Ho eadng Fst Pet wth New Byes ‘etorolet, but partially dominant was the presence of oral-scibl intertextre~ the author aliads to or ce explicly numerous texts fiom the Hebrew Bible" By conta, orl sb ilrtextre rately are inthe author's we of apocalyptic resources, sn even ‘when ora-scrbal itettextre is pest, tbe etal resoures ae ad inva move allusive mana father than explicit citation." T would siggest that one raron fr this diference is the wy Ia which the tori of apocalyptic discourse functions in 1 Pte. Rather thas ‘rswing pon oa serial resource to provide thority for a cl ‘or rationale for an exbortation, in I Peters use of th apocalypi ‘htorlet, the author draws the readers info story” This sory Understands thir expeioner of ereution to be one even ina lege ‘lta which Bogan in the primordial past where catan events (ok lace which started the confit tht led to the developing plot of the ‘tor. This plone doveloped complexity wih the det, esrrection| land ascension of Jesus Citas te bgining ofthe mesunie woe, 2nd the reades’ ova experience of sulleing at also beng 4 part of these mesianic Woes. This plotie has an asured chmax and resolution atthe imminent exchaton whea the readers’ bope will be fall as Christ is reveuled to judge both human and spiviual ereclors and to bring eschatological salvation to belies. Thus the tical thrst of the detorc of th apocalyptic sbetroec (0 ‘eorien the readers” perrption of thei situation to be part of is larger sory, This serves not onl to help the readers undetstand thet sluation io a new way, i also provides thie motivation to remain stead in hee dative Crit ethic ad entity, watigts initiate aSaataad Det he Tor ose IG Ui See 2 at bi B29 man 0B 9.80 Pe In Suh md 31 ba 181A a a Seiwa Sone 34 is ate it oy tee elon R L2and 9.1 se an roy P3200 en ean Crs Poetry 18) en romeo 1 Wea cdg et tg, yo be es [Betws Coronary AND RESISTANCE! Bevono nus BaLet-Eis1orr Dinate TowAKDs A POSTCOLONIAL [READING oF Fins PETER” Davi G, Hort 1. The Balch-Eliont Debate and th Reason fora New Methodology First Peter remains, and is Hkely always to remain — for al sorts of| theological and bistrial reasons a relatively aegected corer ofthe NF canon, despite the test efforts of primopetrophiss to chabitate |! Te would hel ap to ind a an obvi storm cents of debt tnd dscuson in modern scholar, Steptien Nel, with perhaps a Touch of hyperbole, aid in fet desrbe this short leer st precly| that in his 1964 survey of the history of NT interpretation, ffecring specially to the starkly contrasting vows of 1 Ptr in two (thea) recently published commentaries, those of Edward Gordon Seiwa Lavine ohne uate Bor Croan ad pay pn i ated oe ase enn ye “in ore dee a ‘thy yd te) ann Teo owt ie Sts a nea oth et fe to pee (ero ede ats "pe ps3 (3p en nel cnet at he lol oe nga Een Pr 10 oe se une von Hy see I 4a He ‘Sob ef re en Sat Plas Fee Lo 5S aan 1 us her ran th ime Cones ‘ahi Nw Yn Bee 3)m Reading Fes Peter wth Now Byes snd Francis Wright Heare* Buta more obvious and prominent ‘storm entre in the interpretation of | Peer area fo decades inte, the sary 19Ats, when the letter was the focus of an important debate butween David Balch and John Eliot, = debate genersed by the contesting concisons of thir two contsiprsneouly pubsied ‘monographs The Balch Eliott debate was and remuns Spnifcant ‘not only for the interpretation of I Peter but also forthe eof sk ‘inte resources in NT stoies, an approach that was then stl reltively new but developing api. "The focus for Balc's work, » published version of his doctoral ‘hess oviginalyproseted in 1974, was the domestic code in! eter (1 Pot 211-312). In trac the origins of thi code to the Greck “household management” (cicvoyia) tradition stemming expecially fiom Plato and Ansiot,* Balch made an important and lating contribution to the undersandig of to NT aural gency 13 terms of the finetion of the ode ia 1 Peer, Bale saw thi at connected with the tensions evident between Chris and thir wider focily. Such tensions would have been especialy prominent in households where some individual members, slaves Or iver example (C1 Pet 21820, 31-0, ad converted to” Chsianity Without the head of the howechold, or the housbold as « wae, having done so. In such stances, Crista came infor crn not nly for folowing a stange and novel cosem cult but al for ‘Coruptng and reversing Roman soca and hotsebold esto aad fling to confor to the social expectation that household meiner ‘ould follow the patterns of eelisious observance ofthe head of the 2p Na, he apn of he Hon Foes 15-186 Ok Od ty yp. Hi eye ee ye ce Rt serene rt oe Rall ‘Sowing at ne ge oy ogo p30 Ts rca Sc W Ber Ta ot Sa of Pu Oa, sn 1 6) ‘mut ron om Te Pt pe Se Re ed Rs Br 2 ion acim tt hi: hee BL We bt omens aoe hl ern ee Pees beet terest a Bl i Dy oe? Pare A Sere af Snes corso me BOSSE Beoveen Conformity and Resistance rr household Tn the domestic code theo, te author of | Petri seen by Balch ss urging such Christians 10 lesen ecm of thelr soi deviance by conforming a lose as posible to acepted Helleisc Social noes, without compromising thee commitment to Chris. The ‘ode ths has an apologetic purpose, to demonstrate that Chistins follow a respectable form of “constittion’” In ht ler stay responding 1o Flt’ work, Balch draws on socil-sentie studies ‘Tow minority groups vaiouly adap toa wider sity and cute to ilyninte the tategy of asiniation or necaltortion hese a Peer Ta shor, the purpove of 1 Petr, end specially its domestic code, wat to fesen the host and antagonism sled by Chitin ‘by urging them to demonstrate tee confornty to conventions soil capetations. The church, inotber words, was to accommodate to the ‘word in orde o reduce the tension between them, Eliot's ground -reaking work of whet he tea called ‘ocologkal exegesis’ (ee relabelled “socialsciences took a diflreat| Spprouch to | Peter. In weekng to uaderand the situs of the ress, Eliott focased onthe tems pone and wapeniéqpo (ct 1 Pe 1.17; 2.1), arguing ~ agains an established tendency to read ‘hase erin as metaphors indicating hat the Christians true hose was in heaven that thse abl vcd thet soiopoielstats, The fst readers of 1 Petr are dapced inthe ete, Eliot conc, as ‘strangers and alien, some of whom are residing permanetly aad oiers of whom are ving temporarily in the five regions of four provinces of Asa Mino” For thew estranged and dihcated people, the chureh offered a ‘home’, place of belonging in which these ‘rrangery’ found a positive and valued entity as God's own people. ‘The strategy of 1 Peer, the, was to foster iteaaleahsion among ‘he community of teicvers, the "brotherhood (@Be\psrns, 217; 59), to build w distinctive commana dentty and ross external pressure t9 conform, Tn onder to grasp and iluminate the character of the ede community and the strategy of the author, Elite drava oa oc ‘inte studies of aligns ses, artiulry the typology developed 6, arc me epaly ma el at th a en ny rte pin hw a an eis SENET en ere We 8 2 Bet ml sion in eatin Poe (cl char taba NAB Sl ab Saag Mr, aa Us Se eyoua Reading Frat Peter wlth New Byes by Bryan Wion, ad eatogorizes the church depicted in 1 Peter aa conversions ec Ths set which repr the work a an ei and host pac, but which a these ime consider lf to bave & ‘missionary ti, to save indvidals fom this wicked world through ‘conversion into eset. Eliott’ se, therefore ion the distinction ‘between the church and the world Indirect eppostion to Bale, he argues tha: hing in 1 Po, nag is Scusion of howehold dates, ioates ae incest a promodng esl sssmiion Ta Preity tempatin lo asf nt vod fr slg tia te leer intended to courte The inter ans the Aline communal enti and seks fo steno he aa ‘fe Chm boterboodso hat tight extol presse pipet onto ad they ake lee water he “Etnies ff commnal i llopance ds hope ‘The contrast wilh Balch’ concisons clea, and Heads to aa lox iametielly opposing asessment ofthe church's relationship with the ‘world. Where Buch sees anmlaion and conformity, Ett se Astietivenes ad resistance “Tine and space donot low an asesment ofthe specif points of disagreement, no, indeed, ofthe agreements snd overlaps. Nee nT review the various alempty to progren beyond the consting ternative of Hach and ioe What te ioportant hee fo draw LWinteaha mene sons foe son fh xr wat ty se te ter Seely ‘Sic nibs wi Hp ar aw a ps ‘siege, tn Ey, ons Comey. St Beene ‘pe ea State Fan Loin 9, 8 Ost i ce ens en ahd Et rk Aint Ci "ew Eno ot, ane or the Home, ne Bak, et Whe Be San, BSR Sao st ORE tt onion in wp ee RB, ae Sha eT neg Re ee at eowsceConfriy ond Reins us tention to hose points which indicate the potential andthe nes for ‘Amethodology that can fake us Beyond the Buch-Eliot debate and thei opposing concsions about 1 Pete. ise while iaprsment do not nce indicate that anew ad diferent methodology is equited~taey may smply indicts that one ‘protagonist ix coret, the oer mistaken! — the contrarting ase ‘ments ofthe eter that emerge rom the use ofiffeent sociales Perspectives may leads fo question wheter an aleoative appreach| hight ot be beter able to account To the crac nd naa of he Iles contet ot, for example acknowiede that some points fin 1 Peter) Christan and secular valuations of behavior converse’ ‘whe ‘atotber key points a ditinctive Chistian penpestive and Tationale is evident and ccardisinction of alegiaace and ‘ethan i sires! He sees hoth these aspects of relationship to the woeld ~ "boundary maintsancs' and “syeem linkage (contacts and interde- pendeney)~as pat ofthe diffcult balance tat any mizorty group, Bot least a convesionist sec, must negotiate and suggests that Balch hispid atetion to only one ofthe two hors ofthis dena." Bot jist as Balch maybe enced for stending onl, or primarily, to the tendency towards conformity, or esimiaton, in] Peter, 80 Eliot may be thought fo have overemphasized the other tendebe, ely the atempt "to senforce sons of dintnctive Carin Kentity a0 solar” The tse ~ one which a Eble nots, se dogged Scholrip on | Pete for some ine! i what hind of interpretative Derspectve wl bs enable us to do justice to these apparently diverse facets of the eter, Second, wie the huge range of potentially applicable soil ‘sient resources means that wide vray of potentially incompat- Te readings i alvays posible” we may ek wheter the resoures ‘chosen by Balch and Eliott ate the mow” appropriate fr the tal, ‘Bven the particular content of 1 Peter's production, While Balch ert Fr tl ase (1, Th gate apo one ‘Simtaty wr pst wend spe nabs elke atis Reading Fest Peter with New Byes Valusbly highlights the extent fo which 1 eter saks 10 enable the church's peacefol existence in society, we may question, 3s Tostey Schind ‘has recently done, whether the model of sinilation/ sculluation is appropriate to describe the Christians” negotiation {ofthat place in sell. These converts ~ monly Gentle, i see, {om the internal evideace of the eter (1.14, 18; 2.105 42-4" — have peviouly boon wel srastomed to the way of ie of thei wider fociiy, # way of ie from which they now are urged to distance femscves (114; 42-0) Thew are not, then, people for whom the Wide calture is alien nd strange, bat people whose conversion to Cistnity as created an alienation, te consequences of which ase to be worked out Ax Seland suggests, it might therefore be more appropriate to consider the proas of acculturation nto the Christian vay of since this the nowar fo which the readers of I Peer are Mapting “The lypology of sectarian groups, to which Eliot appeals, on the cer had, may certainly offer a valuable exepctive with which to trasp something ofthe sense of tension sad separation which new Teligious movements perceive in relation to th ‘paren sligious tradiion andjor their wider society — the ‘work. The examples from which the wecbtypology is constructed, however, are dawa fom = Wide range of historical and peopraphicl conters Bryan Wilson's Init stady wat of three secs in modern titan” — and whe this sives a broad tase for a ganic model we may question whethe it ‘ieguaely ncides the most sgaiesnl (actors shaping the church ‘orld eationshipin 1 Pete. When Eliot supgevts tht itis cena Tolook no further than the sectarian composition ofthe communes 2 Ge, Rat Pi, Dr rt ee a (OIE, 18 Laie act oi ‘ey emt ety One Cnr) at ep fess Seno at Gn a nh my bu tee in Sine ee rr oa i of Po 41 Taey sana t th Neh PhePrpca on hte yi ‘ee inact Se Lae 8 a Sp. ep. EY "ta Win anf A Sie Sate ain Og Le na a) Beowece Conformity an Resistance a ress fi | Peter to sesount forthe confit that characterizes the Situation’ or that "1 Peter epreseata a eaponse to those problems with hich comversionst Sets Ur general must strugele’= we may wonder wheter ths does not overlook, or at lest undeteiphasi, the central fact about the particular world in which the addeences lived and which most fundamentally determines thei lffcult ‘eltionship with the fact of empire. Inded, what is most obviously missag from both these sical ‘cient approaches ~and from most ote stems fo move beyond the Baleb- Eliott debate ~ i expt atlention to the structures of (peri) domination within which the addrstes of 1 Peter must negotiate their conformity andjor their resistance tothe World. Put Dovel, we might suggest thatthe mort relevant socialetic ‘esoures for appreciating the community word lationship in Peter ae likely tobe those which concern themaelses specially with ‘contexts of imperileolnial domination and mith the waye in which Sule groups produce and sustain thei entity och context In the fllowing tion, Isbll attempt to show how the work of waters ‘in postcolonial studies oes some vale rsoures with Which (0 appeeiate tis cuca damien the making of 1 Petr 2, Resouces from Postelonal tudes 1 bein not with a specifelly postcolonial approach but with broader sudy'of the ways in which the dominated practise various forms of resistance, inthe work ofthe political scientist Jame Scott ‘Building primary upon hi studies of peasant societies in Malay, ‘but ranging much more widely ae wel, Seott has presented a teh sad ompeling coalyss of the various form of everylay’ resistence practised by subordinate groupe and clases Scott's work, especially | Domination and the Artr of Resistance, is lke tome of the ‘comparative work we have jst mentioned on religious serts — wide: Tanglng and croscultural, aking examples fom divers historical and ‘seographical contexts Where it bepine to belp to form out Ietiodology, however, isin is parce focar on rsstions of 2 a 4. yep. 7, 8 ren nd noe ate Py ess Se Da ‘rf Riso rcp te ed Lain Ya sty Pe yer mec apatite ed & Hy ‘es ree er Ree: Spa he Bo Ter Se oe (Po Gea a, 00,us Reading Pst Peter with New Byer domination, and the varied forms of resistance practised by thote who | te relatively weak in such patter of reltontip. It provider Yaluuble perspestive to shape our conceptualation of the cri Tees of renitance and power ‘Seo ins that we must ot rest our defition of resistance to te open and pysical forms of rebelion tat are comparatively rate, of gebealy short duration, and usualy quashed by superior fre, Scott's interest iin the any and diverse ways in which subordinates ‘express and practise their resistance to oppression, ia what he calle Inmmene polial ferrin that is between quiscecs and revel ‘One such mode of resistance is through what Scott cally hidden ‘wansripts: modes of discourse generally kept hidden fom the pu tage, where the offi, santioned traserip dominates Such “hidde? transeie may Be expeted when the oppressed mest sy from the gaze of ther oppressor, asin the visions of reversal ad june, the ‘ombolc inversions: expres in Alcan American sive religion, wsions, of couse alten dies indbled to bbc lnguage ad iagery. Other modes of reitance may appear onthe ble stage, but in ways which (neal) avoid diet ad personal ‘Confrontation: anonymous runout and goss, euphemisms, ambi fous gisures, “accidental” acts of insubordination and 20 om Importantly, Scotts work should war un agaist seeing rebelion land resstance only in texts tnd communis that ae Batty tnd ‘overtly opposed to the established powers in the word. More ut, ‘but no ies forms of resistance, are modes of communication ad ction that subily and changeably weave restane ito wha i in ‘arious other respects @ discoure’ of conformity and obedience Inded, an appreciation of the variable, complex, ambiguots, even compromised, relations between resitance and complicity ie cri tmethodolopal key, which wil be furter deveoped in our eae neat with postcolonial waters below. Seals work alo serves a3 8 warning to avoid characezing the ‘weak’ as poweras Certaily| there sno attempt to obseae the extent to which the dominant and owerful wis the big tc, and are able to exerise power through a ‘ange of ideological and piel means, not least the brute for (0 Sutdue and coe by Yeror. But the weak sao exercise agency and power rough the mulfrious means by which they rest ther lomination, whether Ia hidden or overt ways, and wheter through aren Conformity and Resistance 9 linguistic means (uch as jokes, gossip, parody et) o by physi es (suchas poaching, conezalment, evasion, sta) While Seot’s work incorporates a wide ange of examples and socio-itorial context, their uniting feature being some form of ‘stance ented orexpresed by subordinates, postcolonial deals with yet more spate context ery for the understanding of 1 Petr colonials and imperium’ Postcolonial “deals wih the effets of colonization oa cultures and soc” with is specie iscipinssy focus on the impact of, and reactions tg, European colonials rom the sixteenth century tothe present day The pret ‘post itis portant o note — with or without a hypn, amalte of some debate in the fed ~ doesnot lace interest oly in the Detiod after the “departre’ of the colonial power, alhough the ‘amietions of decolonization end the elites of po-colonalin ate of obviows interest to those working in this ae”" The concerae of Postcolonial studies may rather be defied as “engaging with the fextal, historical and cultural aricltions of socetes disturbed bY {he historical reality of oloailpresence™* a daintion which ly, iT only jus eaves oth coloniing aad colonised societies as ropes Tat ofpoatsoonil sty. Although the fous of postcolonial studies ithe impact of modern ‘Buropeun colonialism, theides and concep se tint aslo as sce ent le rete eh ti et ice ‘Penni te ape cen eee. 8 Seca ‘sin Con lepine Od Want eh 3B. mt Atco, Gat Gas aS ie, tC Sa Te Ky ‘omer nn Now Yor Rg 2019 Tk ‘fat Cal er kd Sa. 5, Fora wi ft an a ot log ain ndtv" sca pent tot steep oan Stoeaho oloshean ce uepeuisintepcion eccrine Ty «Carden sang Panag ate es 29 Cy 1 Kosi nT Tee WRT ‘si 2060p, 32 Ou night pap a "pa bt eo a ct or ene cm a ntm0 Reading Prat Petr with Now Eyer ‘one is equally amare ofthe diferences — tothe study ofthe Roman Empire too, not est since tis empire served in some respects us a ‘model forthe European vision