Editing Second Epistle of Peter (section)

===Chapter 3===
{{main|2 Peter 3}}
[[File:Andachtsbild 17 Jüngstes Gericht.jpg|thumb|19th-century [[holy card]] showing the [[Last Judgment]]: it quotes 2 Peter 3:13 — "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to [[Christian eschatology#New Heaven and New Earth|a new heaven and a new earth]], where righteousness dwell."]]
The fundamental of this chapter is the authoritative Christian revelation. The revelation is found in a two-part source (3:2). There is little doubt that the "words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets" refers to the OT writings, either in part or in whole.<ref>Bauckham 1983, 287.</ref><ref name="Davids 2006, 260">Davids 2006, 260.</ref> Then the author mentions the second source of revelation, the "commandment of the Lord" spoken by "your apostles." It is remarkable that this two-part authority includes an obvious older means "words spoken beforehand" as well as an obvious newer half, the apostolically mediated words (words about Jesus). One could be forgiven if he sees here a precursor to a future "old" and "new" Testament.<ref>Kruger, M. J. (2020). 2 Peter 3:2, the Apostolate, and a Bi-Covenantal Canon. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 63, pp. 5–24.</ref> This juxtaposition of prophet and apostle as a two-part revelatory source is not first found in 3:1–2, but in 1:16–21.<ref name="Davids 2006, 260"/>

Another remarkable feature of this chapter is that the author presupposes that his audience is familiar with a plurality of apostles ("how many" is unclear), and, moreover, that they have had (and perhaps still have) access to the teaching of these apostles. One cannot "remember" teaching that they have not received. Of course, this raises difficult questions about the precise medium (oral or written) by which the public received this apostolic teaching. However, near the end of this chapter, the means by which the audience at least received the apostle [[Paul the Apostle|Paul's]] teaching is expressly stated. We are told that the audience knew the teachings of "our beloved brother Paul" (3:15) and that they knew them in written form: "Paul also wrote to you according to wisdom as he does in all his letters" (3:16), the "also" being the key word since in the first verse of the chapter the author referred to another written apostolic text, namely his first epistle ([[First Epistle of Peter|1 Peter]]): considering part of the "Scriptures" not only the OT prophets, but also Paul and the author himself,<ref>Kruger 2020, 9–10.</ref> from the Pauline corpus the author may have known [[1 Thessalonians|1]] and [[2 Thessalonians]], [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]], [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]], and possibly [[Epistle to the Ephesians|Ephesians]] and [[Epistle to the Colossians|Colossians]].<ref>Houwelingen 2010, 122. "These considerations make us think especially of Paul's letter to the Galatians. It is also possible to think of the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians – the latter is indeed difficult to interpret."</ref><ref>Levoratti, Armando J. (1981). La Biblia. Libro del Pueblo de Dios. Verbo Divino, 2018, pp. 1791. "In this passage is found the first mention of a collection of Paul's Letters considered an integral part of the canonical Scriptures. The passages therein which lent themselves to false interpretations were undoubtedly those concerning the second Coming of the Lord (1 Thess. 4. 13–5. 11; 2 Thess. 1.7–10; 2.1–12), and Christian liberty (Rom. 7; Gal. 5). In the latter, especially, some sought justification for moral licentiousness."</ref>  Thought on Christian revelation is also located in other early authors, namely [[Pope Clement I|Clement of Rome]], [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]], [[Polycarp]], [[Justin Martyr]], and in the work [[Second Epistle of Clement|2 Clement]].<ref>Kruger 2020, 15–20.</ref>

In the middle of the chapter is the explanation for the delay in Jesus' return (3:9); Jesus' delay is only to facilitate the salvation of the "already faithful" who may at times waver in their faith or have been led astray by false teachers (2:2–3). God is delaying to make sure that "all" have had sufficient time to secure their commitment (or return) to the gospel, including the false teachers. The remaining verses provide details about the coming day of the Lord along with the exhortation that flows seamlessly into the conclusion of the letter. The instruction offered here (3:11–13) echoes that of Jesus who called his disciples to await the consummation of his kingdom with attention, service and perseverance (Mt 24–25; Mk 13:3–13, 32–37; Lk 18:1–30; 21:1–38). Taken together with the final verses (3:14–18), here again the author expresses the concern that believers secure their eternal place in God's new creation by embracing lives that foster blessing and even hasten God's coming day.<ref>Kuhn 2006</ref>

{{bibleverse|2 Peter|3:6}} quotes {{bibleverse|Genesis|7:11–12}}.
{{bibleverse|2 Peter|3:8}} quotes [[Psalm 90]], specifically {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|90:4}}.<ref>{{cite book|last= Kirkpatrick| first= A. F. | author-link=Alexander Kirkpatrick| title= The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes |series=The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges | volume = Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL | place = Cambridge |publisher= At the University Press | year = 1901 | pages = 839 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=SLJzlHElr6cC | access-date= February 28, 2019}}</ref>