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1 Peter

A Commentary

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About

Leading New Testament scholar Craig Keener, one of the most trusted exegetes working today, is widely respected for his thorough research, sound judgments, and knowledge of ancient sources. His four-volume magnum opus on Acts has received high praise from all quarters. This commentary on 1 Peter features Keener's meticulous and comprehensive research and offers a wealth of fresh insights. It will benefit students, pastors, and church leaders alike.

Endorsements

"Craig Keener has done us all a great service by his careful evaluation of 1 Peter, taking us systematically through all aspects of the letter, not least its disputed authorship. His extensive scholarly apparatus only contributes to the clarity of the core text, without ever losing the thread of his arguments. This is a book which will assist anyone seriously interested in coming to grips with this particular epistle."

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

"Craig Keener has complemented his massive four volumes on Acts with one nearly as weighty on the brief epistle from the aging Peter in Rome to those in the vast diaspora of provinces in northern Asia Minor. He shows that Paul's letters and echoes of gospel traditions in the epistle reflect the early formulation of a shared Christian faith. Keener also presents a translation--or 'articulation'--of 1 Peter that will jar readers into taking a close look at his treatment of semantics and syntax. Admitting that Peter himself was unlikely to be familiar with more than part of the Jewish and early Christian material, Keener employs the massive encyclopedia of ancient Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and religion from his work on Acts to provide a broader cultural context for words, images, and possible overtones in each phrase."

Pheme Perkins, Joseph Professor of Catholic Spirituality, Boston College

"Craig Keener's commentary pays attention to theology and hermeneutics, to history and social description, to literary and genre analysis, and more. Keener provides a compendium of 1 Peter scholarship and possibilities that is both informative and enlightening. This is an exciting project on 1 Peter and one that I highly recommend to be used not only by pastors and laypeople but also in seminary classrooms. This commentary provides more than just an interpretation of 1 Peter: it is a thorough immersion in its discourse, rhetoric, history, imagery, theology, and meaning potential. I commend this work to any serious student of 1 Peter and beyond."

Shively T. J. Smith, assistant professor of New Testament, Boston University

"Keener presents a fresh translation of 1 Peter and a wealth of primary sources relevant to the historical, cultural, and lexical background of this New Testament letter. Written with clarity from the mind of a scholar and the heart of a pastor, every interpreter of 1 Peter will want this commentary on their shelf."

Karen H. Jobes, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor Emerita of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Wheaton College

"Keener's commentary provides wonderful access to both Jewish and Greco-Roman primary sources, allowing the text of 1 Peter to be better understood within its first-century setting. The author's original translation and comments are highly readable and thought-provoking. An important new resource for students of 1 Peter."

Ruth Anne Reese, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary

"Craig Keener offers a fresh and refreshing reading of 1 Peter. Keener's genius is on full display in providing the church and the academy a commentary that is very accessible while engaging with primary and secondary literature and seminal works on Petrine scholarship. This commentary is a must-read for anyone who studies, preaches, teaches, and does research on 1 Peter."

Abson Joseph, vice president for academic services, Bethel University

The Author

  1. Craig S. Keener

    Craig S. Keener

    Craig S. Keener (Ph.D., Duke University) is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is author of 37 books, 5 of which have won awards in Christianity Today. More than a million copies of his books are in...

    Continue reading about Craig S. Keener

Reviews

"As is characteristic of Keener's work, the commentary is clear, engaging, thorough, and judicious. The commentary is enriched at appropriate places by more than two dozen excursuses or 'closer look' sections, which provide background that the reader may not possess. While it is often said of reference works, this commentary truly is useful for students, clergy, and academics alike."

Duane F. Watson,

Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"A monument to Keener's erudition and skilled analysis of the text. . . . Readers will find here a wealth of information and a thoughtful exposition of the letter's message."

Donald Senior, CP,

The Bible Today

"Keener has produced a significant volume that will prove to be a helpful resource for the serious student of Scripture. . . . Written with remarkably clear prose, this volume does an admirable job of setting 1 Peter in its ancient context. As such, it will no doubt be a valuable resource for years to come."

Benjamin E. Castaneda,

Themelios

"Despite being a relatively accessible commentary, the depth of Keener's familiarity with the literature of the Greco-Roman and early Jewish contexts of 1 Peter is quite staggering. . . . The frequent 'Closer Look' excursuses are a real area of strength in this commentary. . . . A rich resource with much to commend it as the go-to commentary for the preacher who wants to be well-informed and equipped by analysis which rests lightly upon a great depth of learning."

Benjamin Sargent,

Global Anglican

"[A] fresh examination of 1 Peter. As readers make their way through this hefty book, those who have sampled Keener's previous interpretive work will find themselves in familiar territory. He brings the same socio-cultural-historical sensibilities to this volume that we have learned to associate with his work more generally. . . . Copious notes occupy most every page--sometimes referring to secondary literature but much more often documenting ancient sources. Simply put, Keener's grasp of this ancient material is breathtaking. . . . The volume's many excurses themselves justify the price of admission. These mini-essays parade under the banner, 'A Closer Look,' and provide amazingly detailed and reader-friendly orientations to ancient perspectives on a wide array of concerns material to reading 1 Peter. . . . I anticipate that preachers, students, and scholars will find themselves returning again and again to this important resource."

Joel B. Green,

Interpretation

"[This volume] is not only useful for those engaged in sermon preparation, but also for scholarly research. Keener has provided fresh perspectives and a detailed analysis of the text of 1 Peter."

Paul Foster,

Expository Times

"Anyone seriously studying 1 Peter needs to consult this commentary for its excurses on background material, its extended references to related sources in the footnotes, and its application of background information to the text of 1 Peter."

W. Edward Glenny,

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

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