The Background of 1 Peter

The early church widely recognized the author of 1 Peter as the Apostle Peter. The letter was likely written between 62 and 64 AD, before Nero’s persecution of Christians began and after Paul’s first release from Roman prison. The location of writing was Rome, with “Babylon” (1 Peter 5:13) serving as a cryptic name for the city. The original audience was the churches in northern Asia Minor, which were composed of mostly Gentiles, but also some Jews. The letter is written in beautiful Greek and is one of the most straightforward books in the New Testament, likely because Silas helped polish the language (1 Peter 5:12).

Initially, the church was considered a legitimate branch of Judaism, and it mainly suffered persecution from Jews, with little persecution from the Roman government. As the gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire, its growing popularity also led to many misunderstandings. On one hand, some confused Jewish Christians with the politically active Jewish revolutionaries who resisted Roman rule. On the other hand, Romans considered Gentile Christians to be anti-social (for refusing to offer sacrifices to the emperor), atheistic (for not participating in pagan worship rituals), cannibals (for “eating and drinking Christ”), and incestuous (for the “brotherly love” between believers). As a result, their faith was subjected to “all kinds of trials.”

This letter contains many teachings on faith, obedience, and suffering, encouraging believers to grow in their spiritual lives through faith and obedience, especially during times of suffering: “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19). In 64 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero began persecuting Christians. Both Peter and Paul were martyred during this persecution, but the teachings of this letter helped the church endure ten major persecutions and countless smaller ones over the next 250 years.