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Die eulogie in 1 Petrus 1:3-12
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 36, No 1 | a495 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v36i1.495
| © 2002 J.H. Barkhuizen
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 August 2002 | Published: 06 August 2002
Submitted: 06 August 2002 | Published: 06 August 2002
About the author(s)
J.H. Barkhuizen, Departement Antieke Tale, Universiteit van Pretoria, South AfricaFull Text:
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The eulogy in 1 Peter 1:3-12
The eulogy in 1 Peter 1:3-12 shares a common form with those found in Luke 1:68-79, Ephesians 1:3-14 and the shortened version in 2 Corinthians 1:3 f.f. As in the case of Ephesians 1:3-14, the eulogy in 1 Peter plays an important introductory part: it sets the argument of the author in motion and contains themes and motifs that figure prominently in the remainder of the letter. In this article the focus is a possible strophic division of the eulogy, followed by a discussion of its formal characteristics, and its theological perspective. The style of the eulogy sets it clearly apart from that of the rest of the letter, and several rhetorical features as well as some grammatical problems are discussed. The main thrust of its theological perspective is the new birth of the believers, initiated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new birth entails a life infused with a living hope focused on their future inheritance and salvation, preserved for them by the power of God, and which will be finally realised at the revelation of Christ at the end of times. This hope, and the love and faith of the readers, will sustain them amidst their present hardships and sufferings. The eulogy thus forms the basis for the auhtor’s exhortations, expressed from 1.13 f.f., towards a life of faithful endurance.
The eulogy in 1 Peter 1:3-12 shares a common form with those found in Luke 1:68-79, Ephesians 1:3-14 and the shortened version in 2 Corinthians 1:3 f.f. As in the case of Ephesians 1:3-14, the eulogy in 1 Peter plays an important introductory part: it sets the argument of the author in motion and contains themes and motifs that figure prominently in the remainder of the letter. In this article the focus is a possible strophic division of the eulogy, followed by a discussion of its formal characteristics, and its theological perspective. The style of the eulogy sets it clearly apart from that of the rest of the letter, and several rhetorical features as well as some grammatical problems are discussed. The main thrust of its theological perspective is the new birth of the believers, initiated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new birth entails a life infused with a living hope focused on their future inheritance and salvation, preserved for them by the power of God, and which will be finally realised at the revelation of Christ at the end of times. This hope, and the love and faith of the readers, will sustain them amidst their present hardships and sufferings. The eulogy thus forms the basis for the auhtor’s exhortations, expressed from 1.13 f.f., towards a life of faithful endurance.
Keywords
Eulogy As Exordium; Function Of Eulogy; Strophic Structure; Theological Perspective
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