James
Different Individuals named James in the NT
1. James, son of Zebedee and brother of John (Mark 1:19, 29; 3:17; 5:37; 9:2; 10:35, 41; 13:3; 14:33, etc.), was murdered by Herod Agrippa in Jerusalem in AD 44 (Acts 12:2).
2. James, son of Alphaeus, mentioned in Mark 3:18, etc. => little is known about him.
3. James, the brother of Jesus, was one of the main leaders of the Jerusalem Church (see Acts 12:17; 15:13-21; 21:18; Gal. 1:19; 2:12; cf. 1 Cor. 9:5; 15:7).  Eusebius, History of the Church II. 23.1-25, gives a glowing description of this James.  He quotes an earlier writer by the name of Hegesippus, who says the following:

Control of the Church passed to the apostles, together with the Lord's brother James, whom everyone from the Lord's time time our own has called the Righteous, for there were many Jameses, but this one was holy from his birth; he drank no wine or intoxicating liquor and ate no animal food; no razor came near his head; he did not smear himself with oil, and took no baths.  He alone was permitted to enter the Holy Place, for his garments were not of wool but of linen.  He used to enter the Sanctuary alone, and was often found on his knees beseeching forgiveness for the people, so that his knees grew hard like a camel's from his continually bending them in worship of God and beseeching forgiveness for the people. (Eusebius, History of the Church, trans. G. A. Williamson [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1965], pp. 99-100)

"Salvation" in 1 Peter seems to be viewed as an ongoing process.  Christians have experienced "new birth into a living hope" (1:3), the outcome of their faith will be the salvation of their souls (1:9), they are to "grow into salvation" (2:3), and baptism saves (3:21).

There are strong indications that Christians to whom 1 Peter is written are suffering persecution:  "now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials" (1:6); "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you" (4:12); "If you are reviled for the name of Christ . . . . if any of you suffers as a Christian . . ." (4:14, 16).

The basic advice given in 1 Peter for how to deal with persecution is to endure suffering patiently, and Jesus' unjust suffering is given as the main example of how to do this.

It is somewhat difficult to determine how long the author believes it will be until Jesus comes again.  In some ways 1 Peter seems to reveal a more settled existence in the world such as we saw in 1 Timothy (see 2:11-3:22).  In other ways it resembles 1 Thessalonians with an expectation of an imminent return of Jesus ("the end of all things is near" 4:7).

The main theme of this work is to condemn heretics whom he claims have stolen into the church, pervert God's grace, and deny Jesus (v. 4), reject authority and slander angels (v. 8), act like irrational animals (v. 10), are blemishes at love feasts (v. 12), are grumblers and lustful manipulators (v. 16), and are splitting the Christian communities (v. 19).

The author writes excellent Greek (doesn't sound like a Galilean peasant); knows the apocryphal Jewish literature (refers to the "Assumption of Moses" in v. 9); and quotes 1 Enoch 1:9 as Scripture in vv. 14-15.

The time of writing seems to be late in the 1st Century: the author contends "for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."

    The vast majority of NT scholars believe that Peter did not write 2 Peter.  Reasons include the following:

1. sophisticated Greek-speaking author (not a Galilean peasant);
2. radically different writing style from 1 Peter;
3. much of the content is from Jude, so the time of writing was long after A.D. 64, when 1 Clement says Peter was martyred in Rome;
4. it refers to Paul's letters as "Scripture" (3:16) and presupposes that they are being circulated as a collection (i.e., after Paul's death);
5. there is no mention of it in Christian writings before c. 220;
6. was very late in being considered Scripture (4th century).

There are strong conceptual parallels between 1-3 John and the 4th Gospel.

Revelation

1. Bizarre symbolism (grotesque beasts, etc.)
2. Angelic Revealers (deliver God's message about the future to a chosen seer)
3. Pseudonymity (author writes as if he were one of the ancient heroes of the Hebrew people: Adam, Enoch, Moses, Ezra, etc.)
4. History told as prophecy (rise and fall of world empires is told through the use of beasts symbolizing these kings or kingdoms)
5. Determinism (although things look bleak for God's people, God is directing history toward a destructive climax)
6. Pessimism (world is destined for destruction)
7. Dualism (forces of good and evil are engaged in massive war: light vs. darkness, etc.)
8. Triumph of God (God will triumph over all the forces of evil and reward the saints for their faithfulness)