The term “elder” (church elders) is used frequently in the New Testament for church leaders (for example, Acts 11.30; 14.23; 1 Tim 5.17-19; Titus 1.5; 2 John 1; 3 John 1). The practice of calling church leaders “elders” was borrowed from Judaism, where the leaders, whether secular or religious, were designated by this title (compare Mark 7.3; 8.31; 11.27; 14.53; 15.1; etc.), because they would normally be chosen from the older members of the community. This element of age may also be reflected in the Christian usage of the term, but the primary component is that of leadership and not of age.
Though in a number of languages a term designating advanced age also suggests leadership, this is by no means always true, and therefore it is important to employ a term which will suggest responsible leadership. On the other hand, one must avoid a term for leadership which will mean simply “one who commands,” for this would suggest a kind of dictatorial control over the church rather than leadership resulting from unusual capacity. In some languages the closest equivalent of elder is “counselor.” This is particularly true in tribal societies where a chief is frequently surrounded by a small group of counselors who in a sense provide group leadership. In certain instances one must employ a rather descriptive phrase for elder, for example, “one who suggests what should be done” or “one who shows what should be done.”
It is to these church elders that Peter now makes his appeal (Revised Standard Version “exhort”; Jerusalem Bible “urge”; Knox “I have a charge to give”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “challenge”). In making this appeal he mentions three aspects about himself, probably in order to give credence to his right to address the church leaders. First of all, he calls himself “a fellow elder” (Revised Standard Version). In 1.1 Peter had introduced himself as an apostle; here he now designates himself as an elder, perhaps as a way of identifying himself with those whom he is about to address.
Rather than employing an embedded nonrestrictive clause such as who am an elder myself, it may be possible to employ two more or less coordinate clauses for the first sentence of verse 1, for example, “I myself am an elder and I appeal to the church elders among you.” The term appeal may be expressed in some languages in terms of urgency, for example, “I speak urgently to you” or “I speak with strong words.” On the other hand, appeal may be rendered in terms of the emotional background for such a statement, for example, “I speak to you with my heart exposed” or “I speak to you from my heart.”
Secondly, he is a witness of Christ’s sufferings. As in previous references, Christ’s sufferings refers primarily to his suffering and eventual death on the cross (compare 2.24; 3.18; 4.1). Witness may mean one of two things: (1) an eye-witness, that is, that Peter actually was there at the scene of the cross and saw Christ suffer and die (compare Phillips “one who actually saw Christ suffer”; Barclay “With my own eyes I saw Christ suffer”); and (2) one who bears witness, that is, one who tells about Christ’s sufferings, and acts out the implications of this suffering in his own life (compare Knox “I who bear witness of Christ’s sufferings”). A literal translation would be ambiguous but naturally leans to the first alternative. The Greek word itself (martus) is used with either sense, although it also came to describe someone who suffered and died because of his faith in Jesus Christ, which is what the English word “martyr” implies.
If one assumes the meaning of witness as “an eye-witness,” then one may translate I am a witness of Christ’s sufferings as “I saw how Christ suffered” or “when Christ was suffering, I was there watching.” If witness is to be understood in the sense of one who speaks of an experience, then one may translate I am a witness of Christ’s sufferings as “I am one who tells others of how Christ suffered.”
Thirdly, he will share in the glory that will be revealed. I will share is literally “a sharer” (Greek koinonos), and some interpreters take this to refer to a past experience of the author, particularly the transfiguration, in which he was one of the three disciples who were witnesses to the glorification of Christ (Mark 9.2-8 and parallels). The glory of Christ revealed in that experience will soon be fully revealed in his second coming. Others, however, interpret this as a present experience, that is, he, together with his readers, already has a part in the glory which will soon be fully made known (for example, Jerusalem Bible “with you I have a share in the glory…”; Knox “I who have my part in that glory…”). Still others, like the Good News Translation, take this to refer to a future hope (also Phillips, Barclay). In view of the eschatological tone of the letter, and particularly of 4.13, this last alternative seems to be the more legitimate one.
In some languages there are difficulties involved in the proper selection of a term to translate share, since in some instances a term frequently translated as “share” may suggest “forcibly appropriating one’s legitimate part of something” or “getting what is coming to someone” with special emphasis upon the aggressiveness of the agent who insists upon having his share. Obviously this is not the implication of the statement I will share in the glory that will be revealed. Therefore, it may be necessary to employ an expression which means essentially “I will be given a part of the glory that will be revealed” or “the glory that will be revealed will come to me also.”
A more important problem is what the glory that will be revealed refers to. There are at least two possibilities: (1) This has reference to Christ’s glory, which will soon be fully made known in his second coming. The thought expressed here would then be the same as the thought expressed in 4.13; to share in Christ’s glory is to share in his power, greatness, and to have a part in the honor which is bestowed to him when he comes again (compare Matt 19.27-29; 1 Thes 4.14 and following). (2) This has reference to the state of the believers when the end finally comes. In contrast to their present state of experiencing shame, persecution, and sufferings of various kinds, when Christ comes again, they will experience glory, that is, a state of perfect blessedness.
It may be important in rendering the glory that will be revealed to indicate that this is specifically a matter of Christ’s greatness, for example, “the greatness of Christ that will be revealed.”
That will be revealed accents the shortness of time left; a more accurate translation would be “that is about to be revealed.” The agent of revelation is perhaps Christ, although it is possible to translate the expression as an impersonal passive, for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “which will soon become visible” (compare Barclay “which is destined to flash upon the world”).
The passive expression the glory that will be revealed may be made active, with God as an agent and people as those who will see the glory, for example, “the glory that God will cause people to see” or “the greatness of Christ that God will show to all people.”
The verb appeal at the beginning of verse 1 is reintroduced at the end of verse 1 in the Good News Translation as a means of relating verse 1 to the content of verses 2 and 3. I appeal to you may therefore be rendered as “I ask you urgently” or “I urge you to.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .