2 peter false prophets essay
Message Statement:. Address and Salutation: This letter is written by Simeon Peter, an apostle and servant of Jesus Christ, to fellow believers Prayer: Peter prays that his readers may receive grace and peace in the knowledge 2 of God and of Jesus their Lord Theme--God Has Provided Everything For Life: Peter affirms that God has granted his readers everything pertaining to life and godliness through knowledge of Christ by His greatness and excellence
Jude and 2 Peter
The Oxford Companion to the Bible. The Oxford Bible Commentary , Jude. The Oxford Companion to the Bible , 2 Peter. The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2 Peter. Pick 4—6 verses from either Jude or 2 Peter.
What is your reaction to this passage? What specific details about the language of the passage stand out to you? Jude and 2 Peter are letters that are often included in a section of the New Testament called Catholic Letters; in this phrase "Catholic" means "addressed to all Christians. It is not clear which of them if any says he is the writer of this letter; most scholars think it is the family member of Jesus mentioned in Mark However, many scholars also doubt that he is the actual author of the letter; they think it was written in his name by someone else.
There is no doubt who is meant by "Peter. However, most scholars doubt that he is the actual author of the letter. Partly because of uncertainty about the identity of their authors, the dates of Jude and 2 Peter are also uncertain. Jude is most often dated either 50—80 or toward the end of the first century. Second Peter may have been written about and is probably the last New Testament writing to have been composed. In the history of Christianity less attention has been paid to Jude and 2 Peter than to other parts of the New Testament.
That continues to be true today. Jude 4—18 and 2 Peter — are so similar that there seems to be a literary relationship between them. Most scholars now think that Jude has served as a source for 2 Peter. Read and compare Jude 4—18 and 2 Peter — , paying special attention to the parallels between:. Jude 5—8a and 2 Pet —10a Jude 13b and 2 Pet b.
Jude 17—18 and 2 Pet How are Jude 4—18 and 2 Peter — alike? How do they differ? How would you describe the relationship between the two? Does it seem to you that 2 Peter has used Jude as a source? If so, why; if not, why not? These questions could be discussed by an entire face-to-face class of 20—30 students; or by small groups of 6—8 students in a larger face-to-face class; or answered in writing by members of an online class. They could also be the topic of a paper. If 2 Peter has used Jude as a source, it is clear that the argument of Jude can also serve the purposes of 2 Peter.
There is thus some degree of similarity in the situations addressed by the two letters. One similarity is that those they oppose are other Christians rather than non-Christians. Jude calls those it opposes "intruders" indicating that they have come from outside the community Jude addresses. In both cases those being opposed are other Christians whose views the authors find inadequate. Jude describes the "intruders" in verses 4, 8, 12, 16 and What picture of the intruders emerges from these descriptions?
As in number 2 above, these questions could be addressed differently by different kinds of classes or serve as a pape topic. In addition to their argument from scripture, both Jude and 2 Peter make other arguments against their opponents. As noted below, some of these other arguments also make reference to scripture though the arguments themselves are not based on scripture.
And in the case of Jude, it is possible that the arguments themselves are also regarded as scriptural though they are not drawn from scripture as it is presently known.
Both Jude and 2 Peter also argue against their opponents by vilifying them. This can be seen especially in Jude 4, 8, 12—13 and 16 ; 2 Peter —3, 10b— Accusing one's opponents of licentiousness, greed, and other faults was conventional in Hellenistic polemical rhetoric. This may not be a simple description of the opponents' behavior, but rather be intended to encourage a negative evaluation of the opponents. Something similar is visible in modern political campaigns. Pick a passage approximately 4—8 verses from either Jude or 2 Peter.
Write a one-page response to the passage. What elements discussed in the class above are particularly significant for your passage? What is the effect of the passage overall? How do you respond as a reader? Optional supplemental activity: After you have finished your one-page response, find two or three commentaries on the passage on the OBSO website.
Read them, and then revisit your one-page response. How do the commentaries compare to your reading? What does consulting the commentaries add to your reading experience? With this in mind, revise and expand your one-page response. For each of these paper topics, you may find it helpful to consult one or more commentaries on the OBSO website. Faculty may consider requiring the use of one or more commentaries.
All Rights Reserved. Subscriber Services Contact Us Help. Outline of Lesson Plan I. Background Information II. Pre-class Preparation III. In-class Lecture, Activities, and Discussion Questions 1. Jude and 2 Peter: Some Background 2. The relationship between Jude and 2 Peter 3. Those opposed by Jude and 2 Peter 4.
