The literary relations of "The First Epistle of Peter" with their bearing on date and place of authorship : with an introduction by Benjamin Wisner Bacon

Foster Ora Delmer 1877-

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• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 28
• Langue: English
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OF THETRANSACTIONS
SCIENCESARTS ANDACADEMY OFCONNECTICUT
1799Incoui'Orated a. D.
1913JANUSRY,363-538TOIUME PACESH,
ofRelationsLiteraryThe
of PeterEpistleThe First
with
PlaceDate andBearing onTheir
of Authorship
BY
Ph.D.DELMER FOSTER,ORA
INTRODUCTIONWITH AN
BY
D.D., Litt.D., LL.DWISNER BACON,BENJAMIN
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PRESSUNIVERSITYYALE
CONNECTICUTNEW HAVEN,
1913BSZ795IV_-^ V-^ V
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OCT 14^ i{
TRANSACTIONS OF THE V)^,
ACADEMY ARTS ANDCONNECTICUT OF SCIENCES
Incorporated A. D. 1799
363-538 JANUARY, 1913VOLUME 17, PACES
The LiteraryRelations of
The First Epistle of Peter
with
Their Bearing on Date and Place
of Authorship
BY
DELMER FOSTER, Ph.D.ORA
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BACON, D.D., Litt.D., LL.DBENJAMIN WISNER
M
YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
1913c/
WAGNER SOHN.BY R.WEIMAR : PRINTEDCONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 370
Part I. THE APOSTOLIC FATHEES
Tertallian 381
ofClement Alexandria 381
Irenaeus . 381
Papias 381
II Clement 381
Justin Martyr 382
Barnabas 384
Hermas . 388
Didache . 392
Polycarp 393
Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs 396
Ignatius . 397
Clement of Rome . 398
Part II. THE CANONICAL BOOKS
Galatians 411
I Thessalonians 414
II 416
I Corinthians 417
II 421
Romans . 424
Ephesians 442
Colossians 455
Philemon 459
Philipplans 459
I Timothy 460
II Timothy . 462
Titus . . 463
Marked Text Showing Possible Sources 466
Pauline Epistles 472Dependence of I Peter upon the
Hebrews 480
"Q" Source . 492
495Markan Source
Peculiar to Matthew 499 to Luke . 600
Acts 502Contents366
James ........INTRODUCTION
Professor Benjamin "W. Bacon.
There are few writings, if any, besides First Peter, the accurate
determination of whose date is a matter of greater moment to the
Datings from before A.D. 50student of Christian origins. vary
or later and with the question of date that of authenticityto 115, ;
is inextricably bound up. Early tradition is unanimous in placing
stalwart defender asthe death of Peter under Nero. Yet Ramsay,
is of the Petrine authorship, feels compelled to date it underhe
Domitian, compelled by the imphcations of the Epistle itself regard-
For First Peter speaks ofing official treatment of Christianity.
" accomplished among the brethren throughout the world,sufferings
thempenalties appropriate to murderers and thieves visited upon
" "" trial which hasfor the name of Christ." In fact this fiery
church through the work of Satan, who prowlscome upon the
" "about it like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour seems
It stands practicallyto be the one chief occasion of the writing.
epistles in its complete silence as to doctrinalalone among the
yearssees no alternative but to add a score ofdifferences. Ramsay'
recognizing themore or less to the traditional life-time of Peter,
"these general persecutions forextreme difficulty of identifying
" whichwith the local onslaught of Nero in Rome, ofthe name
flagitia cohaerentiathe distinctive feature was prosecution for
nomini.
thereason impossible to maintainEven were it found for any
date of FirstPetrine authorship, accurate determination of the
for the settlement of a greatPeter would be of immense advantage
writingof criticism for scarcely anynumber of disputed points ;
with others.of the canon has many points of hterary connectionso
early date it employs to anItself widely used from" an extremely
others. Itand phraseology ofextraordinary extent the thought
literary development.midst of the stream ofstands in the very
has lines of dependenceAlmost every writing of the New Testament
wliicliit. And the period withinleading either to it, or from368 Benjamin TV. Bacon,
nearly all authorities agree that it must be placed, is just that where
light is most needed, darkthe subapostohc age fromNero to Trajan.
Again the field addressed is just that whose history we most need
to trace, the mission field of Paul in Asia Minor. The type of
teaching (so far as it is not simply Paul's) comes under the name
of Peter, tempting us to correlate it with other sources claiming
"relationship to this Apostle, in the attempt to define a Petrinische
" "Lehrbegriff or Petrinische Stromung."
These literary relations are undeniably present, inand ^ degree
of abundance which few, we think, will have realized who have
not been brought face to face with the facts by some such statis-
tical survey as the following pages afford The datathen are before
us. The solution of the problem depends simply on the degree of
critical acumen with which we can pronounce upon extremely de-
licate questions of literary employment, more especialty of priority
in emplo^-ment. Fortunately evidence of relationship becomes
rapidly cumulative, and even the question of priority is not hope-
less when real impartiality holds the scales.
We bespeak the careful attention of students of New Testament
origins to the data presented by Dr. Foster first, because of the
;
importance of the subject, whose ramifications extend even beyond
what we have already so briefly indicated second, because
; of the
peculiar hopefulness of the effort in view of the superabundance
of material third,
; because of the scholarly reserve, caution, and
objectivity of Dr. Foster's method which
; allows the reader full
liberty to form his own judgment, and aims only to let the facts
speak for themselves.
The present writer gladly acknowledges his own indebtedness
to the careful comparisons and statistics of Dr. Foster. The out-
come, a date not far from 90 AD., mth dependence of First Peter
on Ephesians, Romans and Hebrews, and conversely of James,
Clement of Rome, and other writers First Peter, tallies indeedon
very closely with results previously attained by an important group
of scholars. But the evidence, much of which, though available,
has hitherto been scattered, acquires far more convincing power
when exhibited in due order and classification. The inferences
appeal, even to one who has traversed the field before, with new-
freshness and urgency. To few, believe, the convictionnot a we
will be brought home that now, at last, we have a definite, fixed
point in the sub-apostolic age, a datable literar^^ product of the
Pauline mission-field twenty years after Paul's death instead of
;
a floating, indeterminate possibilit3^ To others the problem willIntroduction. 369
call for further light. To all, as we believe, who giveseem to to
Dr. Foster's data the attention their careful compilation deserves,
the time will prove well spent. One cannot review the evidence,
matter what the verdict, without new insight into the historyno
of primitive Christian thought and literature.
Yale University. Bexj. W. Bacon.INTRODUCTION
by
TheAuTHOR.
reconstruction, there is probably no oneIn this age of Biblical
arriv-important to be determined, as a prerequisite forthing more
Christian Origins, thanat the truth concerning the History ofing
of early documents. Criticism constantlythe authorship and date
orto revise and rewrite our Histories. Unfortunatelyforces us
" certainty," as concernsotherwise, criticism has robbed us of our
Canonical books. On discoveringthe authorship of many of the
con-cannot be placed either upon the traditionthat dependence
or upon thethe authorship or date of certain documentscerning
themselves, the modern historianclaims these documents make for
travel a more difficult path than his predecessors.is compelled to
defined at places,this new path be difficult, and but vaguelyThough
understanding of the earlyit is of the greatest importance for an
the critical historian follow it to itsperiod of Church History that
of thehowever wearisome the journey. Unless the datesvery end,
historian will everearly sources can be accurately determined the
grope about in uncertainty.
of theresults were effected in the studyAs great and important
was properly located,Testament when the Book of DeuteronomyOld
New Testament books willso also the correct dating of certain
significant results for the History of Christianprove to have most
Hebrews duringIt is as reasonable to write a history of theOrigins.
before our Era on the basisthe latter half of the second Millenium
construct a history of the early Churchof Deuteronomy as it is to
early documents.the dates sometimes assigned toon the basis of
upon the mostCritical History, therefore, necessarily depends
That which has been done incareful judgment of the sources.
degree,of the Hexateuch has, in a Hmitedanalysing the sources
service has alreadybeen done also in the New Testament. Valuable
sources both of the Gospels andbeen done in bringing to hght the
done.is important work yet to beof the Acts, but there much
Apostolic Age is suppliedMuch valuable information concerning the
Epistles, but unfortunatelyby the certain dating of the Pauhne
because ofconcerning the Sub-Apostolic Age,we are left in doubt
the period. Forthe dubious dates assigned to the documents of