The Relationship Between Submission and Sacrifice in the First Letter of Peter

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author presents a very clear argument, with helpful summaries and transitions, written in English prose that is very accessible. The overarching aim of the essay, to explore the relationship between the themes of sacrifice and submission in 1 Peter, is original and worth pursuing. The essay breaks down, however, in its execution because there is not enough engagement with current research in 1 Peter on the following: (1) the audience of 1 Peter, including ethnic makeup and to what extent they were engaged in Greco-Roman worship; (2) what sacrifice the author of 1 Peter has in view (i.e., there are a variety of kinds of sacrifices that could be in view, and not all are expiation); (3) what the author meant by "spiritual house"; (4) whether "good works" was an accommodating or missionary strategy; and (5) how blood is being used in 1 Peter (esp 1:2, 19). This lack of engagement makes the thesis and the supporting evidence for such thesis weak, in spite of the fact that the argument is written clearly. That is, many of the claims made about audience, meaning of sacrifice and blood, etc. have been challenged in previous scholarship, and the author of the essay does not demonstrate awareness of this. 

Author Response

I welcome your observations and thought-provoking comments. I have reviewed your 5 annotations and have expanded the discussion on them in a way proportional to the study already done, in order not to modify the original thread.

(1) the audience of 1 Peter, including ethnic makeup and to what extent they were engaged in Greco-Roman worship.

The issue of the ethnicity of the letter's audience, although briefly mentioned, would divert attention from the central theme of the study. However, acknowledging your suggestion, I have included an allusion to the theme of the construction of a new identity from the theme of the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ. See the footnote 14. 

See footnote 12, I quote the letter of Pliny the Younger (X.96) which gives an account of the attitude of the Christians and how they are required to perform actions of the imperial cult. 

(2) what sacrifice the author of 1 Peter has in view (i.e., there are a variety of kinds of sacrifices that could be in view, and not all are expiation); 

In a following study it will be interesting to make a comparative investigation with the other New Testament sources and the different interpretations about the sacrifice of Jesus, this will give light to see other possibilities present in the letter that I do not know today.

(3) what the author meant by "spiritual house";

II introduce some comments about the spiritual house that clarify its relationship to good works (sacrifices). See page 7, second paragraph.

(4) whether "good works" was an accommodating or missionary strategy;

I complete the idea about teh strategy in last page, in the second paragraph of the conclusion.

(5) how blood is being used in 1 Peter (esp 1:2, 19). 

I return to the subject of blood from a new perspective contributed by authors that I had not pointed out in the first draft. See page 8 second paragraph.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The topic of the article is both interesting and significant. The author explores the concepts of "sacrifice" and "submission" in the First Epistle of Peter and their relationship. The methodological approach of the study is commendable. The author employs a historical-theological analysis that meticulously examines the socio-historical context, cultic terminology, and theological motivations within the letter. This rigorous methodology ensures a comprehensive understanding of the text and its implications. The author bases his findings on recent scholarship in the relevant fields.

The article is well structured, divided into clear thematic blocks that guide the reader through the complex analysis. The systematic approach allows for a logical progression of ideas, from socio-historical context to a detailed examination of cultic language and theological motivations. The connection between "submission" and the Christian spiritual cult is particularly insightful.

Overall, this article is a valuable contribution to the field of New Testament studies. The author's methodological rigor, systematic approach, and clear presentation make it a remarkable piece of scholarship.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your comments!

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

See attached.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you for your comments, they have been very helpful in clarifying certain points.

1) About secondary sources. 

I introduce new comments and recent studies to argue my points, but I don´t include more, because I try  to not modify the argument of the first paper. See footnote 10,12, 14, 27.

2) Title “Christian

See footnote 9. I explain that the label christian to use for the groups of Jesus Christ followers is anacronic for time of the Letter, but for this study is util for do the diference with other belivers.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I would like to recommend the following to the author:

• It is claimed that the author of 1 Peter distances himself from the Jewish cult. However, if 1 Peter is a pseudepigraphon written at the end of the 1st century this cult did no longer exist. What does the destruction of the Tempel and the end of the Jewish sacrificial cult mean to the author of 1 Peter and his addressees?
• I think the article argues convincingly that the author of 1 Peter did not intend to adopt patriarchial and Roman imperial values into Christianity. However, the author of the article should take into consideration that this has been the effect of the canonization of this letter. It was indeed used to legitimize slavery and the submission of women. So, I think some remarks on the difference between the intention of the letter and its effects are necessary.
• In its present form the article gives the impression that 1 Peter's idea of humble submission as a sacrifice is a complete innovation within the religions of antiquity. However, this is not the case. I think the author should make clearer that this concept has its roots in ancient Judaism (the role of the poor and humble e.g. in Psalms). There was also a tendency in Greek and Roman cults starting in late Hellenistic times to link sacrifice not with ritual purity but with moral purity (cf. the works of Angelos Chaniotis and Andrej Petrovic). It should be made clearer that 1 Peter is part of a general tendency in ancient religion, not an exception.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

A native speaker should check the language. In my impression, there were some not entirely correct sentences. There were also some remains of a Spanish original in the footnotes.

I appreciate that the author of the article refers to Spanish books and articles in the footnotes. However, as not everybody is able to read Spanish, I would like to recommend giving in addition also some more references to English titles.

Author Response

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, they have helped me to clarify certain issues and improve the argument.

1) What does the destruction of the Temple...

I have not considered the fact of the destruction of the Temple as relevant, since the audience of the letter is temporally distant from the event. And it is plausible that its audience, being ethnically diverse, does not have the subject of the fall of the Temple as a reference. 

2) I think some remarks on the difference between the intention of the letter and its effects are necessary...

In my opinion, I was clear in the introduction of the study when I explain the problem with the diverse interpretation of the letter (see the first paragraph of the introduction) and I strengthen the argument in the conclusion (second paragraph of the conclusión).

About the spanish studies, its a personal option because is my lenguage and I try to show in the english publications the best of the biblical studies from Latinamerican and Spain. Following your suggestion, I have added the titles of the works in their English version, see the footnotes in yellow.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The second draft has improved in terms of engagement with the secondary literature and the text of 1 Peter. 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author improves the overall argument.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the thorough revision of your article.

One minor point: In several places, you have written parepidémos (in Greek letters). In the Nominative case, it should be parepídemos (accent on the i).