Jude and 2 Peter's scriptural arguments against their opponents 5. Jude and 2 Peter's other arguments against their opponents IV. Assignments I. Background Information 1. On Jude A. On 2 Peter A. Pre-class Preparation Students should read the following: 1. Optional pre-class questions for short written responses, online blog posts by students, etc : Pick 4—6 verses from either Jude or 2 Peter.
Class 1. Jude and 2 Peter: some background Jude and 2 Peter are letters that are often included in a section of the New Testament called Catholic Letters; in this phrase "Catholic" means "addressed to all Christians. The relationship between Jude and 2 Peter Jude 4—18 and 2 Peter — are so similar that there seems to be a literary relationship between them.
Read and compare Jude 4—18 and 2 Peter — , paying special attention to the parallels between: Jude 5—8a and 2 Pet —10a Jude 13b and 2 Pet b. Those opposed by Jude and 2 Peter If 2 Peter has used Jude as a source, it is clear that the argument of Jude can also serve the purposes of 2 Peter. Jude 1. In verses 5—8 the author mentions God's punishment of three groups of wrongdoers, and says that the "intruders" behave the same way.
The author implies that God will also punish them; thus those the author addresses should not join the "intruders. After God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as they were traveling toward the Promised Land, they complained against God; therefore God did not bring them into the Promised Land. See Num — This refers to Gen —4 in which the "sons of God" are said to have taken human wives.
The passage in Genesis does not call the "sons of God" angels nor does it say that God punished them. Both of these items became part of the story when it was retold in other writings. For an example of this retelling see 1 Enoch 6— Because of their wickedness God destroyed these cities by raining down sulfur and fire upon them.
See Genesis 18— In verse 11 the author makes the same point by briefly comparing the "intruders" to three other notorious scriptural wrongdoers: a They go the way of Cain who murdered his brother Abel and was punished for it; see Gen — Balaam, however, did suggest sending unbelieving women among the Israelites to lead them away from worship of the true God see Num He and his followers were swallowed up by the earth. See Numbers Peter, James and John went with Jesus up a high mountain.
There they saw Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah; a voice from heaven declared that Jesus was the speaker's beloved son. The passage in 2 Peter should probably be understood as referring to this gospel story, perhaps especially the version in Matthew.
How does this story show that expectation of Jesus' second coming is not a myth? In —a the author argues that the prophetic word of scripture shows expectation of Jesus' second coming is not a myth: a In —21 the author first argues that one should pay attention to the prophetic word because it is useful; it is like a lamp illuminating a dark place during the night until morning comes v
The Second Epistle of Peter was written by Simon Peter, an apostle of Christ, who also penned First Peter (see 2 Peter ). The principal design of this letter. A. Summary Exhortation: In view of God's provision of everything for life 2. False Teachers in the Future: Peter predicts that false teachers will.
A looming heresy involved a denial of Christ and ridiculed the promise of his return Certain teachers were consumed with fleshly lusts and despised divine authority. They were rebels—sneaky, reckless, and bold in their opposition to truth.
The Oxford Companion to the Bible.
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them.
An Argument Of The Book Of 2 Peter
Your browser does not support JavaScript. Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Follow us:. Listen Now. Only later does it become apparent that Peter was writing to the same group of believers who had received his first letter.
Second Peter
This epistle claims that the Apostle Peter wrote it It also claims to follow a former letter written by Peter , which appears to be a reference to 1 Peter, although Peter may have been referring to a letter we no longer have. Even so, "most modern scholars do not think that the apostle Peter wrote this letter. The earliest external testimony outside Scripture to Petrine authorship comes from the third century. It is easy to see why critics who look for reasons to reject the authority of Scripture have targeted this book for attack. Ironically, in this letter, Peter warned his readers of heretics who would depart from the teachings of the apostles and the Old Testament prophets, which became the very thing some of these modern critics do. Not all who reject Petrine authorship are heretics, however. The arguments of some critics have convinced some otherwise conservative scholars who no longer retain belief in the epistle's inspiration. In one instance specifically The Acts of Paul and Thecla , the author of such a work was disciplined for doing so.
In religion, a false prophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration , or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet " by some people is simultaneously considered a "false prophet" by others, even within the same religion as the "prophet" in question.