Tusculum College professor authors an article on 1 Peter 2:13

Tusculum College’s Dr. Travis Williams, assistant professor of religion, recently published an article in the top New Testament journal in Germany.

The article, “The Divinity and Humanity of Caesar in 1Peter 2, 13: Early Christian Resistance to the Emperor and His Cult” which appeared in a recent issue of “Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft,” focuses on the translation of 1 Peter 2:13 and what it really means.

1 Peter 2:13 refers to the emperor and uses the term “ἀνθρωπίνη κτίσις,” which translates to “human creature.” Due to the time frame of this part of the Bible and Caesar’s reign, it is commonly assumed the author is drawing “an ontological distinction between Caesar’s humanity and divinity.” And, according to Dr. Williams, this assumption is, regrettably, not acknowledged nor defended by the biblical scholars.

Since this initial assumption, biblical scholars have become more knowledgeable about the history and the scriptures pertaining to the emperor and the colorful character of the imperial cults, which has altered the scholarly perspective and challenges this previous assumption.

In “The Divinity and Humanity of Caesar in 1 Peter 2:13: Early Christian Resistance to the Emperor and His Cult,” Dr. Williams seeks to resolve this problem by determining the ontological focus of “ἀνθρωπίνη κτίσις” and how its meaning relates to Caesar and his imperial cult.

 

By Stephanie Turner, sophomore journalism major from Shelbyville