Intertextuality and Methodological Bias: Prolegomena to the Evaluation of Source Materials in 1 Peter

Abstract

The similarities between 1 Peter and certain New Testament epistles (e.g., Romans, Ephesians) have long been recognized. According to the modern consensus, these affinities developed out of shared oral traditions which circulated within early Christianity and not through any direct literary borrowing. What has been overlooked in this discussion, however, is that the methods used to assess the linguistic and thematic parallels, by their very nature, have (virtually) excluded literary dependence as a potential explanation, and thus the denial of a literary relationship has been (essentially) guaranteed from the start. While not seeking to resolve the question of 1 Peter’s dependence on the Pauline corpus, this article attempts to expose some of the methodological problems surrounding the consensus view and to establish reliable criteria which can be used to determine literary relationships. The conclusions – while focused on 1 Peter – are applicable to the discussion of intertextuality more broadly.