Peter, First Epistle of

The First Epistle of Peter is a letter from the apostle Peter to "elect exiles scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" — Gentile and Jewish Christians in Asia Minor facing social marginalization and the threat of persecution. Its central themes are the believers' identity as a chosen people and holy nation, the suffering of Christ as both example and ground of salvation, the importance of honorable conduct before unbelievers, and eschatological hope in the inheritance kept in heaven. Peter grounds ethical exhortation consistently in the redemptive work of Christ and the revelation of the last times.

Written perhaps from Rome ("Babylon") around the time of Nero's persecution in the mid-60s A.D., 1 Peter is among the most practically theological letters in the New Testament, uniting doctrine and life around the suffering and glory of Jesus.