Hilary of Arles — Commentary on Scripture

1 Peter 1:3

Peter means that God has acted to redeem us without any help from us. His mercy is great enough to be able to forgive every sin which has been committed in thought, word and deed, from the beginning to the end of the world.

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1 Peter 1:4

An incorruptible inheritance must be an infinite one, since everything finite is corruptible. The inheritance of the first Adam was corrupted by sin, but the inheritance of the second Adam can never be touched by the stain of sin.

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1 Peter 1:7

The glory of the redeemed will never fade after they have been raised from the dead, for it will have withstood the fire of temptation, whereas the gold of this world is said to rust.

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1 Peter 1:8

Not even a thousand ironclad tongues can sound out the sweetness of the heavenly blessings.

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1 Peter 1:12

The angels long to look into these things because of the greatness of their love. They meditate on the Spirit and go on doing so forever, because love never comes to an end.

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1 Peter 1:22

Why does Peter talk about purifying our souls but says nothing about the body? The reason for this is that true purity comes from within. If the soul is clean, the body will be cleansed as well.

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1 Peter 1:24

Here we see the two sides of the human being. The outer man is like the flower of the field which is mortal and will pass away, whereas the inner man lives forever by the power of the living God.

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1 Peter 2:1

As you have been born again by the Word of the living God, lay aside all malice, for an infant has no malice in him.

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1 Peter 2:2

Milk has three forms which can be compared to doctrine, that is, the liquid, cheese and butter. Liquid milk is the literal sense of Scripture, cheese is the moral sense, and butter is the spiritual sense. Find a good teacher and you will soon learn these things.

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1 Peter 2:5

You have been built on a good foundation, that of the apostles, prophets and patriarchs.

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1 Peter 2:6

Everything in this prophecy is written about Christ. There are many living stones in God’s temple, but here we are contemplating only the One.

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1 Peter 2:7

Those of you who believe in Christ are more than just stones—you are sons of God!

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1 Peter 2:11

Evil desires are called “carnal” because they operate through the flesh, but in reality they are spiritual, because they come from the soul.

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1 Peter 2:12

The day of visitation will be like the time when God visited Egypt through an angel and slew all the firstborn children. Similarly he will visit the lands of the earth and will cut off the firstfruits of all evil works.

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1 Peter 2:12

As the head of the church Peter lays down rules for everyday behavior, and by doing so he unites all the members of the church in one overall harmony.

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1 Peter 2:16

If we have a form of religion on the outside but inside we are opposed to the rulers of the church as well as to kings and princes, we are using our faith as a pretext for evil.

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1 Peter 2:19

You will be approved by God if you suffer unjustly, because you know that that is exactly what he did.

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1 Peter 2:20

Peter shows here that those who deserve punishment receive no mercy or grace from God if they perish.

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1 Peter 2:25

Error has three causes—darkness, loneliness and ignorance. The Gentile sheep were wandering among idols because of their foolish ignorance, and they found themselves lost in the darkness of sin and in the loneliness of a strange nation. Peter goes on to add that now they have turned to the guardian [bishop] of their souls, because although there are many guardians around who care about the things of the flesh, there are few who can look deep into the soul and take care of it.

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1 Peter 3:1

The husband is the head of the wife, and so she must be subject to him just as the other members of the body must be subject to the head. Peter wants wives to show their husbands the path of virtue with just the same vitality as so many of them lead their husbands in the opposite direction.

INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER