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First Epistle of Peter

First Epistle of Peter

8.9
A New Testament letter people say Peter wrote to early Christian groups
  • proper noun
translation icon : Primera Epístola de Pedro
  • The First Epistle of Peter encourages believers to stand firm in the face of suffering.

Examples

  • The First Epistle of Peter offers guidance to early Christians.

  • Many scholars debate the authorship of the First Epistle of Peter.

  • Our Bible study group is currently reading the First Epistle of Peter together.

  • Have you read the First Epistle of Peter?

  • Many scholars debate the authorship of the First Epistle of Peter.

  • Our Bible study group is currently reading the First Epistle of Peter together.

  • The First Epistle of Peter offers guidance to early Christians.

Synonyms

I Peter
vsFirst Epistle of Peter
  • Literature
7.7

A New Testament book by the apostle Peter

is the formal letter among two letters that addresses early Christian communities

Surface Forms

Morphology

first + epistle + of + Peter

The meaning is compositionally clear: 'first' (ordinal) + 'epistle' (letter) + 'of Peter' (authorship/attribution) straightforwardly yields 'the first letter attributed to Peter.' This follows a common book-title/letter-naming pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand the MWE.

Etymology

The First Epistle of Peter comes from church tradition that Peter wrote a letter to early Christian groups. The word epistle is an old word for 'letter', and 'First' shows it is the earlier of two letters thought to be written by Peter, so the title today means the first New Testament letter meant to give advice and encouragement to early believers.