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I Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Herausgeber/Editor Jörg Frey (München) Mitherausgeber/Associate Editors Friedrich Avemarie (Marburg) Markus Bockmuehl (Oxford) Hans-Josef Klauck (Chicago, IL) 244 II III Paul A. Holloway Coping with Prejudice 1 Peter in Social-Psychological Perspective Mohr Siebeck IV Paul A. Holloway, born 1955; 1998 Ph.D. University of Chicago; 1998–2006 Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor of Religion, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama; 2006–2009 Lecturer then Senior Lecturer in Christian Origins, University of Glasgow; since 2009 Associate Professor of New Testament, School of Theology, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. e-ISBN PDF 978-3-16-151533-0 ISBN 978-3-16-149961-6 ISSN 0512-1604 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament) Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliogra- phie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. © 2009 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduction, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by Computersatz Staiger in Rottenburg/N., printed by Gulde-Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. V For Melissa, and for Chapney, Abigail, Callie, and Lillian VI VII Acknowledgements It is a pleasure to recall the encouragement and help I have received in researching and writing this book. First of all, I wish to thank Jörg Frey and Hans-Josef Klauck, the editors of Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testa- ment, for expressing their interest in the topic and issuing a contract at an early stage of my research. Their continuing interest and support has been a great boon. My thanks also to Henning Ziebritzki, general editor for early Christian and Jewish Studies at Mohr Siebeck, whose gentle encouragement and great patience have been much appreciated. One of the greatest joys of the academy is the many conversations it allows. The ideas expressed in this book have been de veloped in conversation with a host of generous and intelligent friends and colleagues. I offer my hearty thanks to each of these individuals, who include: Eddie Adams, Jeff Asher, Liz Asmis, Harry Attridge, David Aune, David Bains, Matt Baldwin, John Barclay, Dieter Betz, Ward Blanton, Bill Brosend, Walter Brownridge, Chris Bryan, Adela Yarbro Collins, John Collins, Cindy Crysdale, Art Droge, Jim Dunkly, Garrett Fagan, Chris Faraone, Hugh Floyd, Jörg Frey, David Garland, Matt Goff, Jim Henges, Matthias Henze, Karina Hogan, David Horrell, Bob Hughes, Alastair Hunter, Larry Hurtado, Matt Jackson-McCabe, Werner Jean- rond, Werner Kelber, Jim Kelhoffer, Hans-Josef Klauck, Ed Krentz, Manfred Lang, Louise Lawrence, A.-J. Levine, Penny Long Marler, Dale Martin, Margy Mitchell, Chris Mount, Halvor Moxnes, Carol Newsom, George Nickelsburg, George Parsenios, Sarah Parvis, John Riches, Olivia Robinson, Clare Rothschild, Ken Roxburgh, Richard Saller, Joe Scrivner, Yvonne Sherwood, Bill Stafford, Todd Still, Jim Turrell, Mark Usher, Dale Walker, Heather Walton, and Becky Wright. I would like to acknowledge Brill Academic Publishers for permission to incorporate material from my earlier articles: “Paul’s Pointed Prose: The Sen- tentia in Roman Rhetoric and Paul,” Novum Testamentum 40 (1998) 32–53, and “‘Beguile your soul’ (Sir xiv 16; xxx 23): An Epicurean Theme in Ben Sira,” Vetus Testamentum 58 (2008) 1–16; the president and fellows of Harvard Col- lege for permission to incorporate material from my article: “Bona Cogitare: An Epicurean Consolation in Phil 4:8–9,” Harvard Theological Review 91 (1998) 89–96; and Cambridge University Press for permission to incorporate material from my book: Consolation in Philippians: Philosophical Sources and Rhe torical Strategy (SNTSMS 112: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), and VIII Acknowledgements my article: “Nihil inopinati accidisse — ‘Nothing unexpected has happened’: A Cyrenaic Consolatory Topos in 1 Pet 4.12ff.” New Testament Studies 48 (2002) 433–48. I lovingly dedicate this book to my wife Melissa and to our four wonderful children: Chapney, Abigail, Callie, and Lillian. They have selflessly supported me throughout this project. I have on numerous occasions benefited from Melissa’s astute social and cultural critical sensibilities. Indeed, it was because of Melissa’s example that my first serious efforts at social analysis were awakened some twenty-five years ago. Readers will be especially happy to know that more than once a half-baked idea intended for the pages of this book has been sent scurrying by her disapproval. IX Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................. VII Abbreviations of Periodicals, Reference Works, Series . XIII List of Plates .................................................. XVI Introduction .................................................... 1 Part 1: Encountering Prejudice Chapter One: Locating 1 Peter: 1 Peter As an Early Christian Pseudepigraphal Letter ....................................... 8 Literary Integrity ................................................ 9 Authorship ...................................................... 15 Date of Composition . 18 Original Readership .............................................. 19 Conclusion ...................................................... 20 Chapter Two: Social Prejudice and Its Effects .................... 21 On the Nature of Prejudice ........................................ 21 An Emphasis on Group Membership ................................. 22 A Social Attitude with Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Elements ....... 23 On the Causes of Prejudice ........................................ 29 Prejudice from the Target’s Perspective .............................. 33 Conclusion ...................................................... 38 X Table of Contents Chapter Three: Social Prejudice and Persecution: On the Occasion of 1 Peter .................................. 40 Anti- Christian Prejudice in the Early Roman Empire ................ 41 Official Correspondence on the Treatment of Christians ................. 42 Early Christian Martyrdom Stories ................................. 48 Early Christian Apologetic Writings ................................ 54 Various Early Non- Christian Literary and Non-Literary Sources .......... 59 Summary .................................................... 65 Evidence of Anti- Christian Prejudice in 1 Peter ...................... 66 Conclusion ..................................................... 72 Part 2: Coping with Prejudice Chapter Four: Ancient Theories and Practices of Consolation: Greco-Roman and Early Jewish Traditions ................... 76 Greco-Roman Consolation ....................................... 77 On the Nature of Greco-Roman Consolation ......................... 77 Consolation and Philosophy ...................................... 82 Jewish Consolation .............................................. 86 Mourning and Consolation in Judaism .............................. 87 Consolation in the Jewish Wisdom Tradition . 90 Consolation in the Jewish Prophetic Tradition ......................... 97 Consolation in Jewish Apocalypticism .............................. 105 Chapter Five: How People Cope with Prejudice: The Findings of Modern Social Psychology .................. 113 Strategies for Coping with Prejudice ............................... 114 Problem-Focused Coping Strategies ................................ 117 Emotion-Focused Coping Strategies ................................ 122 Moderators for Choosing Coping Strategies ......................... 127 The Costs and Consequences of Coping ............................ 131 Conclusion: Coping and Consolation .............................. 134 Table of Contents XI Chapter Six: “Born again to a living hope” (1 Pet 1:1–12): Initial Words of Consolation ................................ 137 “To the elect sojourners” (1 Pet 1:1–2) .............................. 137 “Blessed be God” (1 Pet 1:3–12) ................................... 140 “God has caused us to be born again” (1 Pet 1:3–5) ..................... 142 “In this you rejoice” (1 Pet 1:6–9) . 148 “Concerning which salvation the prophets enquired” (1 Pet 1:10–12) ................................................. 152 Chapter Seven: “Set your hope fully” (1 Pet 1:13–2:10): Coping with Prejudice through Apocalyptic “Disidentification” .......................................... 156 Reorienting One’s Values (1 Pet 1:13) ............................... 157 Restructuring One’s Identity (1 Pet 1:14–2:10) ....................... 159 “As obedient children” (1 Peter 1:14–16) .............................. 161 “If you call on a father who judges impartially” (1 Peter 1:17–21) ........... 163 “Having purified your souls for genuine sibling love” (1 Pet 1:22–25) ....... 166 “As newborn infants” (1 Peter 2:1–3) ................................ 167 “As living stones … a spiritual house” (1 Pet 2:4–10) .................... 171 Conclusion ..................................................... 172 Chapter Eight: “To silence the ignorance of the foolish” (1 Pet 2:11–3:12): Coping with Prejudice through “Behavioral Compensation” ................................. 174 “Having good

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