Theology and Ethics in 1 Peter: Paraenetic Strategies for Christian Character Formation

J. de Waal Dryden seeks to develop a hermeneutic for 1 Peter that integrates theology and ethics while reading the epistle in the context of ancient epistolary practices. Both these agendas are accomplished by recognizing 1 Peter as a paraenetic epistle, analogous to paraenetic epistles typical of the Greco-Roman philosophic schools. Recent research into Greco-Roman paraenetic literature has demonstrated that both the aims and literary/rhetorical strategies to realize those aims have deep resonances with the aims and rhetorical strategies of NT epistolary literature. The author seeks to further this research into Greco-Roman paraenetic epistles and to apply it to 1 Peter. He takes up with explorations of typical paraenetic strategies and demonstrates how analogous strategies function in 1 Peter. He does not confine paraenesis simply to an ethical form, but understands paraenesis as a genre that incorporates many forms (ethical, philosophical, even narrative). This means that doctrine, whether in Seneca or 1 Peter, can function as paraenesis, to serve paraenetic aims of strengthening readers in their beliefs and in the practice of those beliefs. In 1 Peter the whole of the epistle, theology and ethics, functions as paraenesis. Thus, theology and ethics function together to foster growth in practical wisdom and practical dependence upon God.