Be holy because I am holy

First of there is no way Peter really wrote this letter. Almost all references to the Hebrew Bible are taken from the Greek Septuagiant translation instead of the Hebrew text which is hard to imagine such a Judaeo-Christian preacher as Peter would have done. Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13 is the traditional code name for persecuted Christians in Rome which points to a way later date. The beginning of the letter is directed to congregations in Asia Minor which were certainly not established prior to the 80s.

So here we are – again – 4 generations and 1 continent away from Peter and Paul with Christians struggling in an anti-Christian environment invoking their heroes of faith. Elegantly they picture Peter to refer to Hebrew Scripture a lot – twice in today’s reading 1 Peter 1:1-25:
Verse 16 The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.” refers to the Holiness Code which I’ve already blogged about.
Verses 24-25 quote Psalm 103: As the scripture says, “All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

Solace to those who are looking for peace!