Christology, eschatology and the politics of time in 1 Peter

Abstract

Abstract: Taking a point of departure from Andrew Chester’s linking of messianism and eschatology, this essay explores the Christology of 1 Peter as presented in 1.18-19, 2.21-25, and 3.18-22, linking this with 1 Peter’s eschatology. This is then analysed as a construal of time, a feature of social life to which recent social theory has given new attention. Like other examples in different times and places, the restructuring of the calendar in Asia to begin the new year with Augustus’ birthday is a politically significant act which structures the rhythms of human life according to the cardinal points of Roman imperial domination. The first letter of Peter’s eschatological Christology may thus be seen as a form of significant political challenge which structures its readers’ lives according to a different time. Assessing the significance of the letter’s construction of time offers a new way to consider its political stance vis-à-vis the Roman empire.