ACC ~ 2 Peter 3 v1 - 18

OVERVIEW:

Peter marks the transition from his denunciation of the heretics to his counsels for Christian living by reminding his hearers that this is his second letter to them. The Fathers who accepted the authenticity of this letter used this assertion to justify their belief that 1 and 2 Peter were both the work of the apostle (HILARY OF ARLES, OECUMENIUS), even though he may have used a different secretary for drafting purposes. Others denied that this letter is a part of the canon (DIDYMUS).

Peter is again stirring up the sincere mind of a person who has heard and received the message of salvation (HILARY OF ARLES, OECUMENIUS). They are urged to make sure that, whether Christ comes sooner or later, he will find them ready (BEDE). The heavens are made of destructible matter and did not exist at all until God made them by his will and power (EUSEBIUS OF EMESA). The earth is made of water and would not exist without water (HILARY OF ARLES, BEDE). After the deluge of the lower part of the world (BEDE), the world was refounded through Noah and those who were with him in the ark, along with the animals and seeds required to make a new beginning (OECUMENIUS). What had been the world up to then perished in water, and what are now the heavens and the earth are based on the Word but are being kept for destruction by fire (DIDYMUS, BEDE), only to be finally renewed in the end (OECUMENIUS).

The bulk of the chapter is again reminiscent of Jude and begins with a reminder that Jesus and the apostles had both predicted that scoffers would come into the church, denying Christ’s promise that he would soon return. Peter counters this attack by telling his people that God does not measure time in the same way that we do and that the day of judgment would come suddenly and without warning. To him this was all the more reason for being prepared for it at all times. At the judgment the present world will be destroyed, but there will be a new heaven and a new earth, something that is also foretold in the book of Revelation. God’s relation with time is quite different from ours (ATHANASIUS, AUGUSTINE, HILARY OF ARLES, CAESARIUS OF ARLES). What we regard as long or short is all the same to God (BEDE). A thousand years is as a day. It may be a long time before God punishes sinners, but when he does so he uses his power in a single instant (HILARY OF ARLES). God would rather wait for repentance than to punish sins (FASTIDIUS). God is taking time to gather the elect (BEDE). Soon this will all be clear (AUGUSTINE). The heavens will be changed into something better, in the same way that our bodies are not destroyed in order to disappear altogether but in order to be renewed in an indestructible state (EUSEBIUS OF EMESA). Everything that has been made in the creation will be remade along with us (ANDREAS). We watch in peace for Christ’s coming (BEDE). He wants to find you spotless in faith and chastity (HILARY OF ARLES).

Peter concludes by saying that Paul had also written about these matters, though there were some in the church who found him hard to understand and who distorted his teaching accordingly. The Fathers were particularly intrigued by the way in which Peter commended Paul, because they were aware that the two men had once disagreed about the place of the Jewish law in the Christian church. Generally speaking, they held up this passage as a wonderful example of humility and reconciliation, brought about by the power of God in their lives (AUGUSTINE). They recommended that all Christians should try to follow their example by growing in the faith, which would protect them from being swept away by false teachings. Peter, the friend of truth, was able to praise even the fact that he had been criticized by Paul and was happy to do so because he realized that he had been wrong (GREGORY THE GREAT). It is a characteristic of the elect that they admire the virtues of others more than their own and that those virtues encourage them to grow more deeply in their own faith (BEDE). Those who try to corrupt the holy Scriptures and pervert the catholic faith do nothing other than condemn themselves (BEDE). They make the most wicked confident of obtaining salvation (AUGUSTINE). Scripture itself is not corrupted by its corrupted interpreters (SYMEON, JOHN OF DAMASCUS). The heretics are bringing in many errors—denying that there will be a future judgment, giving themselves over to their lusts, deceiving the hearts of the innocent. So be on guard that you are not taken away from the firm foundation of your faith (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, BEDE).

3:1 | Peter’s Second Letter

BY WAY OF REMINDER. HILARY OF ARLES: Peter makes a point of mentioning that this is his second letter, so that the recipients will not doubt its authenticity. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

AROUSING YOUR SINCERE MIND. OECUMENIUS: We learn from this verse that this is Peter’s second letter. What he is saying isthat in both of them he has tried to stir up the sincere mind which he knows is latent in his readers. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:2 | Remember the Commandments

REMEMBER THE PREDICTIONS OF THE HOLY PROPHETS. OECUMENIUS: Here Peter tells us what the content of a sincere and pure mind is. It is the mind of a person who has heard and received the message of salvation which was preached by the prophets and the apostles. This is precisely what Paul meant when he said: “Built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles.” COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:3 | Scoffers Will Come in the Last Days

IN THE LAST DAYS. HILARY OF ARLES: Here Peter prophesies what will happen in the future, for we must always remember that there are prophets in the New Testamenttoo. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

GNOSTIC SCOFFERS. THEOPHYLACT: These scoffers were the Gnostics and other similar heretics who appeared at that time. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:4 | When Is Christ Coming Back?

THINGS HAVE CONTINUED. HILARY OF ARLES: People were talking this way as if the flood had never occurred and as if fire had never come down from heaven in the past. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING? BEDE: All those who love our Lord’s return must have a balanced approach to the whole question. We must not think that it is so near that it will come before time, but neither must we think that it will not come until much later. Rather we must be careful to make sure that, whether Christ comes sooner or later, he will find us ready and waiting for him when he appears. ON 2 PETER.

THE SCOFFER’S IMPATIENCE. OECUMENIUS: These scoffers will start with the failure of Christ to return immediately. From there they will go on to corrupt all the saving commandments of the Lord, in order to destroy our faith completely. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:5 | The Earth Was Formed by God Out of Water

GOD LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH. EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA: “In the beginning you, O Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands,” said the psalmist. If you did not know from the beginning, O Lord, who laid the foundation of the earth, and if the heavens were not the work of your hands, it would be impossible for them to be changed or to be transformed into anything else. If they had not been created, they would have to remain incomplete forever. But since you were their maker, you can do whatever you want to with them. They are made of destructible matter and did not exist at all until you made them by your will and power. There is only one that is eternal and can never be removed and that is you, the only maker of everything that exists. CATENA.

EARTH FORMED OUT OF WATER. HILARY OF ARLES: The whole creation is basically formed out of water, even if it is solidified in the form of earth or elevated in the way that heaven is. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

WITHOUT WATER, NO WORLD. BEDE: The world is penetrated by water just as the body is by blood and would not be able to exist without it since then it would dry up completely. ON 2 PETER.

3:6 | The Earth Was Destroyed by Water

THE LOWER PART OF THE WORLD DELUGED. BEDE: Peter means that the lower part of the universe was destroyed, because the higher part was not touched by the flood at all. More specifically, the earth perished, not just because it was submerged and therefore lost the ability to bear fruit, but also because when the floodwaters receded its shape was different, as we have already mentioned. The heavens also perished, or at least the earth’s atmosphere did, because the Bible also talks about the birds being affected by the flood. ON 2 PETER.

THE NEW BEGINNING WITH NOAH. OECUMENIUS: When God originally made it, creation was good, and this was not by accident but by his design. However, human beings sinned and subjected the creation to their own vanity, which is why it is no longer firm but subject to many ups and downs. Then during the flood, because there were a few people who had maintained the pure worship of God, the world was refounded through Noah and those who were with him in the ark, along with the animals and seeds required to make a new beginning. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:7 | Heaven and Earth Will Be Destroyed by Fire

DESTRUCTION BY WATER AND FIRE. DIDYMUS THE BLIND: Many people think that these words refer to changes and revolutions which will take place here on earth. They say that heaven and earth were once both water and that they were formed out of water by the Word of God. What had been the world up to then perished in water, and what are now the heavens and the earth are based on the Word but are being kept for destruction by fire. By these words the preacher is saying that what we now see before us will be consumed by fire. For he says that the day of judgment will come as a thief in the night, and that on that day the heavens will implode, and the elements will be burnt by the resulting fire. Afterward there will be new heavens and a new earth, in which the righteous will possess righteousness and the promises of God in their own dwellings. However, it must not be forgotten that this letter is counterfeit, and although it may be published, it does not form part of the earliest list of recieved writings. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT NOW EXIST. BEDE: Beyond the present heaven and earth there is also an outer universe, but whether it too will perish by fire, or only those parts which once perished in the flood, is a topic much debated among specialists. ON 2 PETER.

KEPT UNTIL THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. OECUMENIUS: If someone asks why God created the world if all he intends to do is to destroy it, the answer is that the world will be renewed at the end of time. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:8 | One Day Is Like a Thousand Years to God

A THOUSAND YEARS AS ONE DAY. EUSEBIUS OF EMESA: Scripture says that human life is short and full of trouble, but you belong to the unseen and eternal one. And a thousand years are like a single day, or even like a watch of the night. It is during the fourth watch that those who are entrusted to guard it are divided, and it was during that watch that the Lord came to the holy apostles. If he has spoken this way about a thousand years, it is clear that the lifespan of a man is extremely short. The day of the Lord is like a thousand years, and yet it is undivided. No one lives for a thousand years, but no one has known a full day of the Lord either. CATENA.

ALL WAS NIGHT BEFORE THE COMING OF THE LORD. ATHANASIUS: A thousand years is the time that the temple worship lasted. For from the completion of the temple by Solomon, who built the Lord’s house until it became redundant when Christ died on the cross is a thousand years. This thousand years is compared to a day, or to a watch in the night, because everything appeared to be night before the coming of the Savior. For until the sun of righteousness arose, everyone dwelt in ignorance and confusion. CATENA.

CONSIDERING THE MILLENNIUM AS THE LAST DAY. AUGUSTINE: If we take the millennium and think of the end of that time as being the end of the world, we could say that it was the end of time in general, for a thousand years in God’s sight are like a single day. Because of this, anything that was done during the millennium could be spoken of as done at the end of time or on the last day. LETTERS 199.17.

WHO CAN TELL? CAESARIUS OF ARLES: Since it is written concerning the day of judgment that a thousand years will be like one day, who can tell whether we shall spend days, months or even years in that fire? SERMONS 179.5.

GOD REMEMBERS. HILARY OF ARLES: Just as a man works for a day and afterwards remembers what he has done, so God does not forget even after a thousand years. It may be a long time before he gets round to punishing sinners, but when he does so he uses his power in a single instant. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

WHETHER JUDGMENT DAY WILL LAST A THOUSAND YEARS. BEDE: There are some people who think that this means that the day of judgment will last for a thousand years, but the context from which it is taken makes such an interpretation impossible. Psalm 90:4 says clearly that the thousand years refer to what is already past and that it is a way of describing the shortness of our life here on earth. What we regard as long or short is all the same to God. ON 2 PETER.

3:9 | The Lord Is Waiting for People to Repent

HIS PROMISES NOT DELAYED. AUGUSTINE: The Lord does not delay the promise. A little while and we shall see him, where we shall no more ask anything. We will no more ask anything because nothing will remain to be desired, nothing will be hidden to be inquired about. TRACTATES 101.6.2.

GOD IS FORBEARING TOWARD YOU. FASTIDIUS: In his fatherly love, his kindness and his clemency, God does not punish immediately, so that you may recognize the extent of his loving regard for you and of his compassion. He would rather wait for you than punish you in your sin. ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 21.

AS SOME COUNT SLOWNESS. PACHOMIUS: Let us not look upon God’s patience as ignorance. He holds back and delays so that, when we have been converted to a better state, we may not be handed over to torments. BOOK OF OUR FATHER HORSIESIOS 3.

TIME TO GATHER THE ELECT. BEDE: Given that in God’s eyes all time is the same, it is impossible for him to delay his promise, for in any case he already predestined it before the foundation of the world. The only reason it has not yet arrived is that he needs time to gather in all the elect, whom he also predestined before time began. Hence we read in the Apocalypse that the souls of the martyrs long day and night for the coming of the day of judgment and resurrection and have heard that they must wait yet a little while until the full complement of their fellow servants and brothers is reached. ON 2 PETER.

3:10 | The Day of the Lord

CHANGED INTO SOMETHING BETTER. EUSEBIUS OF EMESA: Like a cloak, every body grows old with time. But although it grows old, it will be renewed again by your divine will, O Lord. The heavens will not be destroyed, but rather they will be changed into something better. In the same way our bodies are not destroyed in order to disappear altogether but in order to be renewed in an indestructible state. CATENA.

