Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 67:2 (Jun 2024)
Article: The Influence Of Jesus On Peter’s Hermeneutic
Author: Paul W. Lamicela

JETS 67:2 (June 2024) p. 269

The Influence Of Jesus On Peter’s Hermeneutic

Paul W. Lamicela*

* Paul W. Lamicela teaches biblical studies in church-based contexts and elsewhere. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: Jesus left an indelible impression on Peter’s scriptural hermeneutic, and this influence can be seen in three ways. First, Peter’s hermeneutical statement in 1 Peter 1:10–12 (cf. Acts 2–3) evokes Jesus’s statements in Luke 24:25–27, 44–49. Second, Peter often uses OT passages quoted by Jesus earlier (e.g., Psalms 110, 69, and 118; flood/Noah narrative), but he does not merely repeat Jesus; he uses surrounding verses and develops the applications in new ways. Third, intertwined with the first two ways, Peter came to adopt Jesus’s scriptural “suffering and subsequent glory” theme as paradigmatic for his own self-understanding (2 Pet 1:14), for his reading of the OT (1 Pet 1:10–12), and for his understanding of believers’ experience in the world (e.g., 1 Pet 2:18–25; 3:8–5:11). In the end, while Peter shares much with Jewish contemporaries, his Master’s shadow always looms large over his hermeneutic.

Key words: hermeneutics, New Testament use of the Old Testament, Peter, Petrine theology, Scripture as prophecy, suffering

At the conclusion of Patrick Egan’s study of the use of Scripture in 1 Peter he writes, “A study devoted to the presence of Jesus teaching in Peter’s hermeneutics would take the present work in a fruitful direction. Does Peter’s hermeneutical strategy show dependence upon Jesus traditions?”1 This article answers “Yes.”2 Jesus left an indelible impression on Peter’s scriptural hermeneutic, which can be seen in three ways: (1) Peter’s hermeneutical statements, (2) Peter’s use and development of specific scriptural passages employed by his Master, and (3) Peter’s paradigmatic emphasis on suffering followed by glory.

Significant research has been done on Petrine hermeneutics, especially with respect to 1 Peter.3 These studies often compare...