Texts in Conversation
In 1 Peter the faithful are promised a crown of glory, an eschatological theme of reward that echoes 1 Enoch 108 where the righteous are brought into shining light and seated on thrones of honor. Both texts depict suffering as temporary, with ultimate vindication and exaltation awaiting the faithful.
Share:
1 Enoch 108:12
Pseudepigrapha
11 And now I will summon the spirits of the good who belong to the generation of light, and I will transform those who were born in darkness, who in the flesh were not recompensed with such honor as their faithfulness deserved. 12 And I will bring forth in shining light those who have loved My holy name, and I will seat each on the throne of his honor. 13 And they shall be resplendent for times without number; for righteousness is the judgment of God; for to the faithful He will give faithfulness in the habitation of upright paths. 14 And they shall see those who were born in darkness led into darkness, while the righteous shall shine brightly.
Date: 200-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
1 Peter 5:4
New Testament
2 Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. 4 Then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand
Date: 60-65 C.E. (If authentic), 80-90 C.E. (If anonymous) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... Nickelsburg has been able to show considerable parallels between 1 Enoch 108, the very end of the Enoch corpus, and 1 Peter in general, including 1 Peter 3:18–22 in particular. For example, 1 Enoch 108 speaks of the spirits punished (verses 3–6) and this follows hard on the announcement in 1 Enoch 106:16–18 that Noah and his sons were saved. He notes the reference to perishable seed both in 1 Peter 1:23 and 1 Enoch 108:3. The reference to disdain for silver and gold in 1 Peter 1:7, 18 is like that found in 1 Enoch 108:8; the discussion of blessing and reproach in 1 Peter 3:9, 16; 4:4, 16 is like that in 1 Enoch 108:7–10; the discussion of exaltation in 1 Peter 5:4, 6 is similar to 1 Enoch 108:12; and the similarities in the discussion of righteous judgment in 1 Peter 1:17 and 2:23 should be compared to 1 Enoch 108:13. There is in addition the common use of Psalm 34 (see 1 Enoch 108:7–10 and compare 1 Peter 3:10–12). None of this is a surprise when we recognize that 1 Enoch is influential in various of these Jewish Christian eschatological works ..."
Witherington, Ben
Torah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics
(p. 399) Fortress Press, 2018
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.