2 Peter 3

2 Peter 3:1

Hilary of Arles: Peter makes a point of mentioning that this is his second letter, so that the recipients will not doubt its authenticity. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Oecumenius: I am writing to you, dear ones, in these letters, in which I stir up your sincere mind in remembrance: that you should be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior Jesus. From these, we learn that there are two universal letters of Peter. Furthermore, what he says, “in which I stir up your sincere mind by way in remembrance,” is to be understood in this way: In which letters, that is, through which letters, I stir up the sincere mind that is in you. For it is the nature of a sincere and pure mind to remember and be stirred up with all virtue and readiness of spirit regarding what has been heard or the useful things that have been deposited, in order to repeat the actions of these. However, these have been deposited through prophetic sayings and apostolic preachings. For this reason, Paul also says: “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets:” (Eph. 2:20) For all of them announced the coming of the Lord, both the first and the second, and it is not right to doubt such great and numerous witnesses. And what do I say, he asks, about the prophets and apostles, who announced both the first and the second coming of the Lord? And this is how the order should be taken: that you should be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior. For the preposition ὑπὸ is taken from the common, that is, “by”. And why Peter should order this remembrance to be stirred up, he adds: Because those who live addicted to passions according to their own desires, seeing the coming of God, are afraid, which the Lord himself also announced along with others divinely inspired, and therefore despising their dishonorable life: then also seeing that the words do not immediately take effect, but are delayed for the salvation of many, they approach the faithful as if they were deceivers, and say: — Commentary on 2 Peter

2 Peter 3:3

Bede: In the last days, in deception, mockers will come, mocking, namely, the faith and hope of Christians, as they promise to themselves in vain that the time of the resurrection will come. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: Walking according to their own desires, etc. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says, “I beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is at hand” (II Thess. II). Therefore, blessed Peter reproves and calls mockers those who assert that the coming of the Lord and His promises are delayed; Paul restrains those who believe that the day of the Lord is imminent. Hence, it is clear to all who love His coming that they should temper their mind in this opinion, so as not to suspect either that the same day of the Lord is near and will come sooner, nor again that it will come later, but we should only diligently ensure that, whether He comes sooner or later, He may find us prepared when He comes. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Clement of Rome: The all-merciful and beneficent Father has bowels [of compassion] towards those that fear Him, and kindly and lovingly bestows His favours upon those who come to Him with a simple mind. Wherefore let us not be double-minded; neither let our soul be lifted up on account of His exceedingly great and glorious gifts. Far from us be that which is written, “Wretched are they who are of a double mind, and of a doubting heart; who say, These things we have heard even in the times of our fathers; but, behold, we have grown old, and none of them has happened unto us;” You foolish ones! compare yourselves to a tree; take [for instance] the vine. First of all, it sheds its leaves, then it buds, next it puts forth leaves, and then it flowers; after that comes the sour grape, and then follows the ripened fruit. You perceive how in a little time the fruit of a tree comes to maturity. Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness, saying, “Speedily will He come, and will not tarry;” and, “The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom you look.” [Malachi 3:1] — Letter to the Corinthians (Clement)

Hilary of Arles: Here Peter prophesies what will happen in the future, for we must always remember that there are prophets in the New Testament too. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Hippolytus of Rome: First of all Peter, the rock of the faith, whom Christ our God called blessed, the teacher of the Church, the first disciple, he who has the keys of the kingdom, has instructed us to this effect: “Know this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. — Dubious Hippolytus Fragments

Oecumenius: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying: Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Where is the promise of his coming? For this one, who is not yet complete due to a certain arrangement, they also distort the other beneficial teachings of the Lord, so that faith is not held by them. However, in those times, the Gnostics or Naassenes were indeed quiet, as were the Lampetians and Euchites. All of whom, Peter says, willingly do not know. For they voluntarily close their eyes to the truth, as we have said before. — Commentary on 2 Peter

Theophylact of Ohrid: These scoffers were the Gnostics and other similar heretics who appeared at that time. — COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

2 Peter 3:4

Hilary of Arles: People were talking this way as if the flood had never occurred and as if fire had never come down from heaven in the past. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

2 Peter 3:5

Bede: For this is hidden from them willingly, that the heavens existed long ago and the earth, out of water, etc. The earth consists out of water, for at the beginning of creation God said: “Let the waters be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so (Gen. I). It consists also by water by the word of God, because by divine arrangement the veins of water fill the whole depth within, just as we see the bodies of living creatures overflowing with veins of blood, lest they fail in dryness if the irrigation of water ceases. Finally, we see that with the heat of summer, the lands with their absorbed moisture wither away, and soon are turned into dust which the wind casts. Another Edition has: “The heavens existed long ago out of water and through water.” But it signifies this humid and cloudy air. For Scripture is accustomed to call this air, and sometimes the heavens. Whence it is written: “The hawk in heaven knows its appointed time” (Jerem. VIII). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Eusebius of Caesarea: “In the beginning you, O Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands,” said the psalmist. If you did not know from the beginning, O Lord, who laid the foundation of the earth, and if the heavens were not the work of your hands, it would be impossible for them to be changed or to be transformed into anything else. If they had not been created, they would have to remain incomplete forever. But since you were their maker, you can do whatever you want to with them. They are made of destructible matter and did not exist at all until you made them by your will and power. There is only one that is eternal and can never be removed and that is you, the only maker of everything that exists. — CATENA

