Overview

Peter stands at the beginning of Christian theology. Christianity's central confessions regarding the person of Jesus, the cross, salvation, the inclusive nature of the people of God, and the end of all things come to us through the apostle who was not only the church's leader but also its first theologian. Peter is the apostle for the whole church and the whole church resonates with his theology. We sing his song, though we may not have glanced at the bottom of the page in the hymnbook to see who wrote the words and composed the tune. Peter is the ""lost boy"" of Christian theology, a person overlooked as a theological innovator and pillar, but his rightful place is at the head of the table. If we look closely, however, we may recognize that he has been seated there all along.

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9781532683107

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"""This book is the most ambitious attempt yet to reconstruct Peter's own theology from the various sources in the New Testament. Many have said that this cannot be done. They should not continue to say that without reading this book."" --Richard Bauckham, University of Cambridge ""Studies on the theology of Paul abound. But what about Simon Peter? Can a 'theology of Peter' even be written? In his impressive Vox Petri, Gene Green outlines striking and often-overlooked points of convergence between the testimony of Peter as preserved in the Gospel of Mark, the Acts of the Apostles, and 1 Peter. The end result is a major contribution to Petrine studies and a must-read for anyone interested in whether the voice of Peter can still be heard in the pages of the New Testament."" --Brant Pitre, author of Jesus and the Last Supper ""Recent scholarship has sought to revisit Simon Peter's long-neglected and frequently caricatured profile as the leading disciple of Jesus in Scripture and early Christian memory. But what might happen if one were to take one logical step further, drawing out and synthesizing such glimpses of a remembered Peter into a more coherent picture of this first among the apostles? Gene Green offers his answer in a composite theology of Peter as a New Testament teacher and writer: one who 'got by with a little help from his friends, ' yet can rightly be pictured at the wellspring and 'head of the table' of Christian theology. Warmly recommended as a book with which to think about the shape of the apostolic church, its leadership, and its beliefs."" --Markus Bockmuehl, University of Oxford ""The New Testament is often thought to be comprised of strong Pauline and Johannine voices, along with the Synoptics and Acts. Gene Green calls us to hear the Petrine voice. The historical Peter, he argues, stands especially behind the Gospel of Mark, the Petrine speeches of Acts, and 1 Peter. Building upon recent scholarship on the status of testimony and upon his own work on the Petrine letters, Green shows that Peter's voice sounds the central notes of Christian faith, from the suffering and exalted Messiah, to the New Exodus and the Passover Lamb, to the Spirit-filled people of God in the last days. A rich invitation to recovering the centrality of the Petrine witness!"" --Matthew Levering, Mundelein Seminary ""In a time where Pauline theologies are ubiquitous, Gene Green rightfully asks: What about a Petrine theology? Constructing a Petrine theology is difficult because the sources have been judged as ill-suited to give access to Peter's life and thought. In Vox Petri, Green carefully assesses the reliability of our sources for Peter's voice arguing that the Gospel of Mark, Peter's speeches in Acts, and 1 Peter provide authentic testimony. From these building blocks, Green constructs a vivid account of Peter's theology. He traces themes such as the Isaianic New Exodus, the coming of the Kingdom of God, Christology in the key of the rejected stone, and many more. A meticulous and careful reader, Green avoids the dichotomy between the Peter of faith and the Simon of history and gives a successful account of Peter's theological voice for the good of the church."" --Darian R. Lockett, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University ""Gene Green puts hard-nosed historical inquiry in the service of the church's faith and life as he excavates Peter's contribution to Christian theology. His robust study identifies the apostle as the church's theologian, mediating and contextualizing Jesus's message for communities of Christ-followers after Jesus's resurrection. This maximal reading of the New Testament witness is a noble contribution to contemporary study of Peter."" --Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary ""Peter, the Galilean fisherman, the rock, the denier of Jesus, the first among the apostles, is described on many occasions in the New Testament, but his own voice appears silent. In this landmark study, Gene Green argues that is not the case. Rather, he suggests that we have not listened attentively enough in order to hear the voice of Peter in the New Testament. Instead, Green argues that the voice of Peter can still be heard behind the Gospel of Mark, in the speeches attributed to him in Acts, and in the letter that bears his name--1 Peter. With meticulous attentive listening, Green seeks to hear the genuine voice of Peter and to present an integrated understanding of the theology of Peter. In this manner, this book challenges long-held assumptions about New Testament documents, the recoverability of the authentic Peter, and the history of earliest Christianity. As such, it will occasion rich debate and stimulate further study in the quest to hear again the voice of the real Peter, the first among the disciples of the Lord."" --Paul Foster, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh ""Gene Green has capped his long-time interest in the Petrine literature with this work that first tries to establish the sources for Petrine thought and then tries to draw out their theology. While he brackets discussing 2 Peter (a book in itself) the rest is here: Mark, Peter in Acts, Pauline reference to Peter, and, of course, 1 Peter. This is not a naive gathering of all possible source material, but a critical defense of the nature and analysis of the content of the various sources. It will be controversial, and Professor Green knows that, but it is scholarly, aware, and passionately reasoned. I recommend this work to anyone interested in the teaching and theology of the apostle Peter, and the controversies surrounding it."" --Peter Davids, author of 2 Peter and Jude: A Handbook on the Greek Text ""Gene Green's book, Vox Petri, fills a lacuna in Petrine scholarship. Drawing from testimony theory and its importance in antiquity, Green unites Peter's sayings in Mark, Acts, and 1 Peter into one cohesive voice, presenting the utterances of the apostle as foundational to early Christian theology. This book will be of interest for scholars and pastors and could be fruitfully employed as a class text."" --Sean A. Adams, University of Glasgow ""Green asserts that the Peter that we meet in the Gospels and follow in Acts is directly responsible for 1 Peter. As he searches for the apostle Peter's voice, particularly in 1 Peter, Green takes the reader on a helpful and thorough journey through the New Testament and beyond. Green makes a compelling case for a unique Petrine theology, and not merely a reworking of Pauline theology."" --Dennis R. Edwards, North Park Theological Seminary"

This book is the most ambitious attempt yet to reconstruct Peter's own theology from the various sources in the New Testament. Many have said that this cannot be done. They should not continue to say that without reading this book. --Richard Bauckham, University of Cambridge Studies on the theology of Paul abound. But what about Simon Peter? Can a 'theology of Peter' even be written? In his impressive Vox Petri, Gene Green outlines striking and often-overlooked points of convergence between the testimony of Peter as preserved in the Gospel of Mark, the Acts of the Apostles, and 1 Peter. The end result is a major contribution to Petrine studies and a must-read for anyone interested in whether the voice of Peter can still be heard in the pages of the New Testament. --Brant Pitre, author of Jesus and the Last Supper Recent scholarship has sought to revisit Simon Peter's long-neglected and frequently caricatured profile as the leading disciple of Jesus in Scripture and early Christian memory. But what might happen if one were to take one logical step further, drawing out and synthesizing such glimpses of a remembered Peter into a more coherent picture of this first among the apostles? Gene Green offers his answer in a composite theology of Peter as a New Testament teacher and writer: one who 'got by with a little help from his friends, ' yet can rightly be pictured at the wellspring and 'head of the table' of Christian theology. Warmly recommended as a book with which to think about the shape of the apostolic church, its leadership, and its beliefs. --Markus Bockmuehl, University of Oxford

Author Information

Gene L. Green is Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. He previously served as Professor of New Testament, Dean, and Rector of the Seminario ESEPA in San José, Costa Rica. In addition to Spanish commentaries on the Petrine epistles and Thessalonian letters, his publications include The Letters to the Thessalonians and Jude and 2 Peter.

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