Indeed, interest inthe relevance of ostolonil perspectives fo bla studies hasbeen growing consi cubly in recent yeas. Postcolonial does not constitute, or preseat, x specifi or ued ‘theoretical package that could be “apple! to «biblical text. The eld Is moh foo fe and varied, and evenly conerns tempts 10 ‘ead literature produced in colonial eptents with a eet the impact ‘of colonizationlimpriaism andthe wey in which colonized subs ‘ewe incursions and stun or cea cla and wok deny. ‘A focus onratance, andthe orn teny take, i thus peominet a ‘ostolonial ule, and, a2 with Soot, so to, many Poses Studies emphasize the diverse and nuanced form that testes and ‘opposdon may take. Anursdha Needham, for example noes the ‘him of many crits “that no modes of resistance, whether they facknowdge i or ot, are completly fe of tee implcation in the ‘onsnation they ress "Inversion, for example, a prominent strategy in iterates of resistance, "wouldnt be posible without the ts and erlustionserbodied in and by the dominant, which he inversion theo. aempls 0 devalue (and sevaue) through a. proces of transvaluaton’2” Concerning another form of restance, and quoting ‘Simon Gikadi and Stuart ll, Nestham writes of *the mata Iinbrizaion and contamination” of dominant and subordinate, A frome aing smears ope Secon eee =e sd es fl omen pt apa ere reactant rine ieee cranes meres iiiycigatear ceria ot Sin theta a hat ae Se Se ere See nears So eee nie SSS str ones Strstaey'cas gegcu otecon Ein coe areh as a ee et rahe eg dete n n a song ln arto oP eens Confort na React a eloniar and colonigd which in tun renders each. “ineteably ted and hybid”™>* Necdhan’s study ix espcially pertinent to 2 onsiferation of 1 Peter, since her concer is with the forms of fesstanceexpressod by writes located in the metropole who ae his living in “Snspors, away fom thee homelands inc oF South Asia” “This emphasis onthe ambivalence snd complet of resistance and conformity i expecially prominent inthe work of Hom! Bhablsa, one ‘ofthe mon infin, afc, postenionil waiters. Bhabha’s Key “coabingassumplion, Stephen Moore nots, “i that the elationship between colonia atd colonized is characttzed by ambivalence sitacton and repulsion atthe same tine” To quote Bhabhe: Ressanse i oot necesy an opostinal set of pelea! {seni or the ple egation ov econ of he ‘ont ‘st anther cl aa dens nce prsd Ie the ee of Sn ambiaenosprocieed witha the rls of ocogaiion of lomoatg. dhoounes am thy areulte the se of coral ‘ifresce and spate them win te Gefen feltions ‘loi power Moore pus the eset point concisy: For Bhabha, resistance and ompliatyeoeist indifferent measures in each and every colonial subject ‘Also maportantin this regards another concept which s prominent in Bhabha's work th concept of hybridity, an attexpt to exes the iden thatthe encouater of colonize and colonized eeates forms of interaction and interdependence that fect the construction oftheir fubjectvtin euch thit these aze formed end arculted ip what ‘haba call "Third Space, a in-between’. Bhabha insists tha ny iden of culture! ‘riginality or “puny voienabe, becuse ealtral ‘deny and eultral ference are articulated precy that Tid Space of enunciation’ which is & sce of “hybridity we should semener that isthe "inter" the eating edge of transition and egotition, the in betwen ha cris the burdan of the meaning 1, Seren Mor, opt ep: Pas ah or Tse sh Sei nn es 50 1 “toms Bain Toe Ean 9 ie (and ih na “ha, ge an pcs»mm -Reaing Rist Peter with New Byes of cate’ Language, as Bhubhe’s comment aleady implies, is ‘cesar implicated in his interaction, nbd as such and ako a3 =| medium of power ~ i «ste of contest and negotiation in colonia engagements Indigenous nguages tay, for example, be tied tnd reserved as a deliberate means osostsindistatoe aod ditactivenes, fen in the face of overt efforts to init on the wie of (ony) the Imperial language. Alena, the colonize’ language maybe uss, ‘but changed and subverted asthe colonized expres Both difference and reistence" Consequonty, some theor. have adopted the ‘s0ton of revizaion’ ~of language and of identity ~enoter facet this negotiation of hybrid ealtualdenity in the insetween space Postcolonial writers, drawing, of cous, on tla! images and terms, alo fequently invoke the notions of diaspora and exile to denote the espcience of tose displaced from thelr homeland de (0 the ects of colonization and imperalin Sigaiicanly, though ven the wie of such tems in 1 Pete, postzoionism i not only ‘concerned wih these tems stars dvcription of dose physically ‘spaced by empire but aso with what Lesa Gandhi fers to ashe dea of cultural dislocation contained. within thie ttm [dsspora. | ‘Gandhi continues, drawing oa the work of Biabba and Frantz Fanon 4 Minba's haces ltejesdony, cola tad 9 the ‘eres itt of a sw poi of chameleon ‘cm ley intpelter che smctary aad solace f "may pact acl forth fone of tesatare wh ct, te Fanon ‘tees, lng: beacons wthin the flare Sele man rarest om re, Nop Ye a nt 9p 1557S eer ton Sree wen aa ote Reto omy mind Now Yo ona ney 209, p53 uae at cn 45) To win cog yo ney mets ‘pap bate pre ee a es np ee since win a Sie re in ‘rept th pros ay suc ee" nen ei se Aart, Gh Oriina me Hae Tita (el) Te Perr Cool Sa Red Ah Reni 8 Bewcon Conformity and Resistance By and core of former abodes... Not ata, dap ‘hough nde pote inthe cbt metry, ety Soatumiated and bodeie fe of te exe, cght IN 8 [drial etme mead Ue wld ‘Thee comments will akeady be forging connections in the minds of ‘hove friar with 1 Peter, nd particulnly with Eliot’ view of 1 Patera offerings home for the homeless So, as we turn to the eter, ‘tis important to emphasize that what posicoonialsm offers us is nt ‘model ora theory tobe applied to the text, but ube language, am ‘fcnaton, a sees of concep attuned to the themes of lie under ‘pire, If thete ir » chim that unites and wnderpins posteolonial ies it ir that mmperat domination, the act of colonisation, Inevitably sffecn, “disturbs the setts into which sts conteal reaches, such thai studs of eulte, erature, deny and 20 on, nnot ignore ~ and mus ake as of primary inportance~ che impact ff the coloiafnperiat reationship and the power rclationships entwined ia fe Postoolnialian thus invites ws to read | Ptr ef 8 Werary product of a colonialmperial situation, with our