2 Peter 2
2 Peter 2 is the second chapter of the Second Epistle of Peter in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The author identifies himself as "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ" and the epistle is traditionally attributed to Peter the Apostle, but some writers argue that it is the work of Peter's followers in Rome between the years 70 and 100.
Text
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 22 verses.Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:;Greek
;Latin
Old Testament references
- 2 Peter 2:4-5, a "carefully crafted set of... examples of God's historical judgments, draws on Genesis' account of Noah and the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the survival of Lot.
- :
Relationship with the Epistle of Jude
There is an obvious relationship between the texts of 2 Peter and the Epistle of Jude. Comparing the Greek text portions of 2 Peter 2:1–3:3 to Jude 4–18 results in 80 words in common and 7 words of substituted synonyms.The shared passages are:
| 2 Peter | Jude |
| 1:5 | 3 |
| 1:12 | 5 |
| 2:1 | 4 |
| 2:4 | 6 |
| 2:6 | 7 |
| 2:10–11 | 8–9 |
| 2:12 | 10 |
| 2:13–17 | 11–13 |
| 3:2-3 | 17–18 |
| 3:14 | 24 |
| 3:18 | 25 |
Structure
This chapter is concerned with false prophets. Duff sees the chapter as a unit, presenting the author's case against "false teachers" following on from a defence of true teaching in the first chapter. The New King James Version highlights sections dealing with false teachers in terms of their "doom", their "depravity" and their "deceptions". Several versions break verse 10 into two parts, beginning a new paragraph part-way through the verse. The Jerusalem Bible breaks the chapter at verse 10b, dealing firstly with false teachers and then with "the punishment to come" for "such self-willed people".The danger and condemnation of false prophets (2:1–10a)
"False prophets" are dangerous due to three reasons:- 'their method is underhand', leading to shameful ways and 'bringing the faith into disrepute'.
- 'their teaching is a complete denial of the truth'
- 'their destiny is to bring destruction' – to themselves and their followers as well.
Verse 1
The activities of the "false prophets" among the people in the Old Testament period are listed in ; ; ;, ;.- "Heresies": is from Greek word αἱρέσεις, , meaning "chosen beliefs", but used in Christianity for "'a wrong belief deliberately chosen' instead of 'the right belief revealed by God'".
The character of false prophets (2:10b–22)
The dangerous influence of the false prophets is emphasized by more fully describing their true nature: they are insolent, licentious, immoral and greedy. They ought to be condemned for the following three reasons:- their seemingly attractive offer, which is actually without substance
- their approach using 'the lever of sensual pleasure' to lure people to the ways of the world
- their total deception to offer 'freedom' which actually only leads to the bondage of sin.