WHICH ELEMENTS WILL BE DISSOLVED WITH FIRE? BEDE: There are four elements, earth, air, fire and water, all of which will be swept away by a great fire. Yet that fire will not devour them all but only two of them (fire and water), for there will be a new heaven and a new earth after this destruction has passed. ON 2 PETER.

WILL COME LIKE A THIEF. OECUMENIUS: The day of the Lord will come without notice and unexpectedly, just as the flood did in the days of Noah. People will be eating and drinking and will not realize what is happening to them until the flood overtakes them. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:11 | What Sort of Persons Ought You to Be

HOLY AND GODLY. HILARY OF ARLES: As you wait for the end of all things, you must live holy lives according to the three laws—the Old Testament, the New Testament and the law of nature—and you must keep faith in the Trinity, which is the law of godliness. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:12 | Waiting for the Day of the Lord

HILARY OF ARLES: You are waiting for the end as the virgins waited for the bridegroom. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:13 | New Heavens and a New Earth

CREATION WILL SHARE IN OUR GLORY. ANDREAS: It is not just we, says Peter, but the whole creation around us also, which will be changed for the better. For the creation will share in our glory just as it has been subjected to destruction and corruption because of us. Either way it shares our fate. CATENA.

3:14 | Be Found by Him Without Spot or Blemish

SPOTLESS IN FAITH. HILARY OF ARLES: When he returns, Christ wants to find you spotless in your faith and uncorrupted in the chastity of your body. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

YOU WAIT FOR THESE. ANDREAS: Everything in creation was made for our enjoyment, and it will be remade along with us. … This new life is for all who believe, and not just for Israel, for the Lord has exalted the Gentiles, lifting us up by the cross toward himself. Has he not provided for believers? Indeed he has. He has lifted them up and carried them and placed them in the many mansions which there are in the Father’s presence. CATENA.

WATCHING IN PEACE. BEDE: Peter is talking here about those holy vigils which Jesus referred to when he said: “Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds awake when he comes.” The person who keeps himself pure from all evil may be said to be watching, as may the one who does his utmost to live in peace with everyone. ON 2 PETER.

3:15 | Count the Forbearance of Our Lord as Salvation

SO PAUL WROTE. AUGUSTINE: Peter, in his second epistle, urged us to holiness in living and character, declaring that this world would pass. New heavens and a new earth are expected which will be given to the just to inhabit. … Some people had used certain obscure passages from Paul’s writings in order to excuse their lack of concern to live well, on the ground that they were secure in their salvation. Peter was saying that some of the things which Paul said are hard to understand and that these people were twisting them to their own ruin. ON FAITH AND WORKS 14.22.

THE WISDOM GIVEN HIM. HILARY OF ARLES: Note that Paul wrote to them not according to the wisdom which he possessed but according to the wisdom which was given to him specifically for that purpose. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

THE FRIEND OF TRUTH. GREGORY THE GREAT: Look how Peter says that there is much to be admired in Paul’s writings. Yet in his letters, Paul criticized Peter. Peter could hardly have said what he did if he had not read Paul, but when he read him he would have discovered criticism of himself in them. Thus the friend of truth was able to praise even the fact that he had been criticized, and he was happy to do so because he realized that he had been wrong. SERMONS ON EZEKIEL 2.6.9.

THE FORBEARANCE OF OUR LORD. ANDREAS: This is a reference to what Paul said when he wrote: “Do you not know that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” CATENA.

GRATEFUL FOR THE WISDOM GIVEN TO PAUL. BEDE: Peter records that Paul wrote to them, because even if Paul addressed his letters to specific churches, he nevertheless intended them to circulate among them all, because there is only one universal church. Note too that although Peter here praises Paul’s wisdom, Paul said of himself: “I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Paul humbled himself because he remembered his early unbelief, and he put the other apostles ahead of himself. Peter, on the other hand, the first of the apostles, almost forgets his primacy and the fact that the keys of the kingdom were given to him and instead marvels at the wisdom which was given to Paul. The reason for this is that it is a characteristic of the elect that they admire the virtues of others more than their own and that those virtues encourage them to grow more deeply in their faith. ON 2 PETER.

