The Prophetic Word confirmed

Because the Golden Text in this week's Christian Science Bible Lesson comes from the Second letter of Peter (see II Peter 1: 19 we), I've just re-read the entire short letter. 

How warmly Peter speaks of Paul (II Peter 3: 15-16) and his epistles, how tenderly he encourages us to be alert to "scoffers", and of our own skepticism which disdain the promise launched by the early prophets (II Peter 3: 3, 4, 8 - 13). How succinctly he explains that "we...look for new heavens and a new earth." 

Peter is so very sure of God's hand. After all, Peter was right there when Jesus was crucified and he was right there when Jesus afterward reappeared to his disciples. He was right there when Jesus ascended, and he was right there on the day of Pentecost,, when everyone present felt the power of the holy Spirit within them, leading them onward. 

I am reminded me of Samuel Longfellow's poem (hymn 134 from the Christian Science Hymnal) which begins "I look to Thee in every need" and which includes this stirring idea: "Thy hand in all things I behold, And all things in Thy hand."

That turns on a light. 

Julie Swannell

Peter and Silas co-author letters to displaced peoples

I Peter

We are told in Bible commentaries that Peter worked  on this letter with Silvanus.  The Greek is said to be excellent – better than Peter would be expected to be able to write, it is said. 

Silvanus is mostly referred to as Silas in the New Testament.  Ah! We say, we have heard of him before.  Silvanus is a Latinization of Silas.  We remember him in connection with Paul and his missionary travels.  My Bible Dictionary tells me, “…when Paul and Barnabas at Antioch quarreled over Mark (Acts 315:36-41) Paul chose Silas to accompany him on a mission tour in Asia Minor and ultimately into Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 15:41-18:5).”

I understand that this letter was written from Rome, so, perhaps, after Paul’s death in 67 or 68 C.E., Silas became Peter’s confidante and helper.

The Dictionary says that Silas was either co-author (in the case of Paul) or a secretary or courier (in the case of I Peter).  He was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37-38).

Chapter 2 has me wondering when and how Peter learned the Scriptures. Were all the Christians in that first century of Christianity so familiar with the holy teachings that they could quote them so aptly?  He quotes from them so many times.  I haven’t checked thoroughly, but I would say that every verse contains at least one quote.  They are mostly from the New Testament, but Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Hosea, Job, and Ezekiel are all there, though sparsely.  Isn’t it great that some Bibles provide this marvelous reference information?  Mine is in the New King James Version, and the references are in a centre column. 

Thomas Leishman has a good piece on I and II Peter: The Epistles of Peter in The Christian Science Journal August, 1942. http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/1942/8/60-5/the-epistles-of-peter (Ed. I particularly liked Leishman's opening comments, which reveal that except for the Gospel of Mark (traditionally regarded as Peter's recollections as recorded by Mark - see blogs on this site, May 2012), these two short letters are all we have from Peter. Furthermore, we are told that the recipients of the letters were "temporary residents" of Asia Minor, having fled their homelands due to persecution of Christians, and had probably heard Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost - see Acts chapter 2.)

Joyce Voysey

Peter's understanding of Christianity

Peter's letters.

(Note to self: Put yourself in the readers' shoes. Get the geography clear. And the timing. And then ask: what does this mean for us today?)

With what tenderness Peter writes to those Jewish Christians who were scattered across the areas to the north of present day Israel. How glad they must have been to hear his encouraging words. And how Christian congregations today - small and large - can take comfort and guidance from these same letters. 

Whether we are in a capital city in Australia, a remote village in Africa, or a mostly non-Christian country like Thailand, we are "united in one band" (Hymn 29 from the Christian Science hymnal). We march under the banner of Christianity. 

And, as Christian Scientists, we see the godliness of each one of God's spiritual ideas as children of the one divine Father-Mother.

Today I read First and Second Peter from The Living Bible. Oh, how much easier it is than the King James Version. How enlightening were some of the previously puzzling passages. Here are some that I enjoyed:

I Peter 1: 23 Christ, God's ever-living message to men.

II Peter 1: 19 Christ, the morning star

I Peter 2: 6 As the Scriptures express it, "See, I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone of my church..."

I Peter 3:1 Wives, fit in with your husband's plans, for then, if they refuse to listen when they talk to you about the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behavior.

1 Peter 3: 7 Husbands, ...Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God's blessings

I Peter 5: 13 The church here in Rome  - literally "she who is at Babylon". Babylon was the Christian nickname for Rome!

The more I read this book, the deeper the insights.

Julie Swannell

Introducing Simon Peter

Peter was one of the most prominent of all Jesus' disciples. Of course we first encounter him in the Gospels. I love Mark's account where we see Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee and encountering Simon and his brother Andrew casting their net into the sea. The casting of a net in order to catch fish is an art. It takes skill, grace, and energy. We can imagine the two brothers happily at work when this fellow Jesus suggests that they leave their work there and become "fishers of men" (Mark 1: 16-18). And that's just what they did. 

Over the next three years, we learn how Jesus healed Peter's mother in law (Matt 8: 14-15); we hear Simon's insightful declaration that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" and Jesus loving response "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona...thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16: 13-20); we hear about Simon the disciple as he joins James and John at the transfiguration scene (Mark 9: 2-10). Of course there are many other scenes that help us get a picture of Peter, who struggled with his conscience when Jesus was arrested, and who was at the sea of Tiberias after the resurrection (John 21) where Jesus pointedly queried Peter's ongoing mission and instructed him to "feed [his] sheep".

The book of Acts of course gives us a picture of Peter coming to grips with his life's work. We see him rise to meet the needs of the new era, for which his Master had prepared him and his fellow-disciples. I especially love the account in Acts 12 which describes the tragedy of James' murder by King Herod and the subsequent imprisonment of Peter. How his fellow disciples must have prayed that day! And with what gratitude they must have welcomed Peter into the home of "Mary the mother of John" after his escape from the prison. (This story reminds me of Adrienne Vinciguerra's departure from Stalag 17A, recounted in A Century of Christian Science Healing pages 136 - 145, where she recounts picking up her Bible, Science and Health, her German Herald and a few personal things, and simply walking out in broad daylight, knowing that "man - as he really is - cannot be detained in a prison, he cannot be confined in a camp, but he is as unlimited and unbounded as God.") 

Eugene Peterson describes Peter as "a breath of fresh air" in his Introduction to the books of First and Second Peter in The Message.  His strong leadership qualities did not morph into lordship over anyone; he remained a humble, solid, and staunch witness to the resurrection of his Master. 

(First and Second Peter: Peterson tells us that these two letters were written between AD 60 and 68, when the Chinese were inventing paper and porcelain!)

The opening salutation is to the "strangers" (cf Deut 10: 19 "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt") of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, in other words, to those refugees scattered all over the Roman Empire. (There's a nice map here - https://literaryloudmouth.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/297/).

How interesting it is to read about the germination of Christianity!

Julie Swannell