Bede — Commentary on Scripture

1 Peter 4:12

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal, etc. Some manuscripts read: Do not be strangers to the fiery ordeal. The meaning of both expressions is apparent, because a faithful person should neither be surprised at why he suffers tribulations in this life, as it is for the reason that he is now tried with tribulations so that, when proven, he may be deemed worthy to receive the crown of future life; nor should anyone consider himself to be a stranger and alien from the members of Christ because he is struck by the adversities of the present age, since the death exit of the Lord (Psalm LXVII), and never in His Church, from the first martyr Abel to the last elect who will be born at the end of the age, has the persecution by unbelievers ceased. Therefore, well did he say, Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal, he added:

1 Peter 4:15

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, etc. For he suffers as a blasphemer who, at the time of his suffering, is carried away into the injury of his persecutor.

1 Peter 4:17 · 2 passages

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. There are two judgments of God indicated by Scripture: one hidden, the other manifest. The hidden judgment is the punishment by which each human being is now either exercised for purification or admonished for conversion, or, if he has scorned the call and discipline of God, blinded for condemnation. The manifest judgment is when the Lord is to come to judge the living and the dead. Now it is said to be the time in which judgment begins from the house of the Lord, that is, from the Church, which is being prepared for future joys through the exercise of present afflictions. For the reprobate now lead a transient life so much more securely and without any scourge of retribution, as there remains nothing else for them in the future but retribution, according to that saying of the blessed Job: They spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment they go down to the grave.

If it begins with us first, what will be the end of those, etc.? From this it is inferred how sternly the Judge will strike those whom he rejects, if he thus torments here those whom he loves. For if the children are scourged, what can the wicked servants expect?

1 Peter 4:18

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, etc. The Pelagians do not want to believe that in one man the entire mass of the human race is corrupted and utterly damned. From this vice and condemnation of one man alone, the grace of Christ heals and liberates. For why should the righteous man be scarcely saved? Is it a labor for God to free the righteous man? By no means. But in order to show that it was deservedly condemned by nature, the Almighty Himself does not wish to easily liberate from such a great evil. Because of this, both sins are easily fallen into and justice is laborious, except for those who love. But the charity that makes those who love comes from God. It is to be noted, however, that Blessed Peter took this sentence from the Proverbs of Solomon according to the ancient Editio, for which in our version that descends from the Hebrew truth, it is written: If the righteous man receives on earth, how much more the impious and the sinner (Proverbs XI)? Which is to say openly: If the fragility of mortal life is so great that not even the righteous who are to be crowned in…

And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, etc. The Pelagians do not want to believe that in one man the entire mass of the human race is corrupted and utterly damned. From this vice and condemnation of one man alone, the grace of Christ heals and liberates. For why should the righteous man be scarcely saved? Is it a labor for God to free the righteous man? By no means. But in order to show that it was deservedly condemned by nature, the Almighty Himself does not wish to easily liberate from such a great evil. Because of this, both sins are easily fallen into and justice is laborious, except for those who love. But the charity that makes those who love comes from God. It is to be noted, however, that Blessed Peter took this sentence from the Proverbs of Solomon according to the ancient Editio, for which in our version that descends from the Hebrew truth, it is written: If the righteous man receives on earth, how much more the impious and the sinner (Proverbs XI)? Which is to say openly: If the fragility of mortal life is so great that not even the righteous who are to be crowned in Heaven pass through it without tribulation because of the innumerable errors of corrupted nature, how much more those who are deprived of heavenly grace expect the certain outcome of their perpetual damnation?

1 Peter 5:1

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

Who is also a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed in the future. Clearly, this happened when on the holy mountain he beheld the heavenly glory of His face with James and John, or when he saw the power of His resurrection and ascension with the other disciples who were present.

1 Peter 5:2 · 3 passages

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Providing not forcefully but willingly, etc. One who feeds the flock of God and provides out of necessity for material things, having nothing to live on, therefore preaches the Gospel so that he may live from the Gospel. But willingly and according to God is one who, looking not for any earthly reward, but only for the heavenly reward, preaches the word of God. The Apostle Paul distinguishes between the two: "For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship." Stewardship is said to be entrusted to someone who is commanded to take care of an external matter for a time. For instance, one who is commanded to distribute his master's wheat to his fellow servants in due time is similar to one who does not willingly, but reluctantly, evangelizes.

Feed the flock of God that is among you. Just as the Lord commanded Blessed Peter to have care for His entire flock, that is, the Church, so Peter rightly commands the subsequent pastors of the Church to protect with diligent governance the flock of God that is among them.

Neither for shameful profit, but willingly. He provides for the flock of God for shameful profit, who preaches for gain and earthly benefits, while all works of religion ought to be done willingly. According to the example of the construction of the tabernacle, which prefigured the present construction of the Church, where all the multitude of the children of Israel offered the first-fruits to the Lord with prompt and devoted minds for the construction of the tabernacle, giving all things freely, and the craftsmen offered themselves willingly to do the work.

1 Peter 5:3

Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Nor as being lords over those assigned to your care, etc. So that the humility, which you desire your subjects to have towards you and among themselves, you may first show by your own actions and keep in your own mind intact, according to the word of the Lord: "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be the servant of all" (Matthew XXIII). Paul carefully observing this precept says: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."

1 Peter 5:5 · 3 passages

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another. For he says all, meaning both the elders and the young men, who are commanded to manifest the virtue of humility towards one another, both by ruling and by humbly obeying. This is something we read that Peter himself did, when, upon entering Caesarea, Cornelius humbly fell at his feet, and he humbly raised him up, saying: Stand up, I too am just a man like you (Acts X). And indeed Cornelius had not yet been reborn in Christ, nor had he yet been incorporated into the members of the Church. Therefore, all are either taught to have humility towards one another by example, or this is also insinuated by word because he knew that the vice of pride, which cast the angels down from heaven, ought to be guarded against by all. He prudently warns and refreshes all with the accompanying judgment of Solomon, saying:

Likewise, young men, be subject to the elders. After teaching the elders how to lead, it was necessary to also instruct the younger ones to obey their paternal provision. However, it was not necessary to speak much to them, but only to give the precept of subjection. For surely he had commanded the elders to be examples to those under them, and it sufficed for the younger ones to look to the good examples of their elders and devoutly imitate them. But lest the superiors hearing these things should think that only the subjects are to observe the laws of humility and not also themselves, he immediately added by admonishing generally:

For God resists the proud, etc. And he immediately explains what that same grace is which God bestows upon the humble, when he subsequently adds by admonishing:

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, etc. Thus, He grants this grace to the humble, so that the more they are humbled for His sake at the time of the struggle, the more gloriously they may be exalted by Him at the time of recompense. But humility can be understood in many ways in this context, that is, both the humility where someone, beginning the path of virtues, is healthily worn down to wash away the sins they have committed, and the humility that is shown voluntarily, out of devotion of mind, to God or to neighbors in peace regarding surrounding matters, and also the humility where, under the attacks of persecution storms, the undefeated soul is armed with the virtue of patience. To every kind of humility devout to God, that reward succeeds, so that those who humble themselves during their pilgrimage will be exalted during His visitation.

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Be sober and vigilant, etc. In the exposition of this sentence, let us place not our own words, but those of the blessed Cyprian. "He (says he) circles around us individually, and like an enemy besieging enclosed walls, he inspects and tests to see if there is any part of the members that is less stable and less dependable, through which entry to the interior may be gained. He offers alluring forms and easy pleasures to the eyes so that through sight he may destroy chastity. He tries to tempt the ears through melodious music so that the hearing of a sweeter sound may dissolve and weaken Christian vigor. He provokes the tongue with revilement, incites the hand with injuries inducing it to the petulance of killing; to make one a fraudster, he opposes unjust gains; to capture the soul with money, he introduces pernicious advantages. He promises earthly honors to take away heavenly ones. He presents false things to steal the true. And when he cannot deceive secretly, he openly threatens, always restlessly and always hostile, intending the threat of a turbulent persecution to overpower th…

Be sober and vigilant, etc. In the exposition of this sentence, let us place not our own words, but those of the blessed Cyprian. "He (says he) circles around us individually, and like an enemy besieging enclosed walls, he inspects and tests to see if there is any part of the members that is less stable and less dependable, through which entry to the interior may be gained. He offers alluring forms and easy pleasures to the eyes so that through sight he may destroy chastity. He tries to tempt the ears through melodious music so that the hearing of a sweeter sound may dissolve and weaken Christian vigor. He provokes the tongue with revilement, incites the hand with injuries inducing it to the petulance of killing; to make one a fraudster, he opposes unjust gains; to capture the soul with money, he introduces pernicious advantages. He promises earthly honors to take away heavenly ones. He presents false things to steal the true. And when he cannot deceive secretly, he openly threatens, always restlessly and always hostile, intending the threat of a turbulent persecution to overpower the servants of God. In peace, he is deceitful; in persecution, violent. Therefore, against all the deceitful ambushes and open threats of the devil, the mind must stand trained and armed, as prepared always to resist as the enemy is to attack always."

1 Peter 5:9

Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Resist strong in faith, etc. Be (he says) so much stronger in faith, have so much more patience to overcome the deceits of the devil, as it is certain that you are not tempted alone, but the same passion that wearies you is common to the Church of Christ which is throughout the whole world, that is to say, to your brotherhood. And because the righteous have always suffered since the foundation of the world, let it shame you to be unable to endure alone above all others.

1 Peter 5:10

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Grace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. He began the Epistle with grace, ended with grace, and sprinkled grace throughout, in order to condemn the Pelagian error in every part of his speech and to teach that the Church of Christ can only be saved by his grace. And thoughtfully, when he said: Grace to you, he added: To all who are in Christ Jesus, signifying that what he wrote to a few Churches, that is, to Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, he wrote to all the Churches of Christ throughout the world. Just as John, in the Apocalypse, when he admonished the seven Churches of Asia individually as befitting each, added at the end of each, thus concluding: He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches (Apoc. II), plainly indicating that everything he wrote to any one Church, was written to all Churches of the faithful who have a discerning ear.

1 Peter 5:12

By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

Through Sylvanus, your faithful brother, etc. What he says, beseeching, can refer to what precedes, because he writes briefly after all, not commanding, but beseeching them to stand firm in faith. It can also be rightly connected to what follows, so that it is understood that he not only testifies that this is their true grace which he declares by writing, since indeed there is no other in whom we must be saved (Acts IV), but also urges them to make this their true grace which they have been imbued with in Christ. For the grace of Christ becomes their grace, who accept it with a pure heart. For he who despises the grace of God does not diminish grace itself, but makes it not his own, that is, makes it to not benefit himself.

1 Peter 5:13

The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

The Church which is gathered in Babylon greets you, etc. He calls Rome Babylon figuratively, evidently because of the confusion of manifold idolatry. In the midst of which, the holy Church, now immature and very small, was shining forth, in the example of the Israelite people who once, small in number and captured, sitting by the rivers of Babylon, wept for the absence of the holy land, nor could they sing the Lord's song in a foreign land (Psalm 136). And blessed Peter appropriately, while exhorting his listeners to endure present adversities, mentions the Church which is established with him in Babylon, that is, in the confusion of tribulations. And yet, he confirms it to be gathered, to show that the holy city of God in this life cannot be free from the intermingling and oppression of the city of the devil, which Babylon signifies. He calls Mark his son, who is said to become his son through baptism. Hence it is clear that before he sent Mark from Rome to Alexandria to preach the gospel, he wrote this Epistle. In the time of Emperor Claudius, both Peter and Mark came to Rome, and…

The Church which is gathered in Babylon greets you, etc. He calls Rome Babylon figuratively, evidently because of the confusion of manifold idolatry. In the midst of which, the holy Church, now immature and very small, was shining forth, in the example of the Israelite people who once, small in number and captured, sitting by the rivers of Babylon, wept for the absence of the holy land, nor could they sing the Lord's song in a foreign land (Psalm 136). And blessed Peter appropriately, while exhorting his listeners to endure present adversities, mentions the Church which is established with him in Babylon, that is, in the confusion of tribulations. And yet, he confirms it to be gathered, to show that the holy city of God in this life cannot be free from the intermingling and oppression of the city of the devil, which Babylon signifies. He calls Mark his son, who is said to become his son through baptism. Hence it is clear that before he sent Mark from Rome to Alexandria to preach the gospel, he wrote this Epistle. In the time of Emperor Claudius, both Peter and Mark came to Rome, and Mark himself, after composing his Gospel in Rome, was sent to Alexandria. Whence it is inferred that when Peter sought a place and time to write this Epistle, the place was Rome, the time was during the reign of Claudius Caesar.

1 Peter 5:14

Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. With a holy kiss, a true kiss, a peaceful kiss, a dove-like kiss, not deceitful, not polluted, like the one Joab used to kill Amasa, like the one Judas used to betray the Savior, like those who speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts (Psalm 27). Therefore, they greet one another with a holy kiss, who do not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth.