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Summer
2004, Vol.
1, No. 1
Book Review
 1
Peter, by
I. Howard Marshall
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series. (Downers Grove,
IL/Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, 1991). 184 pages. Reviewed
by Edgar R. Lee,
S.T.D., senior professor of spiritual formation and pastoral
theology, Assemblies
of God Theological Seminary.
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Having gathered dust
on my library shelf until tapped for a recent study
of 1 Peter with my Sunday school class, this little volume
by renowned New Testament scholar and long-time professor
of New Testament exegesis at the University of Aberdeen,
I. Howard Marshall, has now established itself as one
of my favorite commentaries. Part
of The IVP New Testament Commentary Series,
it “seeks
to move from the text to its contemporary relevance and
application” (p. 9).
Many exegetes in writing their commentaries shy away
from application but Marshall, consistent with the
aim of this series, does not. “…[A]lthough
it was written to a specific situation, 1 Peter had a
message for all Christians in the first century. As
a result, we can without too much difficulty loosen it
from its first-century setting and read it as a message
for Christians today” (16). The reader will
quickly detect, however, that Marshall has his interpretative
priorities straight: “We have to find out first
what the author was saying to the original readers, and
second, how what he was saying to them applies to us” (16-17). This
approach is what makes this commentary so useful in
teaching and preaching.
Without being unduly technical or boring, Marshall acquaints
his reader with the best of scholarly study, objectively
and tersely evaluates various points of view for difficult
passages, and clearly expresses his own judgments that
are always judicious and respectful of the text in
the finest evangelical exegetical tradition. For each
unit of text, Marshall provides overviews and summaries
that help the reader pick up the flow of Peter’s
thinking. Then he provides brief but insightful
exposition that can quickly and precisely inform the
preparation of one’s lessons or sermons. In
many passages, Marshall structures his exposition with
clear and obvious points that readers can easily import
directly into their lessons and sermons (with attribution,
of course!)—a tremendously helpful format for
teachers and pastors.
In two short and plainly written introductory chapters,
Marshall summarizes what may be known about the background
of the letter. Standing against prevailing scholarly
opinion which commonly asserts that Peter’s name
in the title of the letter is a pseudonym, Marshall insists
the author is “Peter, the original leader of the
twelve apostles” (15). “If ever
there was a weak case for pseudonymity, surely it is
in respect to this letter” (21). The
literary quality of the Greek in which 1 Peter is written
is usually a major reason to challenge Petrine authorship. Against
that notion, Marshall emphasizes that Peter grew up
in a bilingual community and, moreover, seems to have
had the assistance of Silas in writing the letter (1
Peter 5:12).
The origin of the letter is most likely Rome, apparently
signaled in the closing salutations, “She who is
in Babylon…sends you her greetings” (5:13). “Babylon” is
a readily recognizable pseudonym for Rome (173). The
recipients seem to have been resident in what is now
the northern rim of Turkey along the Black Sea, then
divided into several administrative areas of the Roman
Empire. “They were a set of scattered groups
and perhaps isolated individuals in a wide territory” (14),
all under the threat of occasional persecution and possible
loss of their property. While Marshall does not
hazard a precise date, he sets the letter within the
historical circumstances of the mid-60s of the first
century.
Of the key theological emphases highlighted by
Marshall, we may particularly note that “Peter
has a developed doctrine of suffering” (27), clearly
coming to terms with the fact that believers may indeed
suffer from time to time, but only in the providence
of God and only to test and strengthen. When it
happens, “joy is possible despite present suffering” (40). Also
worthy of note: “Peter has a lively sense of the
spiritual dimensions of Christian experiences…angels,
the devil and other evil powers. Above all, he
believes that Christ has already overcome supernatural
evil powers and made them subject to himself; ultimately,
the evil powers cannot overcome Christians…” (27).
The Holy Spirit is especially prominent in the letter, “active
both in prophesying the coming of Christ and in the preaching
of the good news about him (1:11-12). He sanctifies
believers and, in the midst of suffering and persecution,
he is especially present with them…” (27).
Nowhere is Marshall’s exegetical and theological
skill more apparent than in his handling of the controversial
passage on Christ’s proclamation to the spirits
in prison (3:19-20). Sifting carefully through
both current and historical exegesis, he exposes the
weakness of several popular alternatives and suggests
the spirits are evil supernatural beings imprisoned in
the heavens to whom Christ made a proclamation of victory
after his resurrection.
His treatment of 1 Peter
4:10-11 is a superb contribution to a Pentecostal-charismatic
theology of ministry. “These two verses form
an amazingly compact and complete summary of New Testament
teaching on ministry” (145-146). The twin
gifts of speaking and serving are broad
designations that actually cover all the spiritual
gifts mentioned by Paul in his letters. Members should
faithfully use their gifts just as they should pray and
show love. While elders have primary pastoral oversight
of the members, “other tasks of ministry should
be carried out by any members of the congregation who
have spiritual gifts. The gifts are not in any
way confined to the elders or to any other group separated
from the rest of the congregation” (146).
Marshall has demonstrated his world-class scholarly
credentials in other commentaries but in this one we
see him as a Baptist pastor carefully exegeting the
Scriptures and then making useful application of biblical
truth in a way that inspires and informs his ministering
colleagues throughout the English-speaking world. One might
split hairs on a few points of interpretation but this
commentary is a “must purchase” for any
serious pastor-teacher who wants to get a good handle
on 1 Peter.
Updated:
Friday, August 13, 2004 9:43 AM
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