THE LORD’S PATIENCE IS OUR SALVATION. OECUMENIUS: If the patience and kindness of God calls us to repentance, this is because repentance is the way of salvation for us. God’s patience always works toward our benefit and salvation. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

3:16 | Some Things in Paul Hard to Understand

DO NOT MAKE THE WICKED CONFIDENT OF SALVATION. AUGUSTINE: If it is both true and clear that those lacking in good works will be thrown into the fire, without doubt another interpretation of Paul’s sayings must be sought and his teaching must be adapted in those matters which the apostle Peter says are difficult to understand but ought not to turn people to their own destruction, so that, contrary to the most obvious testimony of Scripture, they make the most wicked confident of obtaining salvation, although they most stubbornly cling to their sin and are not changed by correction or penance. EIGHT QUESTIONS OF DULCITIUS 1.

WISDOM FROM ABOVE. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: It seems that some people find Paulhard to understand, no doubt because he speaks about the wisdom which comes from above, for in him Christ himself is speaking. CATENA.

PETER AWED BY PAUL’S BRILLIANCE. HILARY OF ARLES: Peter says this because he himself was overwhelmed by Paul’s brilliance. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

EVERY PART OF SCRIPTURE CORRUPTED BY HERETICS. BEDE: The heretics corrupt every part of Scripture. There is no book in either the Old or the New Testament which they have not perverted according to their own fantasies, by adding to it, subtracting from it or altering something which it says to make it mean something else. Those whom Peter calls unlearned and unstable are the people who have neither the light of knowledge nor the steadfastness of mind to stay in the company of the learned until they are properly instructed. For the only cure for the unlearned is to listen in all humility to the words of those who know better. The heretics do not have this humility, with the result that they are tossed about by the wind like chaff and are swept right out of the church. But those who try to corrupt the holy Scriptures and pervert the catholic faith do nothing other than condemn themselves. ON 2 PETER.

THEY TWIST SCRIPTURE. JOHN OF DAMASCUS: The enemy of our souls has made some people turn away from the straight road and divided them by strange teachings and taught them to interpret certain sayings of the Scriptures falsely. But the truth is one, and it is that which was preached by the glorious apostles and inspired Fathers and which shines in the universal church. BARLAAM AND IOASAPH 16.134.

SCRIPTURE NOT UNSTABLE. SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN: It is not divine Scripture which suffers from those who twist it according to their own desires and who corrupt themselves in their own passions but rather those who disfigure it. DISCOURSES 15.2.

3:17 | Do Not Be Carried Away by Error

BEWARE LEST YOU BE CARRIED AWAY. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Peter has to warn his people so that they will not be deceived. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself warned us for our safety, that we should “beware of those who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves.” And again: “Take care that you are not deceived. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many.” And Paul cries: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers claiming to believe in the Lord Jesus.” For those who deform the truth by their doctrines of ungodliness and works of evil are like those who killed the prophets and apostles. Indeed, they are worse, because they have killed not only the living but those who have been saved as well. CATENA.

THE ERROR OF THE LAWLESS. BEDE: Since you already know that the heretics are bringing in many crazy errors—that some deny that there will be a future judgment, some pervert the words of God, some interpret Scripture wrongly, some give themselves over to their lusts, and some deceive the hearts of the innocent by their frauds—you must be on guard so that you are not taken away from the firm foundation of your faith by their cleverness. ON 2 PETER.

3:18 | To Him Be the Glory Now and to Eternity

GROW IN FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE. HILARY OF ARLES: Grow in the faith which is yours by baptism and in the knowledge which comes from putting that faith into practice. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

TO HIM BE THE GLORY. BEDE: May glory always be given to God our Lord and Savior, both now when we are still in the flesh and far from him, wandering through the daily pressures of our adversaries, and especially at that future time when he who has been long desired shall come to all the nations and deign to illuminate us by his presence. Meanwhile, as we await that glorious day, let us go on singing: “One day in your courts is better than a thousand.” ON 2 PETER.

THE LETTER ENDS IN PRAYER. OECUMENIUS: Just as the other New Testament letters end with prayers, so too does this one, by praying that its recipients might grow in the faith of the Lord. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN