The Jewish Annotated New Testament (298 page)

10b
–22
: Author returns to the condemnation of the false prophets in 2.1–3. Cf. Jude 8–13.
Glorious ones
, lit., “glories,” another reference to angels.

15
–16
:
Balaam, son of Bosor
, hired to curse Israel (Num 22.21–35). Cf. Jude 11.

17
: Cf. Jude 12. Tartaros (see v. 4n.) was depicted as utterly dark.

19
:
Slaves
, see Rom 6.6,16.

20
–21
:
After they have escaped
, opponents, who had been part of the author’s community, mistake licentiousness for “freedom.”
Holy commandment
, probably not one commandment but a reference to the entirety of faith or of the Tanakh.

22
: Prov 26.11 and a common saying occur here in place of the citation of
1 En
. 1.9 in Jude 14.

3.1
–13:
Reassurance of Christ’s return.

1
:
Beloved
, common term of endearment among Christians, 1 Cor 4.14; as here, in addressing audience, 1 Cor 10.14.
Second letter
, reference to 1 Peter.

2
:
Holy prophets
, of the Tanakh; the author assumes that the prophets of the Tanakh predict Jesus’ return.
Savior
, see 1.1,11; 2.20.
Apostles
, “those sent,” ambassadors or representatives, whom the author sees in an authoritative line with the prophets.

3
–4
:
Scoffers will come
, another “vaticinium ex eventu” (“prophecy from the event”) prediction (see 2.1n.). The theme of the delay of God’s justice appears also in Plutarch’s “On the Delays of the Divine Vengeance” in
Mor
. 548D; 549D. Cf. 2.1.

5
:
Word of God
, See Gen ch 1.

6
:
Deluged
, see Gen 6–9.

7
:
Fire
, instrument of judgment in
T. Abr
. 10.11; 12.4.

8
:
Day is like a thousand years
, based on Ps. 90.4.

9
:
Not slow
, see Deut 7.10;
all to come to repentance
, the delay of the parousia allows for universal repentance. Cf. Rom 11.25.

10
:
The day of the Lord
, see Joel 2.2–32; Am 5.18–20; 1 Thess 5.2.

13
:
New heavens and a new earth
, Isa 65.17; 66.22; Rev 21.1 (though there is no evidence that the author of 2 Peter knows Revelation).

3.14
–17:
Exhortation for patience and righteousness.

14
:
Beloved
, see 3.1n.
Spot or blemish
, in Tanakh an animal offered for sacrifice must be without blemish (Lev 21.17; same root word in LXX as here).

15
:
Patience … salvation
, reiteration of the idea in 3.9. See Rom 2.4; 9.22.

16
:
Other scriptures
, Paul’s letters are considered scripture equal with the Tanakh. If 2 Peter antedates Marcion (fl. 140–144), this is the earliest mention of scriptural status being assigned to Paul’s epistles.

17
:
Beloved
, see 3.1n.
Error of the lawless
refers back to the false teachers of 2.1 and 3.3–7 who deny that Jesus will return or that there will be a last judgment.

3.18
: Doxology.
Knowledge
, return to the theme begun in 1.2.
Day of eternity
, lit “day of ages,” a reference to the coming new age.

1.1
–4:
Entering community fellowship.

1
:
From the beginning
, see 2.13,14; Jn 1.1.
Touched with our hands
, the Gospels of Luke and (especially) John are the only ones to contain a post-resurrection event in which Jesus invites disciples to touch him.
Concerning the word
, the prologue of the Gospel of John (1.1–14) introduces the concept of word (Gk “logos”). The phrase
from the beginning
as well as the
word
here suggest that the author of 1 John was borrowing from the Gospel.

2
:
We have seen it
, the author states three times in the first three verses that he was an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry.

1.5
–2.28: The core of belief. 1.5
: The theme of
light
and
darkness
appears also in Jn 1.4,5,9; 3.19–21; 8.12; 9.5; 12.35–36,46. It is a theme repeated in the first two chs of 1 John and is common in sectarian literature from Qumran.

6
:
Fellowship
, (Gk “koinonia,” the community of fellow-believers). It is not possible to participate in the community of light while
walking in darkness
(cf. Isa 9.1).

7
:
Blood … cleanses
, a reference to sacrificial practice; see Lev 4.

8
–10
:
Sin
, etmologically falling short or missing a goal; to deny one’s sin is to
deceive
oneself and deny God’s truth.
Confess
, acknowledge the existence of.
Unrighteousness
, to be righteous or
just
is to be in accord with God’s will, which is
faithful
. Judaism does not generally teach the concept of “original sin” (but see Ps 51.5 [Heb v. 7]); thus Jews do not believe that humans are born into a context in which they are estranged from God and must repair a rift. There is, however, an understanding within Judaism that humans do sin; confessing sin directly to God in prayer with a repentant attitude, therefore, is a Jewish practice. Confession of one’s shortcomings often occurs in a communal setting, for example on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in a synagogue, but can also be expressed in personal prayer, at any time, in or out of the synagogue. Jews believe that God is compassionate and will forgive a contrite sinner.

2.1
:
Little children
, perhaps a wisdom allusion (e.g., Prov 1.4,8), but may also mean “newest members” of the community.
Advocate
(Gk “paraklētos,” lit., “one who stands alongside”), this term is found only here and in Jn 14.16,26; 15.26; 16.7 (where it refers to the coming of the Spirit). It can mean “one who speaks on behalf of another” or “one who offers aid to another.” It can also be translated “comforter” or “counselor.”
Righteous
, or “one who is just.”

2
:
Atoning sacrifice
(Gk “hilasmos”), see 4.10; these are the only places in the NT where this word is used; in LXX it appears, e.g., in Lev 25.9; Num 5.8 (translated “atonement”). The sacrifice of atonement is one that reestablishes the relationship between God and human beings.

3
:
Know
, a favorite Johannine term, here alluding to the personal knowledge of God that leads one to love other members of the community (Jn 13.34).

4
–6
:
Obey
, in conforming one’s behavior one exemplifies
the love of God
.
Abide in
, participate in the life of.
Walk
, live one’s life; cf. e.g., Ps 1.1; 15.2.

7
:
New commandment
, see Jn 13.34; 2 Jn 5.

11
:
Believer
, lit., “brother” (see translators’ note
e
), this presumably applies to relationships within the community, not to those with outsiders.

12
–14
: A rhythmic series of phrases repeating the threefold
children … fathers … young people
characterizes of the various groups within the community, perhaps as a way of making the exhortation memorable.
Sins … name
, forgiveness is from God; the
name
is not an arbitrary label but the expression of the person, including the person’s innate authority.

13
–14
:
Evil one
(Gk “poneros”), see also Mt 6.13, “rescue us from evil” or “the evil one”; Jn 17.15.
You have conquered
, perhaps through
the word of God
.

15
: Johannine literature often uses
world
(Gk “kosmos”) as representing the sphere of opposition to God (see e.g., Jn 15.18–19, but note Jn 3.16: “God so loved the world”).

18
:
Antichrist
, this term is found in the NT only in these two letters (also 2.22; 4.3) and 2 Jn 7. The noun “christos” means “anointed one” or “messiah”; the prefix “anti-” can mean either “against” or “in place of.” The antichrist is the adversary of God and Christ that comes in the end times. Antecedents to this idea can be found in Jewish literature and other sources (e.g., Dan 7.19–27; 8.9–11,23–25; 9.27; CD 8.2; 1QM 17.5–8; 11QMelch 2.12–13; and
Sib. Or
. 3.75–92, 611–15). In 1 John the sign of the (or an) antichrist seems to be false teaching, the denial of Jesus’ messiahship, and the denial of the relation between God the Father and the Son.
Last hour
, the apocalyptic worldview is that God’s intervention into human history and the ultimate defeat of evil are expected at any time. This is not an end of time, but an end of an era.

19
:
They went out from us
, the recent schism resulted in the withdrawal from the community of those who taught opposing views.

20
:
Anointed by the Holy One
, anointing (marking with oil) is an indication of the beginning of a new task or taking on a new situation; the one who has marked the members of the community is the Spirit.