A Commentary on I Peter

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The work of a highly esteemed New Testament scholar, this commentary on I Peter has unparalleled breadth and depth and reflects a lifetime of devoted scholarship. Leonhard Goppelt presents here a rich exposition of I Peter that New Testament students and scholars will consult time and again with great profit. Goppelt's detailed section- by-section and phrase-by-phrase commentary is preceded by a complete, up-to-date bibliography and an extended introduction. Scattered throughout the commentary are special notes and excursuses on several themes and issues related to the text of the letter. The footnotes contain a wealth of bibliographical information, which has been updated by translator John Alsup, and an appendix by Alsup provides a brief appreciative survey of the life and works of Leonhard Goppelt. Besides its unusually thorough treatment of the biblical text and the history of interpretation, what distinguishes this commentary is Goppelt's balanced focus on I Peter as a document setting forth social-ethical guidelines for Christians not just in the first century but in today's world as well. A scholarly Christian classic, this monumental commentary on I Peter will find a welcome place in seminary courses (New Testament, social ethics), in theological libraries, and in pastors' studies.

Review :
John H. Elliott --University of San Francisco "Leonhard Goppelt's commentary on I Peter . . . masterfully exposes the evangelical power and ethical significance of this oft-neglected New Testament gem. Now available in lucid English translation, this commentary can finally reach the wider audience it surely deserves." Raymond Brown --Union Theological Seminary "Goppelt's German commentary on First Peter is balanced and informative. It is a pleasure to have it now in English as a solid source of information. The book offers an admirable base from which to enter the ongoing discussion of this very important epistle." Hans Dieter Betz --University of Chicago Divinity School "Although representing exegetical scholarship of a generation ago, this exegetical commentary on I Peter by Goppelt is still the best available. It is basic for all further research on this epistle and related texts. Scholars and students should be grateful to John Alsup for having translated this important work into English." I. Howard Marshall --University of Aberdeen "The publication of Goppelt's commentary on I Peter in English translation is excellent news for all serious students of the letter. . . . John Alsup's labor of love in translating the work of his teacher will earn him the gratitude of English-speaking students everywhere as they are now able to profit from the feast of good things in this fine commentary -- especially its careful delineation of I Peter's theological message." Paul J. Achtemeier --Union Theological Seminary "Leonhard's Goppelt's book is notable among commentaries on I Peter for two things. The first is the extensive and creative use made of evidence from the Qumran literature; the second is the fruitful attempt to point out the social consequences of this letter's ethics, which have often -- and wrongly -- been assumed to be of a quietistic nature. Goppelt's commentary is a fine key for unlocking the theological riches of this undeservedly ignored jewel of a letter." Victor Paul Furnish --Perkins School of Theology "This commentary is surely one of the most important to have been published on I Peter in the twentieth century. Marked by the same careful attention to the text and respect of the judgments of other scholars that characterize all of Goppelt's work, it stands right alongside his Theology of the New Testament as a major scholarly achievement."