cars cepecily toned to the ways in whic this Iter constructs the Ideaity ofthe people to whom tis addressed and ofes one particule ‘way of uegotang existence in the empire, between conformity and ‘eaitance. Seott and Bhabha in artical invite ws to consider how ‘apreions of restance may be suble and ambivalent, woven i complex ways into @-dscouse which may also be complicit and ‘ouformist, constructed in the eacouoter between coloizer and ‘oon. 3. Towards a Postcolonial Reading of Fst Pete In he space available, what follows cam only be sn ntl sketch of| what psteolonal reading of | Pte might look ike, end particule Kind of postcolonial reading at thal. Fernando Segovia helpfully identifies thes dimensions of “postcolonial opi for biblical suis the fit isthe Motorical song ofthe texts of early Judaism and CChuistanity ia iperajoloial contents; the second i he history of biblical interpretation, andthe emergence of modern biblical schlar- ‘hip witht connections wth the relies and ideologies of Europes Colonial expansion; the third isthe contest of today’s rade in theis Reading Fest Peter with New Byes obel sphere and their relation to the cea) of power I wl be ‘ear tht my prevrspaton in this ey is mith the Sst category, amoly the sting of I Peter in is hstorzal imperial contest (hough this should got be taken to imply that I comer other fgets of postcolonial bial study to ve any les vel orate) Betsy Sau Marti's esa i ths volume, though insane respects ery Oa, {Re he Gow Dir de sen pa nd ey pardon ee ‘ort emmatag hier ly me td ale oY 4 Acta F eer ens: Mame Foon 98, TP Sad Sma ned wt ia i st 0) ae et areca is eRe aint rr ate oon oten oh Pa8 Reading Fat Peter with Now Byes, ‘connection with the el socal experience ofthe reaerst isnot mately fn Indeation that their home iim heave. Indeed, this seem to 6 ‘uci point in Hot’ argument, and bath convincing an important. ‘As we have sen, postolonial wutrs ae intrested im daepora and eile not ony a the literal, geographical experience of many of the colonized, but also as depiction ofthe cultural, socal and peycho- log dislocation caused by te intrusion af colonial power Yet there isonemoretwst tothe seo this language in | Peter, he authr isnot vwting to an ein group or people = to lth inhabitants of Pontus, SSy--pvng vole o thei collective experienc of empire" Rather, his Whtingto these who, by vite of thei conversion a Cian have tow become dislocated no longer athome inthe ico ibid work) which s the empire. Prior to conversion these people my have been quietly, cvea contented, aeconmedated tothe rales of enpire and it lea manifestation, keeping the pearg and thse heade dawn, Paying tei des, financially and religiously" No ll he eolonid, ‘whatever those with revolutionary consciousness might ik, sare of express negative or resentfl view of the empire But the ell to ‘onvesion, cal he author rests and ampli ister ia cal {oinhabit snatative, one drawn frm tho experience ofthe peonleof| sre, tat pus ferent spinon the extablment ofempite, Now RomelsBubylon, te oppresor of Gods people, bo sre displaced and homeless in its realm. One might therefore say tht the narative of| entity into which 1 Petr ives is ender one which costs form of postcolonial awareness, which chllengse postive aceptace or auiescene and replaces it witha sns of disocation end distance, “The postive counterpart tO the depiction of the addretes as strange and alens under ‘Bubjloas rae, is, of couse, thelr Aesignation as God's elet, a poslive entity spelt out in. the remainder ofthe ieter-opning with reference to the saving ety of God the Pater, the Spit, and oous Christ (12)And i i the {et oor nt he tr asin cme i spate esol vl ma ed 3 pa sel casino hy Wer te Ey Cnt ES ana). Me Seo Roosnrinnrsn Sandee ae Beowoon Conformity and Resiance 19 stclation ofthis postive new ientity that dominates the opening ‘soon of he epee 1A glorious savin and a poiive temtity ar Got people (1 Peter 13-2410), “The opening thanksgiving of | Peter focus onthe gest and glorious | salvation the inhestance that alts the elest people of God This ‘tn nbetance more enduring, more certain, and moe gloriow tha ‘any carly treasure, and a case of rejoicing despite the rdsbipe of the present (1.6 the fit nation ofthe eat of suflering which ‘wil fom a letot ofthe let), This salvation stands ready a he oor, itis prepared tobe revealed (éoxeuiver) tthe end-tine Gv ‘alps layer) which willbe soon (15:66 1.7 417-19). The ist imperative inthe eters theefore te exhortation to hope (wore, 113}, thats, to bold reoltely and joyfully to ‘acatve of promised salvation, a narrative which, given te readers! prevent expeine, is cetunly counterintuitive and counter facta, Contrary Lote apparent dreumstancs of the ves. The writer a ‘draws ethical comequcnass from this basin (113-23, urging hs reader to oly living (1.1516, quoing Ley, 19.2), which means Alstancing themslves fom the patter of comet tht ehartclerzed {hei former ignorance (114 of. ¥. 19), “The conal teat in Which the ne status of the Ballevrs a the let snd holy people of God is male cea is 2410, which forthe cinax Of the affirmations and the exhortations found in 3-210 aad the foundation forthe intrusion whichis ofllow inthe cand sijor section of the letter -U1-41). "Herein 2410, Eliot wes "the fundamental indicative forthe entire epistle has been spoken” As Bilt aad. Richard Bsuckhem’™ we made clear, thin panege cousttes a rich example of a kind of mirashic exegesis, with 8 Dumber of biti texts woven into the fabric of carefully erctuted text, Votes 4 introduce 6-10, briefly stating te themes which are raw oat in the texts and comments which follow: Jess the elt Sone and the church the elect people of God, The septal ‘quotation that followin w. 610 pick up one or tbe of 0 oy 2, ma me a 1 Pa cn 4 te oii nh pectin pa Du eh ag a Foes BSA ODO. 2h, Ron, ny | ot, ot Wit Se ln Sua feria nae DC a ah 0. las ‘Ces Cmte ue re BE,10 eating Fst Peter wth New Byes rords, stone ios), of people (ods). More spesically, v. 4 Introduces the txts and comments about Chit the one in Ye. 8 and v.Sntouces and summarises 9-10. Vee 6-10 thus contain the primary sours, the seit texts, for the ideas which are suas in v.45 Tn 68 tre (ext (Is. 28.16; Pe, 18.25 es, 8.14 ate quoted and interpreted to describe Chiat ab the