direct witness to the greatest deeds of the Savior. Before his eyes, Jesus raised from the dead the daughter of Jairus, the head of the Jewish synagogue. By permission of Christ, Peter walked on the waters of the Sea of ​​Galilee. But, as it seems, most of all the apostle was inspired by the miracle of the Transfiguration, which the Savior performed on the top of Mount Tabor. About the Transfiguration of Christ, which Peter saw with his own eyes, he told his disciple, the apostle Mark - he, in turn, described the miracle in the Gospel he wrote. Peter also tells about the Transfiguration in his second epistle, which was included in the books of the New Testament. An excerpt from this text was read this morning during the service:

Brethren, try more and more to make sure your calling and election; so doing, you will never stumble, 11 for thus a free entrance will be opened to you into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore, I will never cease to remind you of this, although you know this and are established in the present truth. 13 But I consider it fair, while I am in this bodily temple, to excite you with a reminder, 14 knowing that I must soon leave my temple, just as our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to me. 15 But I will try to keep you always remembering this even after my departure. 16 For we have proclaimed to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, not following intricate fables, but being eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when this voice came to him from the magnificent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And besides, we have the most sure word of prophecy; and you do well to address him as to a lamp that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The Apostle Peter, before being called into the ranks of the disciples of the Savior, was a simple fisherman. He did not have a good education, such as the apostle Paul had. However, the letters of Peter are filled with wisdom that only a person enlightened by the grace of God can have. However, the simplicity of life of a fisherman is also visible in the texts of the apostle. For example, here is how the Apostle Mark describes the event of the Transfiguration from the words of Peter: “His clothes (that is, Christ) became shining, very white, like snow, as a bleacher cannot bleach on earth.” Before Peter's eyes, the Savior shows His Divine essence, and he (Peter) mentions the laundry detergent to convey his emotions. However, despite such simplicity of perception, the event of the Transfiguration left an indelible imprint on the apostle. Seeing the Divine Essence of Christ hidden until the time, Peter gained faith, which helped him overcome the bitterness of betrayal, and not be afraid of terrible torments before death. According to tradition, the apostle was crucified upside down by pagans in Rome. In the excerpt from the second epistle, written on the eve of these sad events, Peter tells of the approaching death. But at the same time, he does not experience sorrow, but is strengthened by the remembrance of the Transfiguration of Christ. The light that emanated from the Savior at that moment, according to Peter, drives away the anguish of death from him. Therefore, he calls on Christians who read his epistle to rely on faith, to turn to it "as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day begins to dawn and the morning star rises in your hearts."

Authorship of the First Epistle of John the Theologian.

Despite the fact that neither in the title nor in the text is there a direct indication that the author of this New Testament book is precisely John the Theologian, there is no doubt about this and never has been in the Christian Church. At the beginning of the epistle, we learn only that the author of the book is a witness of the life of Jesus Christ. The confidence of the Church in the authorship of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian stems from the similarity of the text of the Epistle and. However, if we remember that a large number of modern scholars believe that the author of the Gospel of John was not John the Theologian, but perhaps John of Jerusalem, Prester John, or a group of followers of the Apostle John, the question of the authorship of the First Epistle of John can be considered open.

Writing time.

We know that the First Epistle of John the Evangelist was familiar to Justin Martyr, who lived around 100-165 AD. Therefore, the Epistle could not have been written later than 165, whoever the author was. By the beginning of the 3rd century, the book was already considered canonical and authentic. There were no questions about the authenticity and canonical merit of the book for the same reason - there was no doubt that the text belongs to the author of the Fourth Gospel. Here we meet the same images and thoughts, the same sublime Christian contemplation, the same living memories of an eyewitness to the life of the Son of God. Even the lexical set of words is the same.

The time of writing in the Church Tradition is usually attributed to the end of the 1st century (97-99) - the last years of the life of the Apostle John. In the text, John the Theologian does not speak about the organization of Christian communities, but about their functioning and growth, which, of course, was characteristic of the later period of the life of the Holy Apostle. The text does not reflect the Jewish disputes characteristic of the earlier apostolic epistles. The author, however, is trying to resist the false teachers operating in the Christian community itself.

Place of writing - Ephesus in Asia Minor.

Commentary on the First Epistle of John.

The First Epistle of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian is often perceived as an additional reading to the Gospel of John. The gospel is seen as a theoretical part, while the epistle is more practical and even polemical.

The first epistle is addressed primarily to the Christians of Asia Minor. The main purpose of the Epistle is a warning against false teachers. The nature of the book is evocative and persuasive. The author warns Christians about the dangers of false teachings about the Lord.

Most likely, by the word "false teachers" the author of the epistle meant gnostics who in their philosophy clearly distinguished between the earthly and the spiritual. It is also possible that the letter is directed against the theory Dosetic who did not consider the Son of God to be a real person. It is likely that the author also meant heretical views of Sirenthia, who believed that the divine principle descended on Jesus during baptism and left him before crucifixion.

It is worth saying that at that time the Greco-Roman world was distinguished by many ideas and philosophies, it is only clear that John the Theologian struggled with those ideas that denied the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. The message is even more addressed to the leaders of the church than to the congregations as a whole. It is the leaders of the communities who must be faithful in their spiritual views.

Both the evidence of ancient Christian tradition, and the internal signs contained in the epistle itself, undeniably prove that it belongs to St. chief apostle Peter. This message is used in his writings by the apostolic husband and disciple of St. John the Theologian St. Polycarp; knew it and used it and St. Papias of Hierapolis. We find references to this epistle in St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen. It is also found in the Syrian translation of Peshito.
The tone of speech in many places of the epistle fully corresponds to the ardor of temperament of the Apostle Peter known to us from the Gospel; the clarity and accuracy of speech, its similarity with the speeches of the Apostle Peter in the book of Acts also eloquently testify to the undoubted authorship of St. Peter.
The Holy Apostle Peter, formerly called Simon, was the son of the fisherman Jonah from Bethsaida of Galilee (John 1:42, 45) and the brother of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who led him to Christ. St. Peter was married and had a home in Capernaum (Matt. 8:14). Called by Christ the Savior to fish on the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:8), at every opportunity he expressed to Him his special devotion and zeal, for which he was awarded a special approach to the Lord along with the sons of Zebedee (Luke 9:28).
Strong, fiery in spirit and resolute, he naturally took first place in the face of Christ's apostles. He was the first to resolutely confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Christ, i.e. Messiah (Mt. 16:16), and for this he was awarded the name Stone (Peter); on this rock of Peter's faith, the Lord promised to build His Church, which even the gates of hell will not prevail against (Matt. 16:18). Three times his renunciation of the Lord by St. Peter washed with bitter tears of repentance, as a result of which, after His Resurrection, the Lord again restored him to apostolic dignity, three times, according to the number of renunciations, entrusting him to feed His lambs and sheep (John 21:15-17). He was the first to contribute to the spread and establishment of the Church of Christ after the descent of the Holy Spirit, delivering a powerful speech to the people on the day of Pentecost and converting 3,000 souls to Christ, and some time later, with another powerful speech, on the occasion of the healing of the lame from birth in the temple, he converted another 5,000 ( Acts ch. 2-4).
The first part of the book of Acts (chaps. 1-12) tells mainly about his apostolic work. But since the time when he, miraculously freed by an angel from prison, went to another place (Acts 12:17), he is mentioned in the book of Acts only once more, when talking about the apostolic council (ch. 15). All other information about him was preserved only in church traditions, not very complete and not quite definite and consistent with each other.
In any case, it is known that he traveled with the preaching of the Gospel along the Palestinian, Phoenician and Syrian shores of the Mediterranean Sea, was in Antioch, where he ordained the first bishop Euodius. Then he preached in the regions of Asia Minor to Jews and proselytes, then in Egypt, where he ordained Mark as the first bishop for the Alexandrian church. From here he moved to Greece (Achaia) and preached in Corinth, as can be seen from 1 Cor. 1:12.
According to legend, St. Peter from Greece went to Italy and was in Rome, then visited Spain, Carthage and Britain. Towards the end of his life, St. Peter again arrived in Rome, where he was martyred along with St. Apostle Paul in 67, being crucified upside down.

The original purpose of the epistle, the reason for writing and the purpose

The original purpose of the epistle is clear from the very inscription of it: it is addressed to " aliens scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia"(1:1) - the provinces of Asia Minor. Under these " aliens"it is necessary to understand mainly the believing Jews, for St. Peter was predominantly" the apostle of the circumcised"(Gal. 2:7), but, as can be seen from some places of the epistle (2:10; 4:3, 4), this refers to the pagans, who, of course, were also part of the Christian communities of Asia Minor, as this is evident from the book of Acts and some of the epistles of St. Paul the Apostle.
What motives could St. Apostle Peter to write to the Christians of Asia Minor, whose communities were founded, as we know from the book of Acts, St. apostle Paul?
The internal reason, of course, was for the Apostle Peter the command of the Lord " confirm your brothers"(Luke 22:32). The outward reason was the discord that appeared in these communities, and in particular the persecution that befell them from the enemies of the Cross of Christ (as can be seen from 1 Pet. 1:6-7 and 4:12, 13, 19; 5:9).In addition to external enemies, even more subtle enemies appeared - internal ones, in the person of false teachers. Taking advantage of the absence of the holy Apostle Paul, they began to distort his teaching on Christian freedom and patronize all moral licentiousness (1 Pet. 2:16 ; 2 Pet. 1:9; 2:1).
There is reason to believe that information about the trials that befell the Asia Minor communities was delivered by St. to the Apostle Peter Silouan, who was the constant companion of the Apostle Paul, but after the conclusion of the Apostle Paul, he passed into bonds to St. Peter.
The purpose of the epistle, therefore, is to encourage, console the Christians of Asia Minor in sorrows and confirm them in the faith. The last goal of St. Peter himself means: this I wrote briefly to you through Silouan, your faithful brother, as I think, to assure you, comforting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand" (5:12).

Place and time of writing

The place where St. Peter wrote his first epistle, Babylon is indicated (5:13). Roman Catholics who claim that St. the apostle Peter was the bishop of the city of Rome for 25 years, they want to see in this " Babylon"The allegorical name of Rome. Such an allegory is hardly appropriate in a farewell greeting.
It is more natural to see in this the real name of the city. There is no need to assume that this was the Babylon of Euphrates, about the visit of St. Peter, we have no news. In Egypt there was a small town on the banks of the Nile, founded by settlers from Babylon, who also called it Babylon. In the history of the Christian Church, the Babylonian Church in Egypt is known (Thurs.-Min. for June 4. Life of St. Zosima). St. Peter was in Egypt, he placed there, in Alexandria, St. Mark as a bishop, and therefore it is quite natural that he could write from there and at the same time convey greetings from St. Brand.
When this message was written, it is impossible to determine with certainty. Assumptions about the time of its writing are based on the fact that under St. Peter was then Silouan and Mark, on whose behalf the apostle sends greetings to Asia Minor (1 Pet. 5:12, 13). Both of these persons accompanied St. the Apostle Paul and were well known to the Christians of Asia Minor. They could probably leave him only after St. the Apostle Paul was taken into chains and sent to Rome for judgment by Caesars (Acts ch. 26-27).
It was also natural for Peter to take care of his flock after Paul was taken into bondage. And since The first epistle was written shortly before the second, which was undoubtedly written before the martyrdom of St. Peter, which followed in the year 67, then the date of writing the first epistle is determined between 62 and 64 AD.

The first epistle of St. Apostle Peter consists of only 5 chapters. Their content is as follows:
1st chapter: Inscription and greeting (1-2). Glory to God for the grace of rebirth (3-5), for the sake of which one should rejoice in sorrows (6-9) and to which the searches of the prophets belonged (10-12). Exhortation to the sanctity of life (13-21) and mutual love (22-25).
2nd chapter: Instructions on spiritual growth (1-3) and dispensation (4-10), on a virtuous life (11-12), on obedience to authorities (13-17), on the obedience of servants to masters (18-20). An example of the sufferings of the Lord (21-25).
3rd chapter: Moral instructions for wives (1-6), husbands (7) and all Christians (8-17). Christ suffered, descended into hell, resurrected and ascended (18-22).
4th chapter: Instructions to Christians regarding various moral qualities and virtues (1-11), especially about innocent malice (12-19).
5th chapter: Instructions for shepherds and flocks (1-9). Apostolic blessing (10-11). News and greetings (12-14).

Exegetical, analysis of the first epistle of St. Apostle Peter

Begins his first conciliar epistle of St. Apostle Peter in the words: Peter, Apostle of Jesus Christ"- it is impossible not to see that the holy apostle deliberately exposes his apostolic dignity, for the churches to which he wrote were not founded by him and did not have a personal acquaintance with him.
After listing to whom his message is addressed, St. Throughout his epistle, Peter tries to strengthen and uplift the moral life of the oppressed Christians of Asia Minor with various inspired edifications.
In the first 2 chapters, he reveals " the majesty and glory of the salvation given to us in Jesus Christ", which gives the whole section a dogmatic connotation. In the remaining chapters, exclusively moral instructions predominate.
Christians of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, St. the apostle calls aliens"in a double sense: they live outside their fatherland - Palestine; for Christians, life on earth is wandering and wandering, for a Christian's own fatherland is another world, a spiritual world.
The apostle calls them " elected"in the sense that in the New Testament all Christians constitute the new chosen people of God, as the Jews were in the Old Testament (1:1). They are chosen" according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, with sanctification from the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ"- all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity took part in the work of saving people: God the Father, knowing by His foreknowledge which of the people how to use the free will granted to him, predestinates people to salvation; the Son of God, by His death on the Cross, completed the very work of salvation, and the Holy Spirit through his grace he sanctifies the elect, appropriating to them the work of salvation accomplished by Christ (v. 2).
From the depths of his heart, filled with gratitude to God for the redemption of the world, the apostle then lifts up praise to God, who has given to people " incorruptible inheritance", as opposed to the sensual earthly things that the Jews expected from the Messiah (vv. 3-4).
Having said further that the power of God " through faith"obeys them" to salvation", the apostle suggests that this salvation will be revealed in all its power only in " Lately"; now it is necessary to grieve" Little"so that faith tested by the fire of temptations may be more precious than the most refined gold" at the appearance of Jesus Christ", i.e., at his second coming (vv. 5-7).
Ends his doxology of St. the apostle, pointing out the great importance of the economy of our salvation, to which all the searches and investigations of the prophets belonged; and which is so deep that it the angels wish to enter"(vv. 8-12).
Based on all that has been said, the apostle offers a series of moral instructions, reinforcing them with high dogmatic contemplations. The first general instruction is about perfect hope in the grace of Christ with childlike obedience to God as Father and striving to become like Him in the holiness of life: " be holy because I am holy"(v. 13-16). This should be prompted by a high consciousness of the price at which Christians are redeemed:" not silver or gold", "but the precious blood of Christ"(vv. 17-20). This is a high motive - to keep the faith of Christ and hold fast to it, in spite of any temptations (v. 21-25).

In 2nd chapter St. Peter inspires Christians that they, living among hostile pagans, must show by their holy, virtuous lives that they " a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people, a people taken as an inheritance, in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light". Then the pagans, seeing the virtuous life of a Christian, will themselves turn to Christ and glorify God for what the believers were previously reviled for.
Here, in refutation of the false teaching of the Roman Catholics that the person of the Apostle Peter is the stone on which the Church is founded, it is important to note that St. the apostle Peter calls stone"not at all himself, but the Lord Jesus Christ, as can be seen from verse 4. The foundation of the Church, its cornerstone is Christ Himself, and all believers, members of the Church - " living stones"- must arrange themselves on this stone" a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God"(v. 5) - just as God in the Old Testament had His temple and His priests, who served Him with sacrifices, so in the New Testament the whole society of Christians in the spiritual sense should be both a temple and priests.
This, of course, is figurative speech, and this does not abolish the priesthood as a special class of persons appointed in the Church to teach, perform the sacraments, and govern. All believers are called " holy priesthood"because they have to" make spiritual sacrifices"God, i.e. sacrifices of virtue. Virtues are called" victims"because the fulfillment of them is associated with the feat of suppressing one's passions and lusts.
In verses 6-8, St. the apostle again calls the Lord Jesus Christ " cornerstone", referring to the prophecy of Isaiah 28:16, the words of which undoubtedly refer to the Messiah. This prophecy and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself referred to Himself (Matt. 21:42).
In verse 9, St. the apostle calls Christians again" chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy people, people taken as inheritance"- all these features are borrowed from the Old Testament names of the Jewish people and are applied to Christians, because in Christians what these names originally meant when applied to the Jewish people has finally come true (cf. Ex. 19: 5-6). And St. John the Theologian in his Apocalypse says that in the spiritual sense the Lord Jesus Christ has made all of us, Christians, kings and priests to God and His Father (1:6).
These figurative expressions, pointing only to the high dignity of the Christian rank, of course, cannot be taken literally, as they do, these are sectarians who, on the basis of these words of the apostle, reject the priesthood and royal power legally established in the Church.
"Once not a people, but now the people of God"(v. 10) - these words are borrowed from the prophet Hosea (2:23), where God, calling the Jewish people of that time not His people, because they were unworthy in their sinful way of life, promises that in the time of the Messiah the people will be made worthy that God should say to them: you are my people". This promise was fulfilled when the best part of the Jewish people accepted the teachings of Christ. This saying can all the more be attributed to Christians from former pagans.
From verse 11, the apostle begins purely moral instructions concerning the inner and personal life of Christians. Here he, as it were, reveals in detail exactly how this royal priesthood of Christians should be expressed, what spiritual sacrifices they should make and how they should behave so that the pagans, seeing their virtuous life, glorify them for what they are now reviling. The persecutors of Christians were led by pagan authorities and the upper classes of pagan society, and Christianity initially spread mainly among slaves. The disenfranchised position of these slaves worsened even more with their acceptance of the persecuted faith of Christ. The consciousness of the injustice of persecution could induce Christians who were not yet strong in faith to murmur and resistance.
To prevent this, the apostle in verses 13-19 teaches obedience to every human authority " for the Lord". This obedience and Christian freedom are by no means mutually exclusive, but, on the contrary, freedom, understood in the true sense, imposes the duty of obedience and the obligations associated with it. Christian freedom is spiritual freedom, and not external: it consists in freedom from slavery to sin , the sinful world and the devil, but at the same time it is slavery to God and therefore imposes obligations required by the Word of God, Christian freedom can be abused by reinterpreting the concept of it and covering up with it any unbridledness, which Christians should be afraid of. Christian freedom, the apostle, perhaps, has in mind the false Gnostic teachers who appeared then. example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself"(vv. 20-25) and convinces Christians" that we may follow in His footsteps", i.e. imitate Him in patiently enduring suffering.

V 3rd chapter St. the apostle gives moral instruction to wives, husbands, and all Christians. The apostle commands wives to obey their husbands. This refers especially to Christian wives who were married to Jewish or pagan husbands who did not accept the Christian faith.
The position of such wives was, of course, very difficult. Naturally, they could be tempted to be under the special guidance of persons already enlightened by the Christian faith, i.e. other people's husbands, to become in a special relationship of obedience to other people's husbands, through which misunderstandings and discord in family life could be generated. The apostle with particular care warns such women against such a temptation and inspires them to obey their own husbands, even if they were unbelievers, indicating the lofty purpose of this: " so that those of them who do not obey the word may be gained by the life of their wives without a word". The apostle inspires that the true adornment of a Christian woman is not in external attire, but in inner beauty" a meek and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God(v. 4). As an example, the apostle gives Sarah, who obeyed her husband Abraham.
The plight of a woman, both in the ancient pagan world and among the Jews, prompts the apostle to give instructions to the husband regarding his wife, so that the instruction on the obedience of his wife would not give the husband a reason to abuse this obedience. A husband should treat his wife with care, as if the weakest vessel"(vv. 5-7).
Further, the apostle gives moral instructions to all Christians in general, inspiring them to rejoice if they suffer for the truth, for " and Christ... suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous;"(v. 18-19). Under this " dungeon", as the Greek word used here shows, one must understand Hell, or "Sheol" - the place where, according to the Jews, all the souls of people who died before the coming of the Messiah descended; this is a place in the underworld, i.e. under the earth or inside the earth "This is not hell in our sense of the word, as a place of eternal torment for sinners, but still a place, as its name shows, embarrassing for the human spirit, unpleasant, undesirable. This was the place before the coming of Christ for all people who died in the Old Testament, although , apparently, and there were still different degrees, depending on the wickedness or righteousness of the dead.
The Lord descended into this "dungeon" to preach about the salvation of mankind accomplished by Him. This was the call of all the souls who died before Christ and were in Sheol to enter the Kingdom of Christ, and those who repented and believed without a doubt were released from their place of imprisonment and introduced into the paradise opened by the Resurrection of Christ - the place of blessedness of the righteous.
According to church tradition, this sermon of Christ Himself in hell was preceded there by a sermon about Christ by St. John the Baptist (see his troparion).
"recalcitrant"- means that the preaching of Christ the Savior was also addressed to the most stubborn sinners, an example of which the apostle sets the contemporaries of Noah, who died from the flood.
From verse 6 of the 4th chapter, we can conclude that those who were saved by the preaching of Christ in hell were also of these: " for for this reason it was also proclaimed to the dead that they, having been judged according to man in the flesh, should live according to God in the spirit. By this, the apostle also emphasizes that the preaching of Christ was addressed to all people without exception, not excluding the pagans, and, moreover, the most sinful of them (vv. 19-20).
From the thought of the flood and those who were saved in the ark in verse 20, the apostle passes to the sacrament of baptism, represented by the flood water. In verse 21 the apostle defines the essence of baptism. It is not " carnal uncleanness washing"similar, for example, to the numerous and varied Jewish ablutions, which, while cleansing only the body, did not in the least touch the impurities of the soul: it is" a promise to God of good conscience". These words do not mean, of course, that a good conscience, or cleansing from spiritual defilements, is not given in baptism, for it is further said that " baptism saves by the resurrection of Christ"(v. 21). The apostle here only indicates the need for the baptized to decide to start a new life in conscience.

4th chapter all devoted to moral instruction. These moral instructions are based on the thought of the sufferings of Christ: " since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourself with the same thought: for he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin"(v. 1).
This entire chapter is permeated with the thought of patiently enduring persecution for the faith and of the need to overcome the evil attitude of the enemies of the faith by a virtuous life. " He who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin"- bodily suffering, whether from a voluntary feat of self-mortification or from violent oppression from without, weakens the strength and effect of human sinfulness. At the same time, the same idea is expressed here as in chapter 6 of the letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans: He who dies with Him dies to sin, must consider himself dead to sin, but alive to God.The apostle urges Christians not to be embarrassed that the pagans slander them for the radical change that has taken place in their lives, reminding them that they too will be judged by God for their wantonness (v. 2-6).
"The end is near"- in the sense that Christians should always be ready for the coming of Christ. From this, the apostle deduces the need for a moral life for Christians and gives a number of instructions, putting love at the head of everything, because " love covers many sins"(v. 8), as St. Apostle James also teaches about this.
Chapter 4 ends with an admonition to the martyrs: " fiery temptation... don't be shy"(v. 12). Christians must fearlessly confess their faith, not fearing slander and suffering, but glorifying God for such a fate (v. 13-19).

5th chapter contains instructions to pastors and flocks, an apostolic blessing and concluding greetings. The apostle admonishes shepherds to shepherd the flock of God, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly, not for vile self-interest, but out of zeal, and not ruling over the inheritance of God, but setting an example for the flock. He edifies the flock so that, obeying their shepherds and surrendering humbly to the guidance of the strong hand of God, they themselves, however, be sober and vigilant, for the adversary the devil walks like a lion, looking for someone to devour. The three main features of true shepherding are here pointed out by St. Peter:
1) "Shepherd God's flock, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God"- here it is said that the shepherd himself must be filled with love for his great work, must feel an inner calling for him, so as not to be a hireling instead of a true shepherd (5: 2);
2) "not for vile self-interest, but out of zeal"- this is the second feature of good shepherding, which can be called unselfishness. This does not mean that the shepherd should not use anything from his flock (see 1 Cor. 9: 7, 13, 14), but only that the shepherd does not dare put their personal benefits and material profit at the forefront of their pastoral activities;
3) "not dominating... but setting an example"- the shepherd cannot but have power over his flock, but this power should not be in the nature of worldly dominance with violence, oppression and oppression, in which elements of self-love would affect; a true shepherd must himself be a good example to his flock - then he is easy, without coercion, will acquire the necessary authority and spiritual power over them (5:3).
For such good shepherding, St. the apostle promises unfading crown"from the Chief Shepherd - Christ (5:4).
"Also the younger", i.e. all are not elders, not presbyters, but younger in position in church society, i.e. flock," obey the shepherds", "Nevertheless, being subject to one another, clothe yourself with humility of mind, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - "obey each other"means that everyone in his position must obey the elders, those who are in authority over him, and thereby show humility, which alone attracts the grace of God to a person (5: 5-7).
The apostle calls for sobriety and spiritual vigilance, pointing out that the enemy of human salvation is the devil " walks around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"- like a hungry lion, the devil, eternally spiritually hungry and eternally irritated against those whom he cannot devour, frightens them, like a lion with his roar, his anger and seeks to cause them any harm. First of all, he must be resisted" firm faith"for faith unites with Christ, the Conqueror of the devil (5:8-9).
Finishes his first epistle to St. Peter with good wishes from God - to be firm, unshakable in faith, sends greetings from the church in Babylon and from " his son Mark"and teaching" peace in Christ Jesus" (5:10-14).

Ministry of the Holy Apostle Peter in Rome (time of writing).

We do not know the exact date of Peter's arrival in Rome. The omission of Peter in the Pauline Epistles from Rome suggests that he was not in Rome when Paul wrote those epistles.

If Peter, like Paul, suffered under Nero, then his death can be attributed to the persecution of 65-67. Thus, Peter's ministry in Rome lasted about two years. The compilation of two of his epistles, which were included in the New Testament canon, also dates back to this time.

The epistle is of a consolatory nature, written as a consolation to the churches left without their shepherd, the linguistic-Christian. The purpose of writing the epistle is to comfort the Churches, to prepare them for new sufferings. If we accept the point of view of Bishop Cassian, then it is a consolation after the loss of the Apostle Paul.

Place of writing.

IN 1 ohm Peter 5:13 Peter sends greetings from the church in Babylon: "Greetings to you, the chosen one, like you, the Church in Babylon." In the Apocalyptic writing of that time, Rome is called Babylon.

Message recipients.

The letter is addressed to the Gentile Christians of Asia Minor: "to aliens scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappodacia, Asia and Bithynia"(1:1). In 1 Pet., the problems of the old law are not touched at all, and this is a sure sign that the addressees are not Jews, but Gentiles. And at the same time, none of the New Testament epistles is richer in references to the Old Testament than 1 Peter. For every 105 verses of the epistle, there are 23 verses of Old Testament quotations.

There are two points of view as to who the recipients of this message were in these Churches. The first, traditional point of view is shared by Origen, Eusebius, Epiphanius, blzh. Theophylact, Jerome - we are talking about Judeo-Christian readers. There is significant support for this point of view in the text of the message itself. One of the brightest features is that more than 20% of the text, 23 verses out of 105 are quotes from the Old Testament. The author quotes in order to show the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that the law was fulfilled in Christ. But a number of points are perceived confusingly, if we have in mind the Judeo-Christian readers (2:10): "once not a people, but now the people of God, who once did not receive mercy, but now they have received mercy." Why were the Jews not the people of God?

They considered themselves the people of God and were such until the coming of Christ. Especially bright misunderstanding in 4 Oh chapter, verse 3-4: “It is enough that in the past time of your life you acted according to the will of the pagans, indulging in uncleanness, lust, drunkenness, excesses, absurd idolatry. Therefore, they marvel that you do not participate with them in the same debauchery. They are pagans. Therefore, the point of view arises that the named churches of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia - the Churches of Pavlova, where Paul preached, are linguistic-Christian.

Confirmation of Paul's teaching. Twice the Holy Apostle Peter refers to the teaching, "which has already been taught" readers, and in the second epistle the apostle directly refers to the Apostle Paul (3:15-16).

In the thought of the Apostle Peter himself, the idea of ​​the apostolic ministry is inseparably connected with the analogous ministry of the Old Testament prophets. Blessed Theophylact perfectly notes this feature in the views of St. Peter on the work of the apostolate, saying: “In words, according to the foreknowledge of God, the Apostle wants to show that he, with the exception of time, is in no way inferior to the prophets, who themselves were sent, and that the prophets were sent, Isaiah says about this:” sent me to preach to the poor" (). But if it is lower in time, then it is not lower in the foreknowledge of God. In this regard, he declares himself equal to Jeremiah, who, before being formed in the womb, was known and sanctified and appointed as a prophet to the nations (). And as the prophets, among other things, foretold the coming of Christ (for for this they were sent), this explains the office of the apostolate, that the work of his apostleship is to separate. For this means the word "sanctification", for example, in the words: "you will be with Me a people of precedence, sanctified" (), that is, separated from other peoples. So, the work of his apostleship is to separate by means of spiritual gifts peoples who are obedient to the cross and sufferings of Jesus Christ, sprinkled not with the ashes of youth, when it is necessary to cleanse the defilement from communion with the pagans, but with blood from the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle calls the readers of the epistle (v. 1) “the chosen ones and the aliens of the dispersion” ( έκλεκτοίς παρεπιδημοις διασπορας ): the chosen ones - in the sense of calling to Christ (by analogy with the election of the Jewish people in the Old Testament), "newcomers and dispersions" - not only in a close, literal sense - meaning Jewish Christians living outside their fatherland - Palestine, but also in in a broader, spiritual or figurative sense - in general, Christians who do not have a resident city on earth (), since human life on earth is generally called wandering and alienism, and a person, according to the biblical view, wherever he lives, there is a wanderer and a stranger on earth ; the earth is his temporary residence, and his own fatherland is another world - spiritual, heavenly (cf. ; ; ).

Therefore, although the word "scattering" has a technical meaning in the New Testament, denoting the Jews who lived outside Palestine among the Gentiles (; ), likewise the word "stranger" (Heb. ger, toshab) in the Old Testament meant a person who lived outside the limits of their fatherland, in a foreign land (;), but the Apostle Peter, in the already indicated improper, spiritual sense, Christians in general, not excluding linguistic Christians (), are called wanderers and strangers (), and the time of their life in the world - travel time(). Thus, the Apostle Peter, putting into the Old Testament figurative expressions the highest, New Testament meaning, by the considered words of greeting means all Christians living in the areas listed by the Apostle - due to the fact that they, just like Christians, constitute a special people, alien to the world and pagans. and having a spiritual, true homeland in heaven. The areas of Christian residence listed by the Apostle are all located in Asia Minor. Namely: Pontus is the northeastern province of Asia Minor, which received its name due to its proximity to Pontus Euxinus or the Black Sea; from Pontus came Akila, an employee of the Apostle Paul in the work of the gospel (). Galatia lay west of Pontus, got its name from the Gauls who settled here from Western Europe, Ap. Pavel. Cappadocia was located south of Pontus; Christians of this province, as well as from Pontus, were still at the first Christian Pentecost in Jerusalem (). The name of Asia denotes the so-called Proconsular Asia, which consisted of the province of Mysia, Lydia and Caria and embraced the entire western coast of the Asia Minor peninsula (). Finally, Bithynia occupied the northwestern part of this peninsula ().

After naming the readers of the epistle, the Apostle immediately stops (v. 2) with his reverent thought on the greatness of the Christian calling. Here he first of all draws the attention of readers to the fact that their election to salvation has been completed. by the foreknowledge of God the Father", κατα πρόγνωσιν Θεοΰ Πατρός . The concept of "foreknowledge" of God, as already mentioned, occupies a prominent place in the theology of the Apostle Peter, precisely because of the closeness of his worldview to the Old Testament, or due to his special recognition of the organic connection of both testaments. The salvation of Christians indicates the participation of all three persons of the Most Holy Trinity: if he assimilates to God the Father the “foreknowledge” of salvation, then to the Holy Spirit: “sanctification” ῾εν άγιασμ Πνεύματος , i.e., all the various actions of the Holy Spirit for the grace of the spirit and the whole nature of a Christian, and to Christ the Savior - the very accomplishment of the work of salvation, which at the same time has the highest goal: " in obedience and sprinkling of blood yu" ( εις υπακοήν και ραντισμον αίματος ) Jesus Christ. There are two concepts here: "obedience" and " sprinkling of blood» Jesus Christ, and both of them in the Apostle's view are associated with the Old Testament prototype of the New Testament - the covenant of the blood of Christ (; ). The Old Testament event, which foreshadowed the New Testament sprinkling of all people entering Christ, was the image or method of using sacrificial blood during the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai by God with the Jewish people, when the people were sprinkled with blood: Moses took the blood(sacrificial) and sprinkled the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you"(; cf.). Thus, just as the covenant of God with the Jewish people was concluded with blood, so the priceless blood of the incarnate Son of God, shed by Him on the Cross, laid the foundation for the New Covenant of God with mankind; and just as through the sprinkling of the Jews with sacrificial blood the Jewish people entered into the covenant and became the holy people of the covenant, so, of course, to an incomparably higher degree, the sprinkling of the blood of Christ is a grace-filled power for people to enter into a new covenant with God or into Christ's. The aforementioned narration of the book explains the meaning of another expression of the Apostle: “in obedience. The fact is that Moses sprinkled sacrificial blood as a sign of his entering into a covenant with God only after, after reading the people "books and the Testament" aloud to all the people, the latter gave a solemn promise: " all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient“(i), i.e., was imprisoned when sprinkled with sacrificial blood only under the condition of the obedience of the people to the will of Jehovah, expressed in the book of the Testament. Similarly, the acceptance and entry of people into the bosom of the Church of Christ takes place only under the condition of “obedience,” i.e., unconditional readiness for people to accept all Christian teaching with an irrevocable determination to fulfill it in life itself.

Having depicted the essence and basis of the salvation of people in Christ, the Apostle sends prayerful good wishes to the readers: “ grace to you and peace multiply". "Grace" - because we are saved gratuitously, without bringing anything from ourselves; "peace" - because, having offended the Vladyka, we were in the ranks of His enemies "(Blessed Theophilus).

. Blessed also is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy has regenerated us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to a living hope,

. to an inheritance incorruptible, pure, unfading, stored up in heaven for you,

. kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

After greeting the readers with the image of the source of Christian salvation, the Apostle is filled with a feeling of deep heartfelt gratitude to God for the redemption of the world and the calling of Christian readers to Christ, and pours out his believing feeling in a solemn doxology or doxology, closely reminiscent of the similar doxology of another supreme Apostle Paul at the beginning of the epistle. to the Ephesians (Eph 1 next). In his doxology to God, St. Peter calls God the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as Christ Himself called God not only the Father, but also his God (), likewise Ap. Paul often called, usually in doxology, God the Father and God Jesus Christ (; ; ; ). It is possible that the form of doxology was borrowed from its liturgical use in apostolic times (cf.).

Salvation itself in Christ the Apostle characterizes in his doxology in v. 3 from three sides: a) according to its source, it is the work of God's "great mercy" (το πολύελεος ) of God, since the salvation of the sinful world and mankind is exclusively the work of God's love that has mercy on man (); b) according to its essential property, it is " rebirth e" (αναγεννήσας), the grace-filled rebirth of people into a new, spiritual and eternal life (cf.; ; ; ); finally, c) according to the ultimate goal, salvation in Christ " leads to hope alive(εις ελπίδ Ζώσαν) resurrected by Jesus Christ from the dead ": a spiritually dead person in falling away from God through faith in Christ and in union with Christ is reborn into a new life and receives a firm hope for eternal blessed life, the pledge and foundation of this hope constitutes the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (; ). “What is God giving? hope, but not that which was through Moses, for a settlement in the land of Canaan, and which was, but a living hope. Where does it get life from? From the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. For just as He Himself has risen, He also gives those who come to Him through faith in Him the strength to rise again” (Blessed Theophilus). In Art. 4 describes in detail the very object of Christian hope. This subject is “heritage”, inheritance (εις κληρονομίαν), i.e., by resemblance to the promised land of the Old Testament (), - the spiritual benefits of the Kingdom of Christ inherited by Christians (;), especially eternal bliss in heaven (), -called here at Ap. Peter "imperishable" (άφθαρτον), "indecent" (άμίαρτον), "unfading" (άμάραντον) i.e. the heavenly heritage desired by Christians is not subject to any corruption and destruction (), pure, holy and perfect, eternally flowering and always equal to itself “not deposited on earth, as, for example, to the fathers, but in heaven, from which it has the property of eternity, which is what prevails over the inheritance of the earth” (Blessed Theophilus).

This heritage, according to the Apostle, is “preserved” (τετηρημένη) in heaven for Christians: the image is taken from earthly treasures stored by parents in a safe place for their children. But not only treasures for believers are preserved in heaven, but they themselves, in fulfillment the petitions of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in His First Holy Prayer are preserved, guarded by the power of God (cf.) " through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time". And from the person himself, unceasing vigilance about his salvation is required (), but, due to human weakness, it is the almighty power of God that is needed to protect the Christian from many and various enemies and dangers of his salvation. Salvation is ready to be revealed in its entirety" lately", ἐν καιρῶ ἐσχάτω , i.e., according to the New Testament use of this expression (cf.; ;), with the end of the kingdom of grace and the opening of the kingdom of glory, at the second coming of Christ. The expression "ready" gives the idea of ​​the proximity of this last time. “This closeness is understood here, no doubt, in the same sense as the other apostles, i.e., that with the first appearance of Christ into the world, the last epoch of the dispensation of human salvation began, during which one must constantly be ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Christ for judgment (see) ”(Reverend Bishop Michael).

. Rejoice in this, now grieving a little, if necessary, from various temptations,

. so that your tried faith may be more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

. Whom, having not seen, you love, and Whom, hitherto not seeing, but believing in Him, rejoice with joy indescribable and glorious,

. reaching at last by your faith the salvation of souls.

. To this salvation belonged the searches and investigations of the prophets, who foretold of the grace appointed for you,

The high joy of the blessings of the Christian heritage, which fills the hearts of all true Christians, should shed grace-filled consolation into their souls during the sorrows and misfortunes that befall them. The lofty teaching on the salutary significance of sorrows in the moral life of Christians Peter sets forth similarly to Ap. James (James 1 next), but together with some features corresponding to the personal properties of the spiritual experience of the Apostle Peter. Namely, first of all, he especially separates the insignificance - both in duration and in character - of temporary sorrows and trials with eternal bliss prepared for a Christian in heaven, and then more than St. James, seeks to revive in the souls of readers personal communion with the Lord Jesus Christ through faith in him and love for him, as a means or path to that blessedness. “As a teacher in his promise declares not only joy, but also sorrow, saying:” in the world you will have sorrow“(), so the Apostle added “little” to the word of joy. But as sad as this is, the latter adds "now ..." Or the word "now" should be attributed to joy, since it will be replaced by future joy, not short-lived, but long-lasting and endless. Or the word “little” should be understood in relation to sorrow, in this exact form, if now it is necessary, then grieve a little from various temptations ... neither is left in them forever. The grieving righteous suffer in order to receive crowns, and sinners suffer in punishment for their sins. Not all the righteous experience sorrows, so that you do not consider malice laudable and hate virtue. And not all sinners experience sorrows so that the truth of the resurrection would not be questioned, if everyone here still received their due” (Blessed Theophilus). In Art. 8 The apostle points to the faith and love of the readers for the Lord Jesus Christ as a new motivation for the complacent enduring of trials, and the apostle expresses this praise in the form of a paraphrase of the words of Christ, Ap. Thomas that blessed are those who, not seeing Christ, believe in Him (). The readers of the epistle, who have just such faith and love for Christ, should draw strength and support from this for their hope for final salvation. “If, he says, without seeing Him with bodily eyes, love Him by hearing alone, then what kind of love will you feel when you see Him, moreover, appearing in glory? If His sufferings have bound you to Him in this way, then what attachment must the appearance of Him in unbearable splendor produce in you, when the salvation of souls is given to you as a reward? If you have to appear before him and be worthy of such glory, then now show patience corresponding to it and you will fully achieve the intended goal ”(Blessed Theophilus).

. investigating to which and to what time the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing, when He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow them.

. It was revealed to them that not to themselves, but to us, what was now preached to you by those who proclaimed the gospel of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, into which the angels wish to penetrate.

The greatness and glory of Christian salvation is evident from the fact that it constitutes the great mystery of God, which long before its realization was the subject of careful research and study of the prophets and reverent penetration into it by the angels themselves. The prophets investigated (cf.) not only when (τίνα καιρόν), after how many centuries and years the Messiah would come, but also what (ποίον καιρόν) character and spirit, what were the circumstances and relations of that time. The self-activity of the prophets in this study consisted in clarifying and distributing in detail the data of revelation. But the only source of the latter for the prophets was the Spirit of Christ (τό πνευΧρίστου), sent from God the Father into the world by God the Son: “in these words the Apostle Peter reveals the mystery of the Trinity” (Blessed Theophilus). The subject of prophetic contemplation and research was the suffering (παθήματα) of Christ the Savior, by which He at one time accomplished the work of saving people, and then the subsequent glory (δόξας - pl.), the participants of which are all those who believe in Christ. “With the word about the foreknowledge of the prophets, the Apostle inspires the readers to accept with faith what the prophets foretold to him, because even prudent children do not neglect the labors of the fathers. If they (the prophets), having no use for anything, searched and investigated, and, having found it, put it in books and handed over to us, as it were, some inheritance, then we would be unjust if we began to treat their labors contemptuously. Therefore, when we proclaim this to you, do not neglect it, and do not leave our gospel in vain. Such a lesson comes from the foresight of the prophets” (Blessed Theophilus). The highest degree of assessment of the work of saving people is the concluding remark of the Apostle in Art. 12 about the fact that the Angels themselves desire and strive to penetrate into the mystery of the salvation of people and the whole world in Christ with all diligence and reverence (cf.;).

. Therefore, [beloved,] girding up the loins of your mind, being vigilant, fully trust in the grace that is given to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

. Like obedient children, do not conform to the former lusts that were in your ignorance,

. but, following the example of the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your deeds.

. For it is written: be holy, for I am holy.

The contemplation of the heavenly heights of the Christian vocation should, first of all, generate in the hearts of believers a firm and perfect hope in the grace of Christ that contributes to their salvation, and then it should completely regenerate their whole life according to the highest Archetype of God the Father: spiritual vigor (cf.;), perfect obedience to the Gospel , the complete abandonment of the sinful habits of pre-Christian life and, conversely, the desire to imitate the holiness of God in accordance with the Old Testament command of God (). “Some fools say you have to adapt to circumstances. But how to surrender to the will of circumstances lightly, the Apostle commands that they, whether in knowledge or in ignorance, adhere to this hitherto, but from now on be conformed to Him who called them, Who is truly holy, and become holy themselves ”(Blessed Theophilus).

. predestined before the foundation of the world, but manifested in the last times for you,

. who through him believed in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that you may have faith and hope in God.

As new and strong motivations for a holy life, the Apostle now points to the filial relationship of readers and all Christians to God (v. 17), and then to their redemption by the priceless, most pure Blood of Jesus Christ. Filial relations with God (cf.), however, require Christians to have a particularly reverent fear of God (cf.). “Scripture distinguishes between two kinds of fear, one is initial, the other is perfect. The initial fear, which is also the main one, is when someone turns to an honest life out of fear of responsibility for his deeds, and the perfect one is when someone, for the perfection of love for a friend, jealously beloved, is afraid not to to remain indebted to him with nothing that is required by strong love ... The Apostle Peter convinces those who listen to him to live according to this perfect fear, and says: by the inexpressible mercy of the Creator God, you are accepted among His children; therefore, always let this fear be with you, since you became like this because of the love of your Creator, and not because of your works ”(Blessed Theophilus). The Apostle strengthens the feeling of fear of God in the readers by reminding them that their earthly life is a time of wandering (τής παροιχίας), which fully corresponds earlier (v. 1) and later () to the used title of readers as wanderers and strangers. Another lofty motivation for the holiness of life is offered by the Apostle further (vv. 18-19), pointing to the redemption of people from sin, guilt and vain life with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as the immaculate and most pure Lamb (cf. ; ; see: ; ), destined as a sacrifice for the world and people in domicile eternity (v. 20, see:) and only by the very deed of fulfilling this destiny in the last, i.e., New Testament time. In Art. 21 The apostle, “having spoken about the death of Christ, added to this the word about the resurrection. For he fears that the new converts will not again bow down to unbelief because the sufferings of Christ are humiliating. He also adds that the sacrament of Christ is not new, but from the beginning, before the creation of the world, it was hidden until its proper time ... Do not be embarrassed by the fact that here the Apostle Peter and (repeatedly) the Apostle Paul say that the Father resurrected the Lord (. For all flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man is like the flower on the grass: the grass withered, and its flower fell off;

. but the word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the word that was preached to you.

From the doctrine of the rebirth of Christians by the grace of the Holy Spirit (v. 23, see) the Apostle concludes that the virtue of brotherly love is necessary for all, which in its pure form is the fulfillment of the main commandment of Christ the Savior about love, as a hallmark of Christians (), remaining forever ( cf.). The mutual love of Christians for each other should be equally eternal ().