Revised by Matthew L. Skinner, 04/23
No portion of the New Testament canonA canon is a general law or principle by which something is judged. The body of literature in the Old and New Testaments is accepted by most Christians as being canonical (that is, authentic and authoritative) for them. More has had its legitimacy debated and challenged more than this book. The arguments against its having been written by the ApostleDerived from a Greek word meaning “one who is sent,” an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person’s idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus… More PeterPeter (also known as Cephas, Simon Peter) was the disciple who denied Jesus during his trial but later became a leader in proclaiming Jesus. More are much more fully developed than those mounted in its favor. These contrary positions are complicated, but they appeal to vocabulary, modes of expression, the issues that seem at or below the surface, and the letter’s dependence on the Letter of Jude, which is usually judged to be more consistent and convincing as a document reflecting the time of the apostles. Skepticism about Peter as the book’s author is not new; some Christian leaders in the second and third centuries C.E. expressed similar concerns. Wherever the Second Letter of Peter came from, and whenever it was written, it can be read as a spirited summons delivered to the church during a transitional period, when the last of the apostles had passed away and Christians were having to adjust to new realities.