stone rejected by people but ‘hove and vindicated by God ~ a fate which i of eoue in eel tespets paradigmatic for the experince of the reader. Ia ve, 9-10 three texts (is 4320-2; Exod. 19.6, Hon. 2.25, pls laser drawn Som Fos. 16,9, 1 are woven ato wdelration about the eat of the readers, ‘once no people but now God's people ‘One ofthe striking things about thi later declaration isthe way in hich tas onthe Jewish Series, ined on sme ofthe cent ieaity designations of Israel (yivos fered, Thos Eyton, Neos ci, to deeb the idea af the predominantly Geni eps ofthe late.” ‘As Pete Richardson nots, the “teaspotions of ‘ewish abuts and tes tothe church ‘each a cmax within the [Now Tesument in {0 Peter] 21-10, & text which represents "a oniious allem: to appropriate the Ehren! Liat forthe ‘ew people of God Indeed, for Paul Achtemeier ‘acl a ftality bas become fortis eter the controling metaphor inter of which is theology is expo Actemeier coninses "In {Peter the Jangsage and hence the rely of Ine pass without remainder into te language and hence the rely of the new people of God. The contttvenatre ofthis language is most evden n 1 Pe. 29-10. ie apnon oa yor 1 Oe i, Sue Card TNE Canis Ci ‘siya 8. 1 co Sok fc Weng ea ‘i: The pro orn hs fn eX Gt Bag SU 2th ane tea ey Semmes peal fea taf lat na 306 ses 11) iy eee 1s ts recy and eet ein 1 ey samen tty sey eo ea Tetccnag tt et ay ree iso AT 3 Amor pS pt we wae PA Th ‘Gago ae Soa Race bey Ted ta ‘i Kir a A Ro oD oie We ae ani Bevweon Confront Rsicence BL ‘This appropriation ~ one might say, expropriation” — of the Serptres ind identity of Tsul ries it own challenging historic, theoloial and ethical questions” Notably the ahora | Pett ‘ves ao expt indlcation tha how tnt and til ls belong tote nos Teele sno hint of intrest a Ire a 1 Peter’ Botts sigiianc inthis context is that it makes this partictlar conglom- ‘ration of tes and descriptors, this partir narrative, conaitie forthe identity ofthe arenes ofthe lite, Thi, one hts, the positive counterpart of their car desigstion as alco nd ‘tcangers in diaspora; as such, they ae God's yivor tahoe, God's Secit people, destined to rosve thee plorout and impeihable Inhrtaoe, st as the readers are not “trl” selena, temporary or permanent, so 100 they are not (eat inthe majority of 0) tery or ethnically Jews, Bu he af now, bra of ct conversion, to understand Themselves preety ax such diloeated rope, whote poste identity i ven inthe stories of the Hebrew Scriptures ~ and in the experience of people eflet under the dominion of one empire of another In hs regard, Eli i ight to ue tn 4.30.19 ua een ot © nee teem en omg Sst eae: ep he cof ti a ee Soir ie ers Sipe eat earn Ss memnercme emma sori iranmnaearsent canoe comm! cee cee eee Secor shiver cintnanpee earenate Seals ant dnaaty oe cey ciate oncnaoen Connie a coon sa ACES te nef Gs et ey scr net eco era, mie rire ees ee Seep ae sepecoennmioaas naeens1 Reaaig Best Ptr wth New Byes sce the leter as underginding and inforcing the postive and Aisictve dentty ofthe Christian addreeee.”™ “To. what facets of this entitling narrative might « poste colonil reading partially dra’ attention? Tt snot arf either the negative (speed. aliens) or tbe posive (God's chosen race) ‘iensions of existence as God's poople as deseo here sti forwaaly imply « diety‘animpetalsance, Indeed ewe shall sce throughout this essay, a postcolonial uding challenges any easy esignation of the texas ante or provimperial nd cls for more ‘nuanced and sulle approach to dicerning forms and expressions of resistance, What dhe (Xt does, sugget, tins the reader into 8 particular narrative of wenity which plier’ or rater, diplass them ina specie positon visi the empire. As we have sen, the Jnter-trame already postions the readers with ropa to the ep fan esotally neptive way: the achievements of empie ate exper faced, or at eat interpreted, a dislocation and dispersion. The st major setion ofthe lter-body then ait hat the Believers have Delve and far superior bass for hope: th lesion by God atid the Inheritance chat God ho promised fo the, Without hore Ding mud sign of any expt polemic aguas, even ‘polemia! paraliant™ ‘wth the ims and preseaatons of he Roman Empire, nooetsles, the eters depiction of Christian ideaiy is such at to. depict the Impact of empie ia eenilly native ten, nd to i that the ‘mss for poste hope lies elwewhere Insofar as Augustos wes heralded —in Asta, among other plier at «saviour who brought ood news, put an end to wat, and whowe bitsy marked “he benning ofall thing, the Telir door indeed prevent «counter arate, and one with celan elements of polemieal paral in iG Yet it does thie not by any diet or explictconltstation, but rather by locating the readers within an Meotiy-dsfining narative ht np 7, 28 2, ‘ean hence ofe cpr ti af a, h Deses ‘Eafe tt ono Reb ed Senden, NS Sa ee sea "tu"! Pas Some Poti Ra ce Apne, IHF 3 {ty p-type Ce Satay Te ee Tet a be Rom pee he Gur Wey Ps ip Ba, Cin ya Cate ad Artanis Sy ge 1S ON ens ey aah rao Aa 9 Gh ind er. Pt a ere aero Wr (Cito Cami Une es pe 60 pr a Beoweo Canformiy an Resistance 3 which offers a fundamental different perspective on thir existence, ‘ne which rt dislocate them from the empire and thet locates thee ositve hopes elsewhere ‘But what difrence doo thi make in past? How are “God's ‘hosen people to live inthe word ad relate oth eighboury nd ‘ect tothe imperil authori? There are ees taken Up a the ‘cond major part ofthe let, to which we now arm, ©. Conforming and rsising (1 Peter 241-541) Having desecbed in the Rest najor section of his eter the glorious ‘alration 10 which God has called his leet and hay people the author now deals wit ‘the consequeacs forthe behavior of Christin ia the srtures of society’ Ts notable thst the opening two vers, 2.11. 