CHAPTER 1
Of calling confirmed by faith through works that are in virtue and hope of future goods.
2 Peter 1:1-2 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord .
" Simon ." It is also written as Simeon. For Simon is short for Simeon: just as from Metrodoros we have Metras, from Menodoros we have Menas, and from Theodosios we have Theudas. Immediately from the beginning, he lifts the minds and souls of believers, inspiring them to equal diligence in preaching with the apostles.
For it is not just that those who have obtained a faith of equal standing should be in any way inferior to those who have been declared to be equals. Moreover, Peter receives them everywhere with peace , not that which is of the world, but that which is rooted in the knowledge of God . For this alone is called peace , as it frees us from offense and hatred toward God. Therefore, Christ also grants this to us as he departs to the Father, and when he rose from the dead, he proclaimed, "Peace be with you." (Jn. 14:27; 20:19,21,26) And in the churches, we pray that the angel of peace may be given to us: and the priest frequently grants this to the people from the altar: we also use this in our mutual addresses, that this is the mother of all good things, and the substance of our joy. Therefore, Christ commanded His disciples to first offer this divinely as they entered homes: (Luke 10:5) “Grace to you and peace.”
The order is as follows: May grace and peace be multiplied to you , as all things that pertain to life and godliness, in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord , since by His divine power this grace has been granted to you, the knowledge, glory, and virtue of Him: through which the greatest promises have been given: that you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“In the knowledge of God.” Otherwise: To you who have equally been honored with us in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied through the righteousness of our God . Or this is the order: In the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, which knowledge has been granted through His divine power, everything that pertains to life and godliness, and that very knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which glory and virtue precious and magnificent promises have been granted, so that you may become partakers of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, applying all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love (2 Peter 1:3).
2 Peter 1:3-9 As all things are given to you by His divine power, which pertains to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and virtue, by which precious and great promises have been granted to you, so that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, to virtue, knowledge, to knowledge, self-control, to self-control, perseverance, to perseverance, godliness, to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things are with you and abound, you will be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins .
Indeed, a long series has been presented, and this is the understanding: Just as countless good things have been received through the appearance of Christ, by which we may become partakers of the divine nature and be led back to life and godliness : so we must conduct ourselves, so that we may support virtue through faith , and by this means progress towards the promotion of godliness , until we reach the perfection of diligence , which is love . Moreover, we have become partakers of the divine nature through the coming of the Lord and God, who took the first fruits of our nature upon Himself and sanctified it by assuming it. If the first fruits are holy, the mass is also holy. Furthermore, the mass of the first fruits is nothing other than those from which the first fruits come. However, Peter speaks of the corruption that comes from worldly lust, as if it were concerning the corruptible and those things that are corruptible.
The step leads to promotion: first indeed faith , which is the foundation and basis or principle of good things.
Then in the second step virtue or works, for without this faith is dead, as James (2:26) says.
After this indeed is knowledge . What is this? The knowledge of the secrets of God's mysteries, which does not happen to everyone, but to one who is exercised in the habit of better works.
After this is self-control . For this is also necessary for one who has reached the measure, lest he become wanton due to the greatness of the gift. Since it does not happen that one who uses self-control for a short time can firmly possess the gift (for they always desire afflictions to lead them to what is worse), having entered into tolerance completes the whole matter and appeases godliness , producing a more perfect assurance in God: therefore from godliness, brotherly love is sought, which does not approach unless kindness grants access to all things of godliness . And above all, the fulfillment of all good things is love , as it seems to both Paul (Rom. 13:13) and the Truth. For this has both the Son of God and His Father prevailed: indeed, that He might give Him as a beloved Son, but the Son to pour out His blood for us.
" For if these things are with you and abound ." What are these? Faith , virtue , knowledge , self-control , patience , godliness , brotherly kindness , love , which must not only be present but also abound . For if presence is beneficial, much more is abundance or wealth. What, then, is the benefit that follows from these? To have security for the second coming of the Lord. For indeed, to those to whom these are not present, in the glory of the coming Judge, and in the manner of the shining sun, blindness follows. Where, even if it is strong in appearance, it cannot be gazed upon without injury by the exaggeration of those who are weak-eyed, since it was born shining in its own light in such a way that it blinds those who rely on it with feeble sight. But the word Μυωπάζειν is used to mean, ἀπὸ τῶν μυῶν, that is, from the moles living underground, who remain blind to everything.
" has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins ." This is similar to what was said by blessed James: "For if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer: he shall be compared to a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. For he saw himself, and went his way.” (James 1:23-24) For when he had known that he had been cleansed by holy baptism, because he had been washed from the multitude of sins, he ought to have known that it is necessary to be vigilant in order to maintain his purity and sanctity, without which no one will see God (Heb. 12:14): but he indeed forgot.
Exhortation to the reminder of doctrine, recalling it to memory: and how on Mount Tabor he heard the voice of God concerning Christ.
2 Peter 1:10-15 Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For in this way, an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, I will not neglect to remind you always of these things, even though you know and are established in the present truth. Yet I think it right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my departure .
Therefore , Peter says, my brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election as permanent and unchangeable, that is, the teaching you heard regarding your election and calling, so that you may be blameless: do not be judged as if you have forgotten the gift of God, but remain steadfast having your calling secure.
“ For if you do these things .” What are these? Those which have been predicted, namely virtue, knowledge, temperance, and the other things that follow. Notice, however, how orderly it is that those things which were fearsome are now directed through good to the entrance of the eternal kingdom of the Lord.
" even though you know ." So that they are not seen to be continually admonished about the same things, as if rebuked for living in idleness, and thus become saddened, for this reason Peter adds: even though you know and are established in the present truth . Moreover, giving a reason for the continuous admonition, he added that he knew a release from this body would soon come.
What is suggested, for example: " I will be careful to ensure that you always ," some understand through a reversal of a word order in this way: I will take care and after my departure, you will always have or continuously the memory of these things: wanting to show from this that even after the death of the saints, they remembered what they accomplished here for the living. Others, however, simply treating that saying, understand it thus: I will take care and you will always have after my departure the last mention of these things: that is, do not be surprised, nor consider it burdensome that there is a constant mention made to you about these matters. For I do not do this condemning your ignorance, but by a continuous teaching about these things, I present to you this support, so that, being strengthened by these, you may also have after my death a living and permanent teaching about these matters.
2 Peter 1:16-21 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was brought to him by the majestic glory: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this very voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day approaches and the morning star rises in your hearts. Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit .
When Peter had said that they should diligently attend to themselves, and that those things which had been announced to them were indeed so, and he had explained this at length, frequently: although he knew and they had heard in various ways, he now adds their confirmation and says: I do not apply a vain diligence to these matters, but since I know the truth of them to be certain and undoubted, I dwell on them. And what is this?
We made known to you the power and coming of our Lord , not by human wisdom with adorned speeches, as if deceiving your hearing with tricks, as the Greeks and heretics do: indeed, the Greeks using elaborate speech and deception; the heretics, however, with fabricated words: just as the Valentinians fleeing into profound depths and silence 9 . For it is likely that they were beginning to arise. Therefore, there is nothing of this kind to be found in us, but we have delivered to you the teaching in a simple and humble manner: which Paul also says to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 2:1): and those things which we have from the sight of our own eyes, we who ascended with him to the holy mountain . Peter says, however, that the Lord showed them on the holy mountain the glory of the Only Begotten (Matt. 17:1), and the voice that they heard from the Father brought down from heaven concerning the Lord. Moreover, since we have known through the things themselves and experience what was proclaimed by the prophets, he says, we judge their prophecy to be more sure through these things: for the things themselves have followed the sayings and oracles.
Therefore, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention , whether those that were foretold by the prophets: although they were then spoken obscurely by them, and as to a lamp shining in a dark place . For such is the filthy place, scorched by the heat of the sun and deprived of the air that informs it with moisture. Hence, it is necessary that the air which serves the solar ray, when it is in danger of losing its property, should render itself an illegitimate servant to the sun, and the ray, as if carried by an illegitimate vehicle, should present a darkened splendor of itself. However, by attending to those things which were thus obscurely spoken by the prophets, you will not be deceived in your hope, for things, Peter says, will come to pass in their own time: which he also aptly called day, remaining very skillfully in the figure of speech.
For Peter said, " as to a lamp shining in a dark or gloomy place , which is also night." However, day succeeds every night. Therefore, as day approaches (I speak of the presence of things), you will have the Morning Star rising in your hearts: that is, the knowledge of Christ, or his presence and coming foretold by the prophets, illuminating your hearts like true light .
Then, in explaining, Peter adds why his words were not interpreted as private or personal: at the same time, he also distinguishes true prophecy from demonic and false prophecies, which are found to operate in heretics, and says: " that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation ." That is, indeed, the prophets receive prophecy from God, but not as they wish, but as the divine Spirit works in them moving them: and they certainly knew and understood the prophetic message sent to them, yet they did not make the interpretation themselves. That the prophets, moved by the divine Spirit, knew how the Spirit was sent to them from God is evident from the fact that they spoke voluntarily and said what they wished, while they remained silent on what they did not want to say; just as the prophet Jonah, refusing to preach in Nineveh (Jonah 1:3), and Balaam (Num. 22:13), commanded to speak what was suggested to him. However, the false prophets or the oracles of the Greeks did not have this: for they did not know while they were being agitated, but, having become mad with frenzy, they were unaware of what was happening to them, as if they were drunk.
Therefore, the holy prophets, I say the ancients, although they understood, did not, however, have to interpret what they predicted, but they served these things to others, namely to us. Likewise, so that the Lord's coming might remain hidden, and that traps might not be prepared for Him by the wicked. Indeed, even if the power of God could escape from assaults, it is likely that through extraordinary means of escape, the incarnation would appear as if it were a miraculous event. And that this is true is evident from the prophets who were in the New Testament, who also interpreted themselves while prophesying, although not in all cases, as the blessed Paul says in his earlier letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:21); for there was no such suspicion in the New Testament. Furthermore, it is also clear that the prophets did not prophecy outside of themselves.
When they prophesied with one spirit, both those in the Old Testament and those in the New, Paul says: "If, however, something is revealed to another sitting there, let the first be silent." (1 Cor. 14:30) From this, it is evident that the prophets, remaining in their natural consistency, prophesied spontaneously and intelligently. Therefore, when another rises to whom inspiration has been given, the one who was speaking first is commanded to be silent; which could not be found among mad prophets. For how will he be silent who does not even know what he is doing? Paul himself says that the energy of the Holy Spirit is in the prophets, speaking thus: "To one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of prophecy." (1 Cor. 12:8)
Furthermore, here through the things that are now proposed. " For he received from God the Father ." This participle λαδὼν is either placed in the position of the indicative verb ἔλαδεν, that is, he received : since according to the consequence of the participle, the discourse does not subsequently correspond. Or if this is not pleasing, but someone wishes to take λαδὼν as a proper participle, the discourse will necessarily fall into disorder: if, however, the participle is taken in place of the indicative verb, it will be consistent with what is added, for example: For he received glory from God the Father : and from this we have more firmly whatever has been announced about this by the prophets before: not that any prophecy was delivered from the voice of the Father from on high, but that we have been confirmed by the heavenly voice of the Father which testified that he is the Son, so that all the prophecy of the prophets undoubtedly carries testimony from the Father.
" Here is my beloved Son ." (Matt. 3:17) Three times the Father testified to the Son: at baptism, at the passion when He said, "And I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again" (Jn. 12:28); and on the holy mountain .
" Knowing this first of all ," etc. The prophets knew those things which were inspired in them by the prophetic spirit, and about which, however, they did not know exactly how each would be fulfilled. Therefore, understanding, they desired to see the outcome of these things: as the Lord also says.