Author and Date
Although 2 Peter was not as widely known and recognized in the early church as 1 Peter, some may have used and accepted it as authoritative as early as the second century and perhaps even in the latter part of the first century(1 Clement [a.d. 95] may allude to it). It was not ascribed to Peter until Origen's time (185-253), and he seems to reflect some doubt concerning it. Eusebius (265-340) placed it among the questioned books, though he admits that most accept it as from Peter. After Eusebius's time, it seems to have been quite generally accepted as canonical.
In recent centuries, however, its genuineness has been challenged by a considerable number of interpreters. One of the objections that has been raised is the difference in style from that of 1 Peter. But the difference is not absolute; there are noteworthy similarities in vocabulary and in other matters. In fact, no other known writing is as much like 1 Peter as 2 Peter. The differences that do exist may be accounted for by variations in subject matter, in the form and purpose of the letters, in the time and circumstances of writing, in sources used or models followed, and in scribes who may have been employed. Perhaps most significantis the statement in that Silas assisted in the writing of 1 Peter. No such statement is made concerning 2 Peter, which may explain its noticeable difference in style (see 1 Peter: Author and Date).
Other objections arise from a secular reconstruction of early Christian history or misunderstandings or misconstructions of the available data. For example,some argue that the reference to Paul's letters in indicates an advanced date for this book -- beyond Peter's lifetime. But it is quite possible that Paul's letters were gathered at an early date, since some of them had been in existence and perhaps in circulation for more than ten years (Thessalonians by as much as 15 years) prior to Peter's death. Besides, what Peter says may only indicate that he was acquainted with some of Paul's letters (communication in the Roman world and in the early church was good), not that there was a formal, ecclesiastical collection of them.
2 Peter was written toward the end of Peter's life (cf. ), after he had written a prior letter () to the same readers (probably 1 Peter). Since Peter was martyred during the reign of Nero, his death must have occurred prior to a.d. 68; so it is very likely that he wrote 2 Peter between 65 and 68. Some have argued that this date is too early for the writing of 2 Peter,but nothing in the book requires a later date. The error combated is comparable to the kind of heresy present in the first century. To insist that the second chapter was directed against second-century Gnosticism is to assume more than the contents of the chapter warrant. While the heretics referred to in 2 Peter may well have been among the fore runners of second-century Gnostics, nothing is said of them that would not fit into the later years of Peter's life.
Some have suggested a later date because they interpret the reference to the fathers in to mean an earlier Christian generation. However, the word is most naturally interpreted as the OT patriarchs (cf. , "forefathers"; ). Similarly, reference to Paul and his letters (;) does not require a date beyond Peter's lifetime.
Theme
In his first letter Peter feeds Christ's sheep by instructing them how to deal with persecution from outside the church (see );
in this second letter he teaches them how to deal with false teachers and evil doers who have come into the church (see ).
While the particular situations naturally call for variations in content and emphasis, in both letters Peter as a pastor ("shepherd") of Christ's sheep
() seeks to commend to his readers a wholesome combination of Christian faith and practice.
More specifically, his purpose is threefold: