The Scriptures of Israel and the Church: An Overview of the Use of the Old Testament in 1 Peter
Keywords:
1 Peter, Old Testament, New Testament, Israel, ChurchAbstract
The First Epistle of Peter establishes a complex network of relationships with the Old Testament, revealing the importance of this connection for understanding the letter’s depth and multifaceted meanings, as well as its relevance to the Christian faith. Drawing on a dialogue with key scholars in the study of 1 Peter, this study examines how the Old Testament serves as a foundation for the epistle, influencing its language, theology, and thought. The letter's author turns to the Jewish Scriptures as a source of authority, a basis for exegesis that illuminates the life and work of Jesus Christ, and a rhetorical and pastoral resource to encourage the recipients. Through imagery and elements linking the reality of the Hebrew people of the past with that of the Christian church, several themes are developed, such as the identification of the church as the new Israel; Christology, emphasizing the saving and exemplary role of Jesus; Christian salvation, holiness, and ethics; and the suffering and persecution faced with faith and perseverance by the people of God. It is concluded that this profound relationship with the Old Testament Scriptures essentially enriches the theology of 1 Peter.
References
ACHTEMEIER, P. J. 1 Peter: A Commentary on First Peter. EPP, E. J. (ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996.
BARKER, K. L.; KOHLENBERGER III, J. R. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary — Abridged Edition: Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.
BARTON, B. B.; FACKLER, M.; TAYLOR, L. K.; VEERMAN, D. 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1995.
BIGG, C. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude. Edinburgh: T&T Clark International, 1901.
BORING, M. E. Introdução ao Novo Testamento: História, Literatura e Teologia — Volume 2: Cartas Católicas, Sinóticos e Escritos Joaninos. Santo André; São Paulo: Academia Cristã; Paulus, 2015.
CAFFIN, B. C. 1 Peter. The Pulpit Commentary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, 2004.
CARSON, D. A. 1 Pedro. In: BEALE, G. K.; CARSON, D. A. (ed.). Comentário do Uso do Antigo Testamento no Novo Testamento. São Paulo: Vida Nova, 2014. p. 1243-1280.
CARSON, D. A.; MOO, D. J. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.
CASE, D. A.; HOLDREN, D. W. 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude: A Commentary for Bible Students. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006.
CHRISTENSEN, S. M. Solidarity in suffering and glory: the unifying role of Psalm 34 in 1 Peter 3:10-12. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, v. 58, n. 2, p. 335-352, 2015. Disponível em: https://etsjets.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/files_JETS-PDFs_58_58-2_JETS_58-2_335-62_Christensen.pdf. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
DAVIDS, P. H. The First Epistle of Peter. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990.
DETERDING, P. E. Exodus motifs in First Peter. Concordia Journal, v. 7, n. 2, p. 58-65, 1981.
DONELSON, L. R. I and II Peter and Jude: A Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.
EGAN, P. T. Ecclesiology and the Scriptural Narrative of 1 Peter. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2016.
ELLIOTT, J. H. 1 Peter: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
FEE, G. D.; STUART, D. K. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.
GOPPELT, L. A Commentary on I Peter. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.
GREEN, G. L. The use of the Old Testament for Christian ethics in 1 Peter. Tyndale Bulletin, v. 41, n. 2, p. 276-289, 1990. Disponível em: https://www.galaxie.com/article/tynbul41-2-07. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
HALVERSON, T. Reading 1 Peter intertextually with select passages from the Old Testament. Interpreter, v. 20, p. 151-176, 2016. Disponível em: https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/reading-1-peter-intertextually-with-select-passages-from-the-old-testament. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
HILLYER, N. 1 and 2 Peter, Jude. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992.
HUTHER, J. E. Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the General Epistles of Peter and Jude. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1893.
JOBES, K. H. “O taste and see”: Septuagint Psalm 33 in 1 Peter. Stone-Campbell Journal, v. 18, n. 2, p. 241-251, 2015. Disponível em: http://www.stone-campbelljournal.com/index.php?
eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&g=0&t=1789842424&hash=d0e06dd37eab7f614f1b99ac37ab7f7c8bc27c12&file=fileadmin/pdfs/articles/vol18/no02/180206.pdf. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
KEATING, D. A. First and Second Peter, Jude. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011.
KONINGS, J.; KRULL, W.; MAREANO, M. Tiago, Pedro, João e Judas: Cartas às comunidades. São Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2019.
KÖSTENBERGER, A. J. New Testament use of the Old Testament, survey. In: BARRY, J. D. et al. (ed.). The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
MBUVI, A. M. Temple, Exile and Identity in 1 Peter. London: T&T Clark, 2007.
MICHAELS, J. R. 1 Peter. Dallas: Word, 2002. (Word Biblical Commentary, v. 49).
MILLER, D. G. On This Rock: A Commentary on First Peter. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 1993.
MUELLER, E. R. 1 Pedro: Introdução e Comentário. Série Cultura Bíblica. São Paulo: Mundo Cristão, 1988.
PAPAIOANNOU, K. 1 Peter. In: RODRÍGUEZ, A. M. et al. (ed.). Andrews Bible Commentary: New Testament. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2022. p. 1875-1890.
POLKINGHORNE, G. J. 1 Pedro. In: BRUCE, F. F. (ed.). Comentário Bíblico NVI: Antigo e Novo Testamento. São Paulo: Editora Vida, 2009. p. 2153-2172.
RUEDA NETO, E. O uso do Antigo Testamento em 1 Pedro e suas implicações teológicas. 2024. Tese (Doutorado em Teologia) — Programa de Pós-Graduação em Teologia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2024. Disponível em: https://sapientia.pucsp.br/handle/handle/41258. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
VAN RENSBURG, F. J.; MOYISE, S. Isaiah in 1 Peter 3:13-17: applying intertextuality to the study of the Old Testament in the New. Scriptura: Journal for Biblical, Theological and Contextual Hermeneutics, v. 80, p. 275-286, 2002. DOI: 10.7833/80-0-761. Disponível em: https://scriptura.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/761. Acesso em: 18 set. 2026.
WILLIAMS, J. A. A case study in intertextuality: the place of Isaiah in the ‘Stone’ sayings of 1 Peter 2. Reformed Theological Review, v. 66, n. 1, p. 37-55, 2007.
WILLMINGTON, H. L. Willmington’s Bible Handbook. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1997.
