A Commentary on I Peter
Pages
440
Publisher
Eerdmans
Published
8/1/1993
ISBN-13
9780802837196
The work of a highly esteemed New Testament scholar, this commentary on I Peter has unparalleled breadth and depth and reflects a lifetime of devoted scholarship. Leonhard Goppelt presents here a rich exposition of Peter that New Testament students and scholars will consult time and again with great profit.
Goppelt's detailed section-by-section and phrase-by-phrase commentary is preceded by a complete, up-to-date bibliography and an extended introduction. Scattered throughout the commentary are special notes and excursuses on several themes and issues related to the text of the letter. The footnotes contain a wealth of bibliographical information, which has been updated by translator John Alsup, and an appendix by Alsup provides a brief appreciative survey of the life and works of Leonhard Goppelt.
Besides its unusually thorough treatment of the biblical text and the history of interpretation, what distinguishes this commentary is Goppelt's balanced focus on I Peter as a document setting forth social-ethical guidelines for Christians not just in the first century but in today's world as well.
A scholarly Christian classic, this monumental commentary on Peter will find a welcome place in seminary courses (New Testament, social ethics), in theological libraries, and in pastors' studies.
Goppelt's detailed section-by-section and phrase-by-phrase commentary is preceded by a complete, up-to-date bibliography and an extended introduction. Scattered throughout the commentary are special notes and excursuses on several themes and issues related to the text of the letter. The footnotes contain a wealth of bibliographical information, which has been updated by translator John Alsup, and an appendix by Alsup provides a brief appreciative survey of the life and works of Leonhard Goppelt.
Besides its unusually thorough treatment of the biblical text and the history of interpretation, what distinguishes this commentary is Goppelt's balanced focus on I Peter as a document setting forth social-ethical guidelines for Christians not just in the first century but in today's world as well.
A scholarly Christian classic, this monumental commentary on Peter will find a welcome place in seminary courses (New Testament, social ethics), in theological libraries, and in pastors' studies.
Collections
This book appears in the following featured collections.
- New Testament Commentaries & Monographs by Princeton Theological Seminary
- Recommended New Testament Commentaries for Evangelical Pastors by Thomas R. Schreiner
Reviews
DavidH
August 12, 2026
August 12, 2026
Goppelt’s commentary remains remarkably fresh and turns out to anticipate a substantial amount of later discussion. His central concern is Christian “eschatological existence” within the institutions of society: believers are foreigners, yet their alien status is expressed not through withdrawal but through responsible engagement with the world, even where existing institutions expose them to injustice. His memorable synthesis of an inwardly free, eschatologically distinct community that nevertheless participates responsibly in society draws together traditions he associates with Qumran and Hellenistic social ethics. Goppelt is also particularly strong on the transformation of household-code traditions and on grace as a comprehensive category in the letter. Some tradition-historical reconstructions now feel dated, but the theological and social synthesis remains genuinely powerful.