12, marked with the introductory yamrot (C412) and serving as 8 Kind of headline to what follows, express both dimensions of the Chistian ambivalent relationship to the wold Tht distinction ad sistance fst expressed in an emphatic reptition of thet etrnged ‘entity (Gs nopoicons kel tapemBnuous) which quite separation from "eshly desis" (agpaicn tryin) ~ evidently the Kinds of Asie that sapod the former exrtence and continue to carweerise the lves of tho among whom they live 42-4). But snothe letmotit ‘of theletr is also stressd her: the need odo good thai fo lve in such @ way that thse who cureny ectdae and condemn the Grstians may be ‘won over" 12-15, 220, 36; 3117, 419), Although the recognition ofthe Chins” poodses may not come bout il the eschaton €-212) the ath’ notion of wha i yood ‘evidently (ken o be hare in common with those outside, sinc the hope is that gpd conduct wil be seen a such hee and now (ef 2 155 Rom, 1217)" The author is cary ~ ifn the end, uazeliically ‘optimistic about the posit that Chin might afte al gia the fivour of hose eusders tough thir good conduct ef 214-15, 212, 1317). Yet itis Kad of optimism that we coat to neodnter in the wings of apologists like Tecan, who echoes t Slate gat comm A dB Aa Be pete wt anne nh amen pepe Pa sear Hr iy rc Cy ra Pas Be {laden sn Rew Yk TH Cr 299) pp D-nd rPs, Unsen ean Common Ono Chia Cm at el eg ‘Sinner On Der a al ah DM Laan a ee Ye arcane134 eating Prat Peter with New Byes Peter in his arguments agaast those who condemn the Chrsins prety om secant of ther name (pol. 2-3). ‘What this “doing good means is speed inthe vious tions of| ‘he domestic code materi Staves are to submit fo et masters eve ‘hove who are wicked, and even when thy are unsiay besten (218 2. Wives ae Hkewise to submit to thelr husbands, whether or not ‘hove husbands are Believers (31-0) Indeed, their decently submisve ‘onduct~purtclar example of doing good ~is intended to function 8s form a msonary appl, ith het of galning ther hustnde forthe fit, Just as Et erg o te the way ia which the [eter aa whole aims to tengten the dtintve deny aad group ‘obeson ofthe Citas fn Aa Minor, 0 think Bale eight 10 stress that the domestic code, and more generally the practical inseuction ofthe Iter, repeats conformity to broader soi ‘expectation as part ofthe atempt to Jesse host fom ose Inde, the author's dese that the readers conform queiy snd decently ‘to the standards of the world i also apparent inthe Instructions in 213-17, which are parculaty eral fos for ox investigation, Ecboing Rom. 154-7, tbe author intrate that the sidresioes to suet fo the emperor sod hie goverry wow task {o punish evi behaviour and toward that which is pood (21318) “Moreover, they ae speialy to honour th emperor (2.17) ‘As Warten Carer has recently showa, in an intresting esay Arawing on Scot's work to interpret 1 Pete, this appeal for quit ‘conformity sepeseats kindof survival statepy ia 8 partula 15 ol nt eam ht ho es a, en te Chit coty we tn eee a drt ee tm) | {Snir evra monn a stor 1G 742 4 a ein es tn ng hg yt Pi be he mera sao he tan cn i ea app Soul at ig a to nth nt allyl ea atic A enwoon Confrnity and Resse Bs context of hostility and persecution” One common and understand ble respons fo the pressures and tens of intial domination i ‘imply to keep alow prof, tobe quietly obedient as far a posable (En Thess 411-19), But is Carter sls right to wuggst tha the author expect is readers ogo all th wa” conforming fo te deans of the empire, including participation in worbip of the emperor? Tele oom of resistance, Cater suggest is oly an internal one: outwarly| they conform in all especs tothe aguizements ofthe imperi, but Invardly, in thei hear, they revere Crt (3.15), “oowove, there area number of fuse of 23-17 that saggest thet the author's staegy is more nuanced, andthe negotiation betwee conformity end restance diferent from that which Carer sages Fr, ite relevant co note thatthe appeal Tor submission to the emperoy i fumed as part of appeal to submit to every human ‘vow soch tht the empeeor one nstanoe ~ but by uo feu & ‘igue one ~ where this puter of conduct is appropiate. Second, whatever the author exacy means by dvepeonion rons bes, itwould seem tha he implicitly denies any cli thatthe emperor isos, “divine Third, he indicates that Christiane are ice people! (Ghigo, or rier, are slaves (oly to God, eventhough he ins that ths feedom dees not provide a jostention fr acting In ways that are wisked (2.16) Fourth, and moat eile allows only that the emperor be honoured, not worsipped, and agrn only ae a iggtapee ofthe honouring thai due toa people, nevres sare, ‘iy abahpécmea ayanare, oy Dev geftate, tov Poorea Te (Honour everyone, Love the family of belevers Fear God. Honout the emparor” 217, NRSV) Wes Can, aig A he Wa Heig Ep et ein Win ett Mars May Rtbing ante & Neg ak TAT Ge OSS (ern ce) toi ae os Po etn a hind ln iso be ge Css ‘peste caper on vy rb ts ey des ‘rela bn ein (Pwr So. ike mem an hc wht a pie by erent ht pian pe ean ‘Sines eny on of uri he ttt, aig pe he ‘into ow he blag ee pet peter hn gh ae ‘icicenacn Se fon pains Reva oe |be Roading Pot Peter wth New Byes How crucial his disintion may berated from the ater Acts of th Sllian Martyrs (180 CE, in which exactly the sme distinction !ppeats: Nor non habeas alam quem timeamas nisi damn Dean ‘nasa gut eat cals. Honorem Cacar ua Cassar: tore ‘tem Deo We havenone other whom we worship bt out Lord God thon heaven Honour o Caen as Casa, but worbip on 10 (God et Sel 89}. The pot, af eourse, tha preity hs evel ot polite (nonjeonfority is euicint to be reguded as an obicie ‘fal fo conform othe demands ofthe enpite and as such for of resistance that erie the death peaaly (also Mar, Pa 10-11). The ‘vcasion forts trance iseseatiall th same as that with Which PLiny ako (much eae the second century) confronted those woused ‘Christan: the equicemgat to worship the emperor andr the Reman sds (Piny, Bp. 10.96. Carer uses Pliny’ test (ad the indication that some of those who hd formerly been Christine did vat ae requlte) a evidence that some) Casta did deed“ al the way in honoarag, even worshipping, the emperor. While there may of ‘course have ban sme who yeded 19 the pressure todo this sad 52. Init fo ces Mn, The cr he Cn Mare rds, ns i Ct pin i i he Rane ona: ont, HN, 17. a ary ar Paps don mt So ea yh a he grt 63) Ca ped 135 Og CaS Aamo es ‘oor te mat pri unent Snde Chne g a at ‘Sven trend ner Romane Sen easy Chia, psf Mir Te ington te Rene sant Fon oman WB Eni Cro oman 7), HS" Ahn ey ‘Di “emer 2 kes a ea” ‘ate, ore no Deron vn pny tetany Yo Dre Wa Ea Saag Ae Wa Beoween Conformity an Renee wr eh even there cubed forthe church the question sbout what to fo with aposates who later wanted to return (cf Heb, 64-12 1028 58) the point of Pays tt, which Pliny knows alto wel, that t series well to identi ve Christians, since they wl ever cure Cit fr saci fo the emperor and the Roman gods" And, from the {Chistian aid, 1 Peter draws tis line of eistance quite lly. Given the rather precise pales in the later Mariy-Act ele, itis remarkable that scholars see this vers a8 evidence again! april pescutlon, Stephen Bechler, for example, puts it cet ‘The one passage in te leter In which th emperor i expt tenon 215-17 ~ lls gat eral pots. Hee Use iter nce far of Ged an honor of tht ergo i 8 as treth and commands subjection othe emperor a mipian, Not ‘oes {Pneremonere exit the in of stilt fo oat ar erase of, Reme fo be expect in a docuen dealing th Spel pase Despite the tendency of most recent scholarship on 1 Ptr to regard the suffering which the letter address as consequene of informal public hostility catber than imperial persecaon ~ tendency T shall fommest on below ~ 213-7 actualy fits rater wel ato seing ‘mbes mcssured but consciourestance to iperial demande is ‘equired.Inéed, without confontation with th iperiam as part of| iseontet, the prese wording of | Peer 2.17 lacks a Stn Leben 95. Noms, Cate ihe egret ein of retin dewey reaper ane Sn ten tf ‘Sesou poi toi fi ep sete yt vey aed get te ison wh Gan sr ta ogy he oe ot Rr epy ca ar 2-1 Chow sae ‘tt dno rob gpl pine Sosy For, p eae 1 Pr pe spa BI ‘ey ant mt cams yop. yea me ‘eet 215shwe Ramey Mice (WH, Wa, Wow bane a 2ne Reading Prt Petr wlth New Byes ‘The particular path the author treads Between conformity snd resistance may als be ustrated from 41219, the ext where the ery fondeals suffered by the readers are most vividly and explicitly Alscussed. The sueing i depicted as sharing inthe earings of Crist sting in his name, and thus a eause Tor rejoicing and besing (vr. [614). The consti then deaw between sulering 388 murderer, thie, eviMoer or meddle and suffering os Xpioriovss| (@v. 1516. In Keeping wit his appl tote readers too good the Author insite that they shouldbe sore ever tobe galt of such exies ‘nd mindemeanous ace sled fia” this would inded bea cause for shame. But the accusation of bring Npovievs i another at, This label shouldbe borne wih pid, not shame, and regard 28 means lol God (4.16, ‘As mentioned above, the tendency in most recent English language stots of 1 Pster hasbeen fo regard the sulering expenenced by fhe leter addressees a 2 matter of informal, lea hott and sander father than offi) Roman persouion aad poutble execution” ‘Azan, Bots work bas been neta. He argues that what We are 97, tank son fe ie ity op 21, et ay aa ‘nial duce ohio ep ng rs feng GSI anew on chung? Lek the Ce Raman Tapa eit nen atop Rt 780 BS 209) p30 ‘ann now sa wy unos sal conc o2.3 SP iin ar weg ‘Novi be amy roe ty ‘scheint a opt see ia cy iy Se i S ie a lc td i ot paw Cow ha bendy Se ‘ite ton Sted by ay wih ang Cts mar 3) ES Aseria ec inte eel payee Pe et em pcs day May ear Soe Porn 238 Bows Confority and Resistance 139 ean wth "ecbal ater than pies abuse hich ook the form ‘of uasment of Chriinns by heal opposents2” Thee is thus no Senin I Peer of any confrontation with Rome instead the Beter refs ‘etme of tlttion and peaceful coestence’™ For thee Fensons Eliot see‘ substantive resemblance’ betwee the stuation| Gepcted in Plays letters and that poeteayed in T Pte" have frguedshwbore that the smiariee between the two depicted Situations are much coer than EINot suguest, and that the context Pliny depict where Christan ae coming to trl, and are executed fon the bis soley of acknowledging te ame Chistian, that iy for the nomen puun ~ is indeodteloaat to our understanding of the ‘cit lebel provi in 1 Petr Moreover, posing a ltenative ‘enariog for I Peter ihe ocal pubic hori’ ‘ofical Roman psecations bs fo bifurete the analy with false citer. For the procedure Pliny ste, and is instacied by Trajan to continue (Pliny, Ep. 1097), i one i which sovomtion against Chstans aie from {ie local populace and thor indeate presiely the kind of public howity at Eliot rght to detest ata background to 1 Peet. However, at Acts indintes too (1619-24 1812-1, this, pubic ‘outity Could lead o Chistian being brought before the magistrates, ‘Moreovr t est after Nero's persecution ofthe Civitan in Rome, the very name ‘Chriin’ was sunt in such contents 10 indie son of frm of erminaity Worthy of death, dependent, of coun, tn the dispostion of particule governors and the perceived reat to the pece oftheir povines Public and imperil hostility combines cso ek says inte a a ichigo Roms Seca me Co oi. 10 Danid G Hol, Tae tat Youmans: | P4160 he ‘Siewwe Hise, Massena Ta, nnn nd te Chto, ne kg EME Tap alge entree sue ple” Coo as Cone Gas (Prt) 7 0999), pp. 13-34, Willa H.C. Sade ed ee aera eee eeM0 eating Fret Peter wth New Bes in the accusatoril process, which remained the Roman’ prefered ‘mode Tor the judisal treatment of Chitans unt tae Decan psccution of the third entry Peter not only offer an iaide’s window onto such contents, where the specie label Xpiovawés was the crux around ‘hich everything trued, but alg, and sigitcenty, marks the caciet tempt to tar this stigma label into one which, for iss at Teast isa badge of honour ™ Hoth the context abd the raegy ace edie to sy highly relevant o postcolonial reading of the lete mits depiction ofthe etn in which this label might be applied one of suing, aed one where other Inbls, seh ax deer and til, ‘night aso be suggested ~ the ter gives u an sider’ pipes ora Underside limse ofthe process by which imperil power operated to cena the new movement. The hosly fromm the oval populace, Which certainly underiay. the eullrng, i also significant The ‘Gurstan’ self-association from established pauerns of politico rious pratice~ their refusal to play thi part in sustaining the pox orm on which the pax ramana depended ~ could well have made them unpopular, ad fed to tee beng viewed atoll ermine who bafod the est of he man race, (Tei, 15.4, Suetonius, Nero 162; Pliny, Zp. 10968." ta other words, Just 8 their (2c) eny at dupereodaenr dsocater them fis he empire, and inlets kindof postcolonil Wentity othe hostliy they now encounter ak Xporsaval reproente the reaction, och ple tnd fei, thee slioction. And inthis parte isan, ‘when it comes tothe stigmatnng and criminalize abe the author of | 1 Peter insists thatthe samo be boