2 Peter 1 Study Notes

1:12-13 On the basis of the future hope of entry into the eternal kingdom, Peter determined always to remind his readers of teachings that they might otherwise lay aside despite his conviction that they were well-grounded in the truths they had been taught. Though they were established Christians, their lifestyles apparently left much to be desired. As long as he was in this bodily tent—alive in the human body, a temporary dwelling place for this life—Peter determined to continue stimulating his readers by way of reminder.

1:14-15 The apostle knew that his death was near, and he committed to make every effort to arrange that his readers would be able to recall his teachings at any time. This seems to refer to a written witness since it could be consulted “at any time.” Peter might have been referring to Mark’s Gospel. In the early second century, Papias called Mark “Peter’s interpreter” (cp. Eusebius, Hist. eccl., 3.39.15), meaning Mark’s Gospel was based on eyewitness information given by Peter.

1:16-18 Peter’s words were not based on cleverly contrived myths. He emphasized that he had been an eyewitness of Jesus’s transfiguration (Mt 17:1-7; Mk 9:2-9; Lk 9:28-36).

The verb tartaroo means to throw down into Tartarus. Its only NT occurrence (2Pt 2:4) refers to God casting disobedient an-gels into Tartarus, an idea with a Homeric parallel. Well before NT times, Homer (ca 8th c. BC) spoke of Tartarus as a subterranean place of punishment where Zeus banished the Titans (a family of ruling gods; Hom. Il. 14.279). Hesiod (ca 8th c. BC) remarked that “a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon the tenth” (Hes. Theog. 724-5). It is a dark, dank place “under misty gloom,” surrounded by a bronze fence—a place “which even the gods abhor” (Hes. Theog. 730, 739). Eventually, tartaroo made its way into Jewish apocalyptic literature, retaining the idea of a place of punishment. It appears closely equivalent to Jewish gehenna [hell] (Syb. Or. 4:186), that supplies the Jewish background alluded to in 2Pt 2:4. Thus, tartaroo carries the sense of cast into hell in this context.

1:19-21 Peter asserted that the prophetic Scriptures affirmed the apostolic witness. In essence he was saying, “If you don’t believe me, go to the Scriptures.” The metaphor of the prophetic Scriptures as a lamp shining in a dark place means that they act as a torch that shines in this dark world, exposing the dirt and defilement of sin and making it possible to get rid of it. Believers live by Scripture’s torchlight until the day dawns and the morning star rises, which seems to refer to Christ’s return. In your hearts may refer to the glowing hope that occurs in believers’ hearts when they see clear signs of the Lord’s return. Peter further explained that Scripture is trustworthy because it has a divine origin; men carried along by the Holy Spirit wrote the prophetic statements of the OT.