entirely written for St.
Peter by his secretary, Silvanus (1 Pet. v. 12). The expression and
connection of the ideas contained in it are far too natural and easy
for us to think that two hands were concerned in its composition, and
the tone of authority used in v. 1 can only be explained on the theory
that St. Peter or a forger wrote the Epistle. The language of ch. v.
is most easily explained by the theory that Silvanus, a trusted friend
and delegate of St. Peter, carried the letter. The letter was
purposely made short (v. 12) because its lessons were to be enforced by
Silvanus.

[Sidenote: To whom written.]

"To the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." Considerable difficulty is attached
to this address. At first sight it seems to mean those Christians of
Asia Minor north of the Taurus mountains who had been converted from
Judaism. But there are some verses in the Epistle which seem to imply
that the readers had been pagans. These verses are i. 14; ii. 9, 10;
iii. 6; iv. 3. They suggest that the readers had led a licentious
heathen life, and had been only recently admitted to any covenant with
God. The bearing of some of them is a little uncertain. For instance,
ii. 10 says that the converts in time past "were no people, but now are
the people of God"--the same verse that St. Paul in Rom. ix. 25 applies
to the calling of the Gentiles. This verse is thought to furnish a
strong argument for those scholars who hold that the Epistle is
addressed to Gentiles, and that "sojourners of the Dispersion" must be
taken in a figurative sense, meaning Christians who are exiled from the
heavenly Canaan. But as the verse is from Hos. i. 10, and is applied
by Hosea himself to the Jews, it is certainly _possible_ to hold that
St. Peter also applies it to Jews. In this case the word "Dispersion"
would retain its literal meaning, and the Epistle would be written to
converts from Judaism. But the reference to "idolatries" in iv. 3
cannot be applied to Jews. And it {242} would be quite unnatural for
St. Peter to speak about the heathen thinking it "strange" that
converted _Jews_ refused to join in their idolatrous excesses. The
word "you" in i. 12 suggests that the readers belonged to a different
race from the Hebrew prophets. Finally, the phrase "elect of the
Dispersion" must be compared with "in Babylon, elect" (v. 13). Like
the name "Babylon" for Rome, the wo