Exegetical study on 1 Peter 3:18-21

THE NATURE OF CHRIST’S PROCLAMATION TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON A STUDY ON 1 PETER 3:18-20 By Paraschivescu Constantin Daniel October, 2020 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 3 CHAPTER I PERSPECTIVES ON THE PASSAGE 5 CHAPTER II QUICKENED IN THE SPIRIT 7 CHAPTER III THE PROCLAMATION TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON 10 Where did Christ went? 10 When did Christ went? 11 What did Christ preach? 12 CHAPTER IV THE REBELLION OF THE SPIRITS 13 CONCLUSION 15  INTRODUCTION In the Holy Scriptures there are many passages that are difficult to understand and need to be researched in order to find out the truth that it is hidden in it. One of the most debated passage in the Scripture would be First Peter, chapter 3, with verses 18 to 20. Martin Luther expressed himself referring to the passage: “This is a strange text, and a more obscure passage, perhaps, than any other in the New Testament, for I do not certainly know what St. Peter means.” Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 30 : The Catholic Epistles, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 30, Luther’s Works (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 113. The central statement of the passage is that Christ after He died in the flesh and was quickened in the spirit, He went and preached or proclaimed something to the spirits in prison which rebelled some long time ago, by the time of Noah. Out of these affirmations there are raising some important questions whose answer can affect our perspectives of the condition of man in death, about salvation, and other bible doctrines related to the passage. There are few major questions that point out the problems of the passage: In what manner was Christ resurrected? Was He quickened in the spirit or there is a mistake in translation, as other versions of the Bible translate it that Christ was quickened by the spirit? Who are this spirits in prison? When and where did Christ go to preach to them and what did He preached there? How did these spirits rebelled by the time of Noah? These questions we are raising are not easy to answer and “many scholarly treatise have been written dealing with this matter.” Daniel C. Arichea and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the First Letter from Peter, UBS Handbook Series; Helps for Translators (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 114. This passage is liable to varying interpretations and an approach to one or another is difficult, counting that the affirmations of the passage are strongly disputed. In order to get the truth out of it, the passage will be exegetically analyzed, firstly, in the context of the Epistles of Peter, and secondly, in the perspective of the entire Scripture. The passage will also be grammatically analyzed in the original language in which the passage was written. This study has the purpose to help the readers to understand what did Peter meant to say by the statements we find in this verses we are focusing on. I also have to affirm that this research doesn’t exhaust all the questions regarding the problems of the passage.  CHAPTER I PERSPECTIVES ON THE PASSAGE One of the most accepted interpretation of the passage is proposed long time ago by Augustine de Hippo. He contends that “the passage refers not to something Christ did between his death and resurrection, but to what he did in the spiritual realm of existence (or “through the spirit”) at the time of Noah.” Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology : an Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994), 591. In Augustine’s view “When Noah was building the ark, Christ “in spirit” was preaching through Noah to the hostile unbelievers around him.” Ibid. 591. The spirits in prison are “the inhabitants of the antediluvian world” Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary: First Peter, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Clarke’s Commentaries (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1999), 1 Pe 3:19. According to this view, “the spirits are not literally in prison but refer to those who were snared in sin during Noah’s day.” Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, electronic ed., vol. 37, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007), 185. They are imprisoned spiritually. Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter : the Way of the Cross, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 157. If we follow this line, we take out any idea that Christ descended into hell. A second interpretation of the passage understands the imprisoned spirits to be referring, as in 1 Peter 4:6, to the sinful human beings who were destroyed by the flood by the time of Noah. Clement of Alexandria taught that Jesus Christ descended into the Hades where He preached the salvation. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, The Ante-Nicene Fathers : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 490. “Christ in the interval between his death and resurrection descended to hell and preached to them, offering them the opportunity to repent and be saved.” Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, electronic ed., vol. 37, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007), 185. This interpretation is one “which has been extensively adopted in all ages of the Church.” Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 619. If we go this way, we can understand, as many do, that God will offer a second chance for salvation to all those in hell. And consequently, “if salvation was offered to the wicked generation of Noah, surely it will also be extended to all sinners separated from God.” Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 185. Robert Duncan reacts to the second chance of salvation after that contending that “Any reference to an offer of salvation to souls after death is obtained only by strained, often ridiculous, exegesis.” Robert Duncan Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical (Ross-shire, UK: Mentor, 2005), 1093. A third interpretation of the passage, which is also accepted by the majority scholars, was propagated by Friedrich Spitta, as Kistemaker observes. Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 145. This interpretation views the imprisoned spirits as to be the evil angels to which Christ proclaimed His victory and judgment over them. William Joseph Dalton, Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits, A study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6, Second Edition, (Editrice Pontificio Instituto Biblico, Roma, 1989), 47, 48. According to this view, these evil angels, connected to Genesis 6:1-4, “had sexual relations with women and were imprisoned because of their sin.” Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 185. If we follow this line, Christ couldn’t be descending into hell, more than that, we would understand that He proclaimed, as in chapter 3 with verse 22, His victory and judgment over the fallen angels. Mark Jeske is referring to this affirming that “Jesus did what victorious generals often do—go to the enemy’s capital and raise the flag of the conqueror. Mark A. Jeske, James, Peter, John, Jude, The People’s Bible (Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House, 2002), 113. This third interpretation I would consider to be the most accurate but only in regarding to the identity of the imprisoned spirits and the proclamation of Christ’s victory and judgment over them. I don’t agree that the fallen angel’s sin is mixing human and angel ontology and I will argue why in the last chapter. The imprisoned spirits could refer neither to the sinners from the time of Noah, nor to the sinful souls from hell. They are the fallen angelic beings to whom Christ proclaimed His victory and judgment after He was resurrected by the Holy Spirit of God. As we will pursue this research, we will consider the arguments that may prove its accuracy. CHAPTER II QUICKENED IN THE SPIRIT The first problem that arises regards the syntax from verse 18 “put to death in flesh” and “quickened in the spirit”. This two passive participles are followed by the dative case nouns (flesh and spirit) which, both of them could be translated differently (locative, of reference or instrumental). Regarding the first phrase which is “put to death in flesh” would not be so hard to decide in which way it should be translated as it clearly refers to the substitute death on the cross. The second phrase which is “made alive in the spirit” it’s more difficult to decide. There are two significant ways through which we can interpret the expression. Either we can translate it with locative dative, in which case it would mean that Christ didn’t resurrected in the body, but was resurrected in a spiritual realm, or we can translate it with instrumental dative, in which case we would understand that He was made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. The commentators tried to equilibrate the syntax and translated the second expression (made alive in spirit) as it is the first (put to death in flesh). Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 140. But that’s not mandatory because in 1 Timothy 3:16, the same kind of expressions are translated different as we may see: “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit”. The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Ti 3:16. If we would need to follow that strict logic, these expressions “would also require the same preposition to achieve two perfectly balanced clauses in translation.” Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 140. A strong argument that we have to take in count is that the verb forms of each of the two expressions are in the passive voice, which means that it calls for an agent to relate. “From this we could infer that an agent (someone or something) put Christ to death and made him alive.” Ibid. 140. As Lenski argues “They do not say that Christ died and became alive but that he was put to death, was made alive—“whom you crucified, God made both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36); “whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:10:).” R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude (Minneapolis, MN.: Augsburg Publishing House, 1966), 157. In regards to the first expression Peter does not mention an agent, but for the second one it does which would be the Holy Spirit. It would be more natural to translate the latter expression with the instrumental dative as the Scripture portrays the Holy Spirit to be the One who does the work of resurrection (Romans 8:11). The Bible also portrays the Father to be resurrecting Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4; Ephesians 1:20; Galatians 1:1; Acts 2:32), and even Jesus could take His life back (John 2:18, 19; 10:18). Louis Berkhof contends that “the resurrection is a work of the triune God.” L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 722. A second problem that arises regards the preposition that appears in 3:19, (ἐν ᾧ), which, because it is used in dative case, could be also translated in few different ways that will affect our understanding of what’s coming next in the passage. This preposition can be understood as temporal (“at the time the spirit resurrected Him He went”), locative (“in the realm of existence He went”), or instrumental (“by the power of the Spirit He went”). Considering that the word whom needs to refer to someone or something, we must relate to the closest noun that is the antecedent “spirit” (πνευματι), either we take it with or without capital letter. Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 141. We have to note that Peter is mentioning the Holy Spirit few times in the epistle (1:2; 1:11). In 1:12, Peter even uses in other part of his epistle the word spirit in dative case in which through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit the gospel was preached. If we understand the expression from verse 18, made alive through the Holy Spirit (ζωοποιηθεις δε πνευματι), then we can’t just to interpret the preposition ἐν ᾧ as to be “through the instrumentality of the Spirit of God, Jesus Christ after his resurrection “went and preached to the spirits in prison”. Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 141. Raymond E. Brown contends that “the phrase is best understood instrumentally.” Raymond Edward Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland Edmund Murphy, The Jerome Biblical Commentary, vol. 2 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996), 367.  CHAPTER III THE PROCLAMATION TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON Where did Christ went? A third problem we have to deal with it is pointed by the question we raised in the introduction that would be where did Christ go to preach to the spirits in prison? The interpretation of the traditional church contends that Christ descended into hell between His death and resurrection. There are some major points we need to take in count in order to draw a conclusion for where did Christ went, when did He went and what did He do there. Regarding the verb which is used in verse 19 to indicate the action of descending we have to take in count that the deponent verb (πορεύομαι ) simply means “to go from one place to another”. Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 323. We could understand that Christ descended to hell if the word prison would direct us somewhere down, in the deep. But neither the names which describe the place of the dead (Hades, Tartar, Sheol) do appear in the text. Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005), 243. As Karen Jobes observes ”the Western church used its own traditional understanding of hell as located below and inferred the “going” to be a descent.” Ibid. 243. If Peter would have wanted to affirm the idea of descending, as Achtemeier observes, he would have used the verb καταβαίνω which explicitly means to go down. Paul J. Achtemeier and Eldon Jay Epp, 1 Peter : a Commentary on First Peter, Hermeneia--a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 1996), 257. We also have to consider that the word πορεύομαι it is never used in the New Testament with the sense of going down. Ibid. 257. It would be hard to understand that Peter wanted to say that Jesus descended to hell. It would be way much easier to understand the verb πορεύομαι as referring to the ascension as in the same chapter in verse 22, Peter is using it as referring to the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God subjecting to Him all angels and authorities (also see Acts 1:10-11). If we take in count what Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, it could fit perfectly for the spiritual forces of evil are in the heavenly places. When did Christ went? If it is to understand the latter expressions of the passage that Christ was resurrected through the power of the Holy Spirit and through Whom He went and preached, we can’t just understand that the time He went was after He was resurrected and not before. Anyway, an argument that will support this view is the presence of the conjunction καὶ which because it is used after the two events (His death and resurrection), it places the timing of His journey after He was made alive. What did Christ preach? As far as it goes the content of Christ’s preach, we need to analyze both the Greek word for preaching and the subjects to whom He preached. In order to understand what did Jesus preached to the spirits from the prison, we need to understand who this spirits are. If we trace the noun πνεῦμα we can observe that it appears seven times in First Peter, but only two times could imply that the word refers to the human soul. First, in 3:4 where, rather it refers to attitude or temperament and in 3:19 where many, in the context of Platonism, understand it to refer to a conscious soul divided from the body after death. In the other places where the noun appears, it refers to the Spirit of God (3:14), Spirit of Christ (1:11), Holy Spirit (1:2, 12). If we also trace the word πνεῦμα, in the all Scripture we will also notice that it appears, consequently, referring to supernatural beings and to human beings. Even more, as Karen Jobes observes, when the word pneuma is used in its plural form, it is “used overwhelmingly to refer to malevolent supernatural beings.” Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005), 250. A strong argument we need to consider to support the view that the word spirit in First Peter 3:19 it refers to supernatural beings, can be found in Revelation 20:7, where spirit (πνεύματα) is related to the word prison (φυλακῇ), as it is constructed in our passage. In Revelation 20:7 Satan is released from the prison, which would be more natural for us to understand that the spirits from the prison in our passage could be the fallen angelic beings. If it is to understand these spirits as to be the fallen angelic beings, then Christ could not have preached to them the gospel. The Scripture is clear on the fact that there is no second chance for the evil angels to be saved (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Even more, Christ didn’t came in the help of the fallen angels (Hebrew 2:16). Although, the verb κηρύσσω it is used in the New Testament, most of the time with the sense of preaching the gospel, it also can be translated with “denoting the official activity of a herald announce” Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 230. or proclaiming something. James Strong S.T.D., LL.D., A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), 42. Therefore, Christ didn’t preached the gospel to the fallen angels, but He proclaimed His glory and judgement to them which it will support the idea Peter contends in the verse 22. “Christ reaffirmed that he is superior to all powers.” David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 56. CHAPTER IV THE REBELLION OF THE SPIRITS A last question of the study which needs to be analyzed is in what manner did these fallen angels rebelled by the time of Noah? Is it veridical the idea that the fallen angels “had sexual relations with women and were imprisoned because of their sin”? Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, electronic ed., vol. 37, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007), 185. Such an interpretation would be difficult to support in the context of the whole Bible as the Scripture is clear in the words of Jesus that the angels “neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” The Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Mt 22:30. It would be difficult for us to understand that the fallen angels who, by the way, are spirits, can have sexual relations with women. Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 145. Besides, there is no place in the Holy Scripture where it mentions that the angels have gender. Procreation is a characteristic of the terrestrial beings, humans and animal ontology (Genesis 1:22, 28). We have no proof, out of the Bible, that procreation is a characteristic of the angelical beings. K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, electronic ed., vol. 1A, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 327. The angels are spiritual beings, and not corporeal (Hebrews 1:7, 14). Another difficulty in accepting this interpretation is that the punishment of God from Genesis 6:1-4 isn’t given to angels because they mixed human and angelic ontology, but it is given to humans (Genesis 6:3). The flood is God’s punishment specifically for humans (Genesis 6:5-7), there is no mention of the angels. Therefore, the rebellion of the fallen angels by the time of Noah couldn’t refer to the sexual relations with women. It could though refer demonic possession. Because the people from Noah’s time have chosen to disobey the voice of the Holy Spirit, they started to follow the voice of the fallen angels. Either you follow God, or you follow Satan (Matthew 6:24). The fact that the man was totally wicked and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”, indicates that the human and angelic beings were one in thought and in deed to disobeying God. CONCLUSION In conclusion, regarding the first problem of the passage which points toward the manner of Christ resurrection (ζῳοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι), the most natural way to translate the expression is with the instrumental dative. Even if there is a tension between the two expressions it isn’t mandatory to obey a strict logic to equilibrate it as in 1 Timothy 3:16, the same kind of expressions are translated different as we may see: “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit”. Counting that the verb forms of each of the two expressions are in the passive voice, then must be an agent that it needs to relate to, which is the antecedent noun (πνευματι). Given the fact that Peter uses the word (πνευματι) in his epistle with the instrumental dative, it would be natural to understand that the agent to relate in the second expression is the Holy Spirit. Such an interpretation would also agree with the entire Bible direction as the Scripture portrays the Holy Spirit to be the One who does the work of resurrection (Romans 8:11). Therefore, through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, Christ was resurrected and through whom He went to preach to the spirits in prison. Regarding the verb which is used in verse 19 to indicate the action of descending we have to take in count that the deponent verb (πορεύομαι ) simply means “to go from one place to another”. Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 323. We could understand that Christ descended to hell if the word prison would direct us somewhere down, in the deep, but it doesn’t. Neither the verb καταβαίνω is used. If Peter would have wanted to say that, he would have probably used this verb. We also have to consider that the word πορεύομαι it is never used in the New Testament with the sense of going down. Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 257. It is use though as referring to the ascension in the same chapter in verse 22, which would be more natural to translate. Christ was resurrected through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the same Spirit He went and preached after He was resurrected. The presence of the conjunction καὶ which because it is used after the two events (His death and resurrection), it places the timing of His journey after He was made alive. The noun πνεῦμα appears seven times in First Peter, but only two times could imply that the word refers to the human soul and even then it does not specifically supports this. First, in 3:4 where, rather it refers to attitude or temperament and in 3:19 where many, in the context of Platonism, understand it to refer to a conscious soul divided from the body after death. The word πνεῦμα, in the Scripture appears, consequently, referring to supernatural beings and to human beings. As Karen Jobes observes, when the word pneuma is used in its plural form, it is “used overwhelmingly to refer to malevolent supernatural beings.” Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005), 250. The strongest argument we need to consider to support the view that the word spirit in First Peter 3:19 it refers to supernatural beings, can be found in Revelation 20:7, where spirit (πνεύματα) is related to the word prison (φυλακῇ), as it is constructed in our passage. There is a strong link that the spirits in prison represent the fallen angelical beings. Regarding the content of Christ speech, the Scripture is clear on the fact that there is no second chance for the evil angels to be saved (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Even more, Christ didn’t came in the help of the fallen angels (Hebrew 2:16). Jesus Christ is clear on the fact that He didn’t came in the help of the fallen angels (Hebrew 2:16). He could only proclaim His glory and judgement to them which will support the idea Peter affirms in verse 22. As far as it goes the rebellion of the angels by the time of Noah, it could not refer to the sexual relations with women as the Scripture is clear in the words of Jesus that the angels “neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” The Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Mt 22:30. It would be difficult for us to understand that the fallen angels who, by the way, are spirits, can have sexual relations with women. Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 145. Besides, there is no place in the Holy Scripture where it mentions that the angels have gender. Procreation is a characteristic of the terrestrial beings, humans and animal ontology (Genesis 1:22, 28). The angels are spiritual beings, and not corporeal (Hebrews 1:7, 14). The rebellion of the fallen angels could though refer demonic possession. The fact that the man was totally wicked and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”, indicates that the human and angelic beings were one in thought and in deed to disobeying God. BIBLIOGRAPHY Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology : an Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994 Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, electronic ed., vol. 37, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007), Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, The Ante-Nicene Fathers : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude, vol. 16, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 722. Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 323. Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005), 243. Paul J. Achtemeier and Eldon Jay Epp, 1 Peter : a Commentary on First Peter, Hermeneia--a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 1996), 257. James Strong S.T.D., LL.D., A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), William Joseph Dalton, Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits, A study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6, Second Edition, (Editrice Pontificio Instituto Biblico, Roma, 1989), 47 K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, electronic ed., vol. 1A, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 327. Arichea C. Daniel and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the First Letter from Peter, UBS Handbook Series; Helps for Translators (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 114. Hodge Charles, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). Duncan Robert Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical (Ross-shire, UK: Mentor, 2005). Lenski R. C. H., The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude (Minneapolis, MN.: Augsburg Publishing House, 1966). Clowney Edmund P., The Message of 1 Peter : the Way of the Cross, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988). Jeske Mark A., James, Peter, John, Jude, The People’s Bible (Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House, 2002). Brown Raymond Edward, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland Edmund Murphy, The Jerome Biblical Commentary, vol. 2 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996). Walls David and Anders Max, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999). Clarke Adam, Clarke’s Commentary: First Peter, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Clarke’s Commentaries (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1999), 1 Pe 3:19. 14