Hilary of Arles: The whole creation is basically formed out of water, even if it is solidified in the form of earth or elevated in the way that heaven is. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Oecumenius: For they willingly do not know that the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water by the word of God: by which the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. And what is it that they do not know? That just as in the flood, the heavens were from the water according to the creation of the world narrated by Moses: (for he himself says that God commanded that a firmament be made in the midst of the waters (Gen. 1:6), that is, a firmer substance than the waters): so also the earth appeared from the waters at the command of the Creator, which had also been submerged at first. And just as the flood unexpectedly came upon the heavens and the earth constituted from water, so it has now been established that the corruption of the universe will occur through fire, with which the wicked will also perish. Since these two elements, water and fire, were created along with the universe, from which the other two elements are also derived: air indeed from the evaporated waters, but the earth from the compacted ones: namely, just as it was made from fire through evaporation and compression, with no one who has a mind objecting (for this virtue has been bestowed upon fire by God the Creator), since these two, I say, have always existed in this way, and previously the destruction of the wicked was made through water, it is necessary that the destruction of those who act wickedly will again occur through fire. Moreover, that the corruption of this universe is evident not only to Christians but also to the wise men of the Greeks, as is the case with Heraclitus of Ephesus and Empedocles of Etna12. But someone might say: And what is the reason for its creation if the world must again be reduced to nothingness? And we will say that the world does not tend entirely towards corruption, but towards renewal; therefore, the Prophet also says: “And you will renew the face of the earth.” (Ps. 103:32) For just as the creation, being from God from the beginning, was good, and not merely good by chance: through the transgression of man, the creation itself became subject to vanity, that is, not having a firm existence, but being in a state of instability and change. Then in the flood, when few men had persevered in divine worship, the world again seemed to take on the beginning of its reconstruction through Noah and those who had been saved in the ark along with the animals for the establishment of seeds: nevertheless, even then, human nature did not persist in its previous state, but rather declined to worse conditions than those that had existed before, from which neither the law given by Moses turned them away, nor the presence of the Lord, except that a few turned aside to those things which led to salvation. For how great is the multitude of those who are saved if you compare it to the multitude of those who perish, who are generated daily? For this reason, it seems to me that the time of fulfillment is delayed until the number of the saved is completed. Therefore, since the call to salvation has been made in various ways, and the destruction from unbelief is diverse: for this reason, a cataclysmic fire is necessary, indeed a destruction, although not entirely perfect: not indeed of souls, but neither of bodies. For we must all be revealed before the tribunal of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), not with our souls naked, but together with our bodies, and with them incorruptible. For how could a naked soul account for those things which have been done through the body? Indeed, it is not the part of a just judge, when two have sinned in the same way, to dismiss one and transfer the whole crime to the other. Furthermore, if we are accustomed to melt certain corporeal things again with fire, not to attribute to them absolute destruction, but to provide them with purity and sincerity: let no one doubt that God, who has promised completion through fire, will either not bring about corruption, or will indeed do so in such a way that through the corruption of one, He makes another. But even if it were to corrupt, what would it corrupt? The superfluous and those related to present life: and what are those? Beasts, herbs, plants. Indeed, herbs are for the beasts, and the beasts are for the service of this corruptible life. “Producing,” he says, “hay for the beasts and herbs for the service of men.” (Ps. 103:14) As for the plants, some are indeed for covering and for building houses, while others are for providing food. Moreover, the fact that animals require food is a sign of corruption. For what else could the middle and fullness provide but corruption? Therefore, those things which are superfluous to immortal life would be corrupted. But He will create new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17), not another in terms of material. For even one who builds a new house does not indeed make it from non-existing material. Thus, God created the material and shaped it from the beginning, as much as was certainly necessary for the use of that time. To the incorruptibility, however, which will corrupt that which is useless and unnecessary after the present state. If something is useful, it will allow for an improvement with immortal and incredible beauty, so as to perfect and complete another and incorruptible world. “and the earth standing out of the water.” The earth indeed from water as from a material principle, but through water as through a perfecting principle. For water contains the earth like a certain glue that is to it; unless it were to touch it, it would necessarily dissolve and be carried into the air. However, perhaps someone will approach us with vain thought saying: For what reason did God, who produced this visible world, not create it firm and unchangeable from the beginning, but subject to changes? Hence, it was also immediately necessary to be restored, indeed at the time of Noah through water, but reserved unto fire, as Peter now says? To which we will say that it was not possible for it to have changelessness. How indeed, for he who has received his being from change? If indeed it was produced from non-being to being, which no wise person would say is not a change. And in what way has the change progressed to worse, mixed with worse, it was necessary for this Creator to restore it to better; indeed, at the time of Noah he purified through water, but in the end he will do so through fire. Just as we are accustomed to melt certain material things again with fire, not for destruction, but for purification. “by which,” namely heaven and earth, indeed submerged by waters, but the heavens sending down their gushes, that is, as if through gushes urging water downwards. “by which the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” It perished, not for the entire world, but for the living beings, which indeed represent the whole world. If indeed the place was deserted of living beings, the world would not even be considered. Furthermore, what is stated, “reserved for fire on the day of judgment of ungodly men,” is thus arranged: reserved for the day of judgment and for the day of destruction; for “on the day” is resumed from common sense. However, judgment means condemnation: — Commentary on 2 Peter

Shepherd of Hermas: First of all, believe that there is one God who created and finished all things, and made all things out of nothing. He alone is able to contain the whole, but Himself cannot be contained. — Shepherd of Hermas, Commandment 1

2 Peter 3:6

Bede: At that time the world perished, being flooded by water. At that time, referring to the heavens and the earth which he had previously mentioned. For through these things the world that had existed was destroyed. For the higher parts of the world were in no way touched by the flood. Therefore the earth perished, because being submerged and covered by waters, it not only lost the state of fruitfulness inherent to it for such a long time, but also, as we have taught above, in many places it received a different face from that which it had initially. The heavens likewise perished to the extent of this airspace. “For the water increased,” as Saint Augustine says, “and occupied this entire space where birds fly.” And thus certainly the heavens close to the earth perished, as it is said “the birds of the heavens.” But there are also (he says) the heavens of the heavens higher in the firmament, but whether they too are to perish by fire, or if only these which perished by the flood will do so, is a rather more precise debate among the learned. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

2 Peter 3:7

Bede: But the heavens and the earth which are now, etc. Therefore it is clear from the view of blessed Peter that the earth and those heavens which perished in the flood, and were restored after the flood, are affirmed to be destroyed by final fire. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Didymus the Blind: Many people think that these words refer to changes and revolutions which will take place here on earth. They say that heaven and earth were once both water and that they were formed out of water by the Word of God. What had been the world up to then perished in water, and what are now the heavens and the earth are based on the Word but are being kept for destruction by fire. By these words the preacher is saying that what we now see before us will be consumed by fire. For he says that the day of judgment will come as a thief in the night, and that on that day the heavens will implode, and the elements will be burnt by the resulting fire. Afterward there will be new heavens and a new earth, in which the righteous will possess righteousness and the promises of God in their own dwellings. However, it must not be forgotten that this letter is counterfeit, and although it may be published, it does not form part of the earliest list of recieved writings. — COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Justin Martyr: Then further concerning Him, that He alone is powerful, both to institute judgment on the deeds performed in life, and on the ignorance of the Deity [displayed by men], I can adduce witnesses from your own ranks; and first Sophocles, who speaks as follows… — On the Sovereignty of God, Chapter III

2 Peter 3:8

Athanasius of Alexandria: A thousand years is the time that the temple worship lasted. For from the completion of the temple by Solomon, who built the Lord’s house until it became redundant when Christ died on the cross is a thousand years. This thousand years is compared to a day, or to a watch in the night, because everything appeared to be night before the coming of the Savior. For until the sun of righteousness arose, everyone dwelt in ignorance and confusion. — CATENA

Augustine of Hippo: If we take the millennium and think of the end of that time as being the end of the world, we could say that it was the end of time in general, for a thousand years in God’s sight are like a single day. Because of this, anything that was done during the millennium could be spoken of as done at the end of time or on the last day. — LETTERS 199.17

Bede: But this one thing, beloved, do not let it escape your notice, that one day with the Lord, etc. Some think this statement should be understood as though the day of judgment has such a length as a span of a thousand years, not considering that he does not simply say there will be one day like a thousand years, but: One, he says, day with the Lord is like a thousand years. Because in the knowledge of divine power, the past, the future, and the present equally abide. And the courses of time which seem long to us and those which seem short are of equal measure to the Creator of time, according to the Psalmist: For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night (Psalms 89), which are as nothing, their years will be. For just as it is understood that the Psalmist equates a thousand years not with the future day of judgment, but with the past day that has passed in the sight of the Creator, indeed he likens all our years, that is the whole time of this age, to a watch in the night, which is a fourth part of the night, so blessed Peter equates each day of the present age as a thousand years and a thousand years to each day with the Lord, that is, he asserts they are of the same measure. Because evidently he sees all things, both small and great, equally. And indeed, if Peter wanted this to be understood only about the day of judgment, that it truly would be of such length as a thousand of our years, he could certainly have indicated his opinion more openly, nor would there be any need to add, with the Lord, because if that last day were of such length, it would appear to all men when it arrived. But the Apostle remembers these things to convince those whom he had mentioned earlier saying: Where is the promise of his coming? showing that the Lord is by no means forgetful of his promise or coming, to judge the living and the dead. But as he thus embraces each day of our age with His eternal memory, like a circuit of a thousand years, so he surveys a thousand years as the span of one day without effort, it is manifestly to be understood that He surely knows the end of all these days and years, and without any doubt He has also foreseen this, when the glory of His coming is to be revealed, when the promises are to be returned to the saints. Therefore it is rightly added: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Caesarius of Arles: Since it is written concerning the day of judgment that a thousand years will be like one day, who can tell whether we shall spend days, months or even years in that fire? — SERMONS 179.5

Eusebius of Emesa: Scripture says that human life is short and full of trouble, but you belong to the unseen and eternal one. And a thousand years are like a single day, or even like a watch of the night. It is during the fourth watch that those who are entrusted to guard it are divided, and it was during that watch that the Lord came to the holy apostles. If he has spoken this way about a thousand years, it is clear that the lifespan of a man is extremely short. The day of the Lord is like a thousand years, and yet it is undivided. No one lives for a thousand years, but no one has known a full day of the Lord either. — CATENA

Hilary of Arles: Just as a man works for a day and afterwards remembers what he has done, so God does not forget even after a thousand years. It may be a long time before he gets round to punishing sinners, but when he does so he uses his power in a single instant. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Irenaeus: And there are some, again, who relegate the death of Adam to the thousandth year; for since “a day of the Lord is as a thousand years”. This is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; — Against Heresies Book V

Justin Martyr: Now we have understood that the expression used among these words, ‘According to the days of the tree [of life] shall be the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound’ obscurely predicts a thousand years. For as Adam was told that in the day he ate of the tree he would die, we know that he did not complete a thousand years. We have perceived, moreover, that the expression, ‘The day of the Lord is as a thousand years,’ is connected with this subject. — Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter LXXXI

Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius: Therefore let the philosophers, who enumerate thousands of ages from the beginning of the world, know that the six thousandth year is not yet completed, and that when this number is completed the consummation must take place, and the condition of human affairs be remodelled for the better, the proof of which must first be related, that the matter itself may be plain. God completed the world and this admirable work of nature in the space of six days, as is contained in the secrets of Holy Scripture, and consecrated the seventh day, on which He had rested from His works. But this is the Sabbath-day, which in the language of the Hebrews received its name from the number, whence the seventh is the legitimate and complete number. For there are seven days, by the revolutions of which in order the circles of years are made up; and there are seven stars which do not set, and seven luminaries which are called planets, whose differing and unequal movements are believed to cause the varieties of circumstances and times.

Therefore, since all the works of God were completed in six days, the world must continue in its present state through six ages, that is, six thousand years. For the great day of God is limited by a circle of a thousand years, as the prophet shows, who says “In Thy sight, O Lord, a thousand years are as one day.” And as God laboured during those six days in creating such great works, so His religion and truth must labour during these six thousand years, while wickedness prevails and bears rule. And again, since God, having finished His works, rested the seventh day and blessed it, at the end of the six thousandth year all wickedness must be abolished from the earth, and righteousness reign for a thousand years; and there must be tranquillity and rest from the labours which the world now has long endured. — The Divine Institutes, Book 7, Chapter XIV

Oecumenius: But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. “The Lord is not slack.” Having completed the discourse on the End, which will necessarily be through fire, all of which we have explained more fully, it transitions to the production or extension of the time until the world is ended, and says: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient, waiting for our salvation, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance: for certainly to him who is infinite and the sea of essence unconstrained, nothing is extended, but a thousand years are just like a single day with him. Or rather, according to David, there is no multiplication of days: for he says in this way: “A thousand years in your sight, O Lord, are like a day that has just gone by and like a watch in the night” (Ps. 89:4): by watch signifying the briefest span of the night. For the night is divided into four watches: since the Lord came to the holy apostles in the fourth watch. (Matt. 14:25) — Commentary on 2 Peter

2 Peter 3:9

Augustine of Hippo: The Lord does not delay the promise. A little while and we shall see him, where we shall no more ask anything. We will no more ask anything because nothing will remain to be desired, nothing will be hidden to be inquired about. — TRACTATES 101.6.2

Bede: The Lord does not delay His promise, etc. Therefore, He who knows all times, the latest and the ancient, does not delay His promise, but indeed shows this at the time which He predestined before all times to come. And therefore He still defers, so that the full number of the elect, which He decreed with the Father before the ages, may be fulfilled. Hence, in the Apocalypse, the souls of the martyrs who longed for the coming of His judgment and resurrection heard that they should rest yet a little time, until the number of their fellow servants and brethren should be completed. But those who understand the aforementioned judgment of blessed Peter as if he were saying that the day of judgment would last as long as a thousand years, refer this to the cause that it is necessary for those who depart from the body with some sins, yet are predestined to the lot of the elect, to be purged by fire for such a time, and then finally, with all sins forgiven, to come to life. But these do not see how impudent it is to believe that such a great company of the perfect and just, having received blessed and immortal bodies in the blink of an eye, would have to wait in the air or on earth for the end of the judgment for a space of a thousand years, and then finally, with their companions fully prepared, to hear the long-desired judgment: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom” (Matt. XXV). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Fastidius: In his fatherly love, his kindness and his clemency, God does not punish immediately, so that you may recognize the extent of his loving regard for you and of his compassion. He would rather wait for you than punish you in your sin. — ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 21

Ignatius of Antioch: And I myself give thanks to God for you, because ye have received them: and the Lord will also receive you. But may those that dishonoured them be forgiven through the grace of Jesus Christ, “who wisheth not the death of the sinner, but his repentance.” — Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians

Pachomius the Great: Let us not look upon God’s patience as ignorance. He holds back and delays so that, when we have been converted to a better state, we may not be handed over to torments. — BOOK OF OUR FATHER HORSIESIOS 3

Pseudo-Clement: And another Scripture says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” This means that those who are perishing must be saved. For it is indeed a great and admirable thing to establish not the things which are standing, but those that are falling. Thus also did Christ desire to save the things which were perishing, [Matthew 18:11] and has saved many by coming and calling us when hastening to destruction. — Second Epistle To The Corinthians (Pseudo-Clement)

2 Peter 3:10

Bede: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, etc. Without a doubt, he speaks of those heavens which passed away in the flood, that is, this air close to the earth, which is destined to be destroyed by fire, occupying (as rightly believed) as much space as the water of the flood occupied. Otherwise, if anyone asserts that the higher heavens, where the sun, moon, and stars are set, will pass away, how does he wish to understand the Lord’s saying: “Then the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven” (Matt. XXIV)? For if the place of the stars passes away, that is, heaven, by what reason can it be said on the same day of the Lord that the stars will either be darkened or fall, and that the place of the stars where they are fixed will pass away with fire consuming it? — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: But the elements will be dissolved by heat. There are four elements by which this world consists: fire, air, water, and earth, all of which that great fire will consume. However, it will not consume everything to the extent that they will not exist fundamentally, but it will consume two to that extent, and it will restore two to a better appearance. Hence, it says in the following: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

CS Lewis: His teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions. One, that He will certainly return. Two, that we cannot possibly find out when. Three, and that therefore we must always be ready for Him. Note the therefore. Only because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments. Our Lord repeated this practical conclusion again and again, as if the promise of the return had been made for the sake of this conclusion alone.

Watch, watch, is the burden of His advice. I shall come like a thief. You will not, I most solemnly assure you, you will not see Me approaching. If the householder had known at what time the burglar would arrive, he would have been ready for him. If the servant had known when his absent employer would come home, he would not have been found drunk in the kitchen. But they didn’t, nor will you. Therefore you must be ready at all times.

The point is surely simple enough. The schoolboy does not know which part of his Virgil lesson he will be made to translate. That is why he must be prepared to translate any passage. The sentry does not know at what time an enemy will attack, or an officer inspect his post. That is why he must keep awake all the time.

The return is wholly unpredictable. There will be wars and rumors of wars, and all kinds of catastrophes, as there always are. Things will be, in that sense, normal, the hour before the heavens roll up like a scroll. You cannot guess it. If you could, one chief purpose for which it was foretold would be frustrated. And God’s purposes are not so easily frustrated as that. One’s ears should be closed against any future William Miller in advance. The folly of listening to him at all is almost equal to the folly of believing him. He couldn’t know what he pretends, or thinks he knows.

Of this folly George MacDonald has written well. Do those, he asks, who say, lo here or lo there are the signs of his coming, think to be too keen for him, and spy his approach? When he tells them to watch, lest he find them neglecting their work, they stare this way and that, and watch lest he should succeed in coming like a thief. Obedience is the one key of life.

The doctrine of the second coming has failed, so far as we are concerned, if it does not make us realize that at every moment of every day in our lives Don’s question, ‘What if this present were the world’s last night?’…

What is important is not that we should always fear or hope about the end, but that we should always remember, always take it into account. An analogy may help here. A man of seventy need not be always feeling, much less talking, about his approaching death. But a wise man of seventy should always take it into account. — The World’s Last Night (Essay)

Eusebius of Emesa: Like a cloak, every body grows old with time. But although it grows old, it will be renewed again by your divine will, O Lord. The heavens will not be destroyed, but rather they will be changed into something better. In the same way our bodies are not destroyed in order to disappear altogether but in order to be renewed in an indestructible state. — CATENA

Oecumenius: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. The uncertainty of the Lord’s coming is signified as a theft, when it is least expected, through the thief and the night: through the night indeed, because of uncertainty; for all things in the night are uncertain: through the thief, because he is not expected; for no one will be robbed who expects a thief, but those who least expect him will be robbed. Therefore, the Lord also says that just as in the days of Noah there were men rejoicing in weddings and drinking, thinking nothing of the future calamity that would overtake them (Matt. 24:38), until the flood overwhelmed them: so too will the coming of the Lord suddenly come upon the wicked. The word “noise” (᾿Ροιζηδὸν) indeed means sound. However, the sound of this kind is proper to fire in those things that are fed by fire. Note, however, that it has said the earth and what is in it must be burned up, but not men, but only destruction has been said concerning the wicked or their transgressions. For the way of the wicked will perish, but the wicked himself will not. — Commentary on 2 Peter

2 Peter 3:11

Hilary of Arles: As you wait for the end of all things, you must live holy lives according to the three laws—the Old Testament, the New Testament and the law of nature—and you must keep faith in the Trinity, which is the law of godliness. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

2 Peter 3:12

Hilary of Arles: You are waiting for the end as the virgins waited for the bridegroom. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Hippolytus of Rome: For the river of fire shall come forth in fury like an angry sea, and shall burn up mountains and hills, and shall make the sea vanish, and shall dissolve the atmosphere with its heat like wax. — Dubious Hippolytus Fragments

2 Peter 3:13

Andreas of Caesarea: It is not just we, says Peter, but the whole creation around us also, which will be changed for the better. For the creation will share in our glory just as it has been subjected to destruction and corruption because of us. Either way it shares our fate. — CATENA

Bede: Yet there will be new heavens and a new earth. He did not say different heavens and a different earth, but the old and ancient ones to be changed for the better, according to what David says: In the beginning, you founded the earth, Lord, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain, and all things will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you will change them, and they will be changed (Psalms 102). Therefore, those which will perish, grow old, and will be changed will certainly be consumed by fire, soon, with the fire departing, they will resume a more pleasing form. For the figure of this world has passed away, not the substance, just as the substance of our flesh does not perish, but its form will be changed, when what is sown is a natural body, it will rise a spiritual body (I Cor. 15). Concerning fire and water, we read nothing of the sort, but rather we have in the Apocalypse: And the sea is no more (Apoc. 21). We have in the prophets: And the light of a lamp will shine in you no more (Apoc. 18). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: And we await His promises, in which righteousness dwells. Righteousness dwells in the future age, because then to each of the faithful a crown of righteousness will be rendered according to the measure of their struggle, which in this life cannot in any way be done, according to that of Solomon: I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of righteousness iniquity. And I said in my heart: God will judge the righteous and the wicked, and there is a time for every matter (Ecclesiastes III). And again: I saw, he says, the oppressions that are done under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and they had no comforter, nor power to resist their violence, being destitute of all help, and I praised the dead more than the living (Ecclesiastes IV). Therefore, he praised the innocent dead more than the living because the former are still in the struggle, but the latter are rewarded with the gift of eternal happiness. Hence, he lamented seeing the oppressions under the sun because he knew there is a just Judge above the sun, who dwells on high and regards the lowly (Psalm CXII), and above the sun are the mansions in which the righteous receive the rewards due to their righteousness. This can also be understood in light of the Psalmist’s words: This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it (Psalm CXVII). And in Revelation, concerning the heavenly city, John says: Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and falsehood shall enter into it, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation XXI). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

2 Peter 3:14

Andreas of Caesarea: Everything in creation was made for our enjoyment, and it will be remade along with us.… This new life is for all who believe, and not just for Israel, for the Lord has exalted the Gentiles, lifting us up by the cross toward himself. Has he not provided for believers? Indeed he has. He has lifted them up and carried them and placed them in the many mansions which there are in the Father’s presence. — CATENA

Bede: Wherefore, my beloved, as you wait for these things, strive to be found spotless, etc. These are the holy vigils of which the Lord said: Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he comes shall find watching (Luke XII). Indeed, he is watchful who keeps himself free from the defilement of vices, who, as far as it depends on him, has peace with all men, who, using the most blessed peace within himself, submits all the allurements of the flesh to the rule of the spirit. And rightly, when he said: Strive to be found spotless and blameless, he added before him, that is, before the Lord, because only he who is clean in the judgment of God is perfectly clean. Hence in praise of good spouses, it is said: They were both righteous before God (Luke I). Well, before God, because human judgments often fail. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Hilary of Arles: When he returns, Christ wants to find you spotless in your faith and uncorrupted in the chastity of your body. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

2 Peter 3:15

Andreas of Caesarea: This is a reference to what Paul said when he wrote: “Do you not know that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” — CATENA

Augustine of Hippo: Peter, in his second epistle, urged us to holiness in living and character, declaring that this world would pass. New heavens and a new earth are expected which will be given to the just to inhabit.… Some people had used certain obscure passages from Paul’s writings in order to excuse their lack of concern to live well, on the ground that they were secure in their salvation. Peter was saying that some of the things which Paul said are hard to understand and that these people were twisting them to their own ruin. — ON FAITH AND WORKS 14.22

Bede: And consider that the patience of our Lord is for salvation. Do not think that the Lord delays his promise, but understand that he is patiently waiting for this reason, that more might be saved. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: Just as our most beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him. He recalls that Paul wrote to them, because even if Paul wrote to certain churches specifically, it is proven that he wrote generally to all the churches that are throughout the world, and which make up the one catholic church. And it should be noted that here Peter praises the wisdom of Paul, while Paul himself says about himself: “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God” (1 Cor. 15). Behold, Paul humbles himself, remembering his former unbelief, and prefers the innocence of the other apostles. Behold, the foremost of the apostles, as if forgetting his primacy and the keys of the kingdom given to him, marvels at the wisdom given to Paul. Because it is indeed the custom of the elect to admire the virtues of others more than their own, through which they incite themselves to progress. Likewise, it should be noted that Paul says in his Epistles: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned” (Gal. 2). Therefore, Paul reproves Peter in his Epistles, and yet Peter himself, rereading those epistles, judges them worthy of praise. Because indeed, that very thing in which he found himself deservedly reproved, he did not scorn as an injury, but gratefully accepted as a duty of devotion. Such mutual conduct is known not to just any mortals, but only to those who have learned from the Lord to be meek and humble of heart, who know how to honor one another surpassingly. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Gregory the Dialogist: The same first of the apostles, when he was admonishing his disciples about many things and recognized that some were disparaging Paul’s writings, says: “Just as our most dear brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking in them about these matters in which there are certain things difficult to understand, which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they do the other scriptures, to their own destruction.” Behold, Paul wrote in his Epistles that Peter was reprehensible, and behold, Peter asserts in his Epistles that Paul was to be admired in what he had written. For certainly unless Peter had read Paul’s Epistles, he would not have praised them. But if he read them, he found that he himself was called reprehensible there. Therefore the friend of truth praised even that by which he was reproved, and this very thing pleased him, because in those matters he had not pleased in which he had thought otherwise than he ought. — Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 2, Homily 6

Hilary of Arles: Note that Paul wrote to them not according to the wisdom which he possessed but according to the wisdom which was given to him specifically for that purpose. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

Oecumenius: Just as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, speaking in almost all his letters about these things: among which are some things hard to understand, which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. “Just as our beloved brother Paul,” And where did Paul say anything of this sort? In these words when he says: “The goodness of God invites you to repentance.” (Rom. 2:4) If the patience of God invites to repentance, then repentance is certainly beneficial for us, and the patience of God is for our benefit and salvation. However, he says that the things hard to understand are interpreted by the wicked in a perverse way; for this means to be twisted, and to demonstrate the whole matter from one point, as Paul said, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” (Rom. 5:20) they perverted this to mean that we sin more so that we may be forgiven more abundantly. However, they do this, he says, to their own destruction. Just as those who killed the prophets and apostles are liable to the same judgment, so too are those who distort their words: for those killed them so that those who were being taught salvation by them could not be helped by them; and likewise, these distort the words so that no one may work salvation through them. — Commentary on 2 Peter

Polycarp of Smyrna: These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not because I take anything upon myself, but because ye have invited me to do so. For neither I, nor any other such one, can come up to the wisdom of the blessed and glorified Paul. He, when among you, accurately and stedfastly taught the word of truth in the presence of those who were then alive. And when absent from you, he wrote you a letter, which, if you carefully study, you will find to be the means of building you up in that faith which has been given you, and which, being followed by hope, and preceded by love towards God, and Christ, and our neighbour, “is the mother of us all.” For if any one be inwardly possessed of these graces, he hath fulfilled the command of righteousness, since he that hath love is far from all sin. — Epistle to the Philippians 3

2 Peter 3:16

Augustine of Hippo: If it is both true and clear that those lacking in good works will be thrown into the fire, without doubt another interpretation of Paul’s sayings must be sought and his teaching must be adapted in those matters which the apostle Peter says are difficult to understand but ought not to turn people to their own destruction, so that, contrary to the most obvious testimony of Scripture, they make the most wicked confident of obtaining salvation, although they most stubbornly cling to their sin and are not changed by correction or penance. — EIGHT QUESTIONS OF DULCITIUS 1

Bede: In which there are some things hard to understand, etc. All the Scriptures are corrupted by heretics. For there is no book of either the New or the Old Testament in which they have not understood many things perversely. But they have often perverted the Scriptures themselves from their status, by either removing, adding, or changing whatever their treachery dictated. As it is evident that the Arians erased from the Gospel what the Savior said: “Because God is spirit” (II Cor. III), because they did not want to believe that the Holy Spirit was Almighty God. He rightly calls them unlearned and unstable, because they have neither the light of knowledge nor the stability of mind, so that they might remain among the learned until they are educated. For the only remedy for the unlearned is to humbly provide their ears to the words of the learned with stability. Since heretics do not have the grace of stability, like light chaff in the wind, they are even taken away from the Church by the wind of pride. About whom it is well added: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Cyril of Alexandria: It seems that some people find Paul hard to understand, no doubt because he speaks about the wisdom which comes from above, for in him Christ himself is speaking. — CATENA

Hilary of Arles: Peter says this because he himself was overwhelmed by Paul’s brilliance. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER

John Damascene: The enemy of our souls has made some people turn away from the straight road and divided them by strange teachings and taught them to interpret certain sayings of the Scriptures falsely. But the truth is one, and it is that which was preached by the glorious apostles and inspired Fathers and which shines in the universal church. — BARLAAM AND IOASAPH 16.134

Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius: False religious systems, therefore, have been attacked by more sagacious men, because they perceived their falsehood; but the true religion was not introduced, because they knew not what and where it was. They therefore so regarded it as though it had no existence, because they were unable to find it in its truth. And in this manner they fell into a much greater error than they who held a religion which was false. For those worshippers of fragile images, however foolish they may be, inasmuch as they place heavenly things in things which are earthly and corruptible, yet retain something of wisdom, and may be pardoned, because they hold the chief duty of man, if not in reality, yet still in their purpose; since, if not the only, yet certainly the greatest difference between men and the beasts consists in religion. But this latter class, in proportion to their superior wisdom, in that they understood the error of false religion, rendered themselves so much the more foolish, because they did not imagine that some religion was true. And thus, because it is easier to judge of the affairs of others than of their own, while they see the downfall of others, they have not observed what was before their own feet.

The sum of the matter is this: The unlearned and the foolish esteem false religions as true, because they neither know the true nor understand the false. But the more sagacious, because they are ignorant of the true, either persist in those religions which they know to be false, that they may appear to possess something; or worship nothing at all, that they may not fall into error, whereas this very thing partakes largely of error, under the figure of a man to imitate the life of cattle. To understand that which is false is truly the part of wisdom, but of human wisdom. Beyond this step man cannot proceed, and thus many of the philosophers have taken away religious institutions, as I have pointed out; but to know the truth is the part of divine wisdom. But man by himself cannot attain to this knowledge, unless he is taught by God. — The Divine Institutes, Book 2, Chapter III

Symeon the New Theologian: It is not divine Scripture which suffers from those who twist it according to their own desires and who corrupt themselves in their own passions but rather those who disfigure it. — DISCOURSES 15.2

Tertullian: Now, unquestionably, the Divine Scriptures are more fruitful in resources of all kinds for this sort of facility. Nor do I risk contradiction in saying that the very Scriptures were even arranged by the will of God in such a manner as to furnish materials for heretics, inasmuch as I read that “there must be heresies, which there cannot be without the Scriptures. — The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian: But all these (instances) I believe to be unknown to those who are in a state of agitation at our proceedings; or else known by the reading alone, not by careful study as well; in accordance with the greater bulk of “the unskilled” among the overboastful multitude, to wit, of the Psychics. — On Fasting

2 Peter 3:17

Bede: You therefore, brothers, being forewarned, be on guard, etc. Being forewarned, because foolish ones will introduce various errors, some denying the future judgment, some falsifying divine words, some interpreting wrongly, some loosening the restraints of luxury, others deceiving the hearts of the wretched with other fraudulent deceptions, be on guard, lest by any cunning of deceivers you might fall from the firmness of your faith. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Cyril of Alexandria: Peter has to warn his people so that they will not be deceived. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself warned us for our safety, that we should “beware of those who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves.” And again: “Take care that you are not deceived. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many.” And Paul cries: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers claiming to believe in the Lord Jesus.” For those who deform the truth by their doctrines of ungodliness and works of evil are like those who killed the prophets and apostles. Indeed, they are worse, because they have killed not only the living but those who have been saved as well. — CATENA

Oecumenius: Therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, take care that you are not led astray by the error of the wicked and fall from your own commitment, but grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. Truly, he calls faith in the Lord its own commitment. And just as he concludes in his other Epistle with prayer, so in this one, he prays for an increase in faith in the Lord for them. — Commentary on 2 Peter

2 Peter 3:18

Bede: But grow in grace, etc. According to that of the Psalmist: They will go from strength to strength, the God of gods will be seen in Zion (Psalms 83). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: To Him be glory both now and unto the day of eternity. Glory always to the Savior God and our Lord, both now when amidst the daily pressures of adversities we still, placed in the flesh, wander far from Him, and especially then when He, long desired by all nations, coming, will have deigned to illuminate us with the presence of His vision. Meanwhile, because we sigh, we rightly and diligently sing: For one day in your courts is better than a thousand (Psalms 83). — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Hilary of Arles: Grow in the faith which is yours by baptism and in the knowledge which comes from putting that faith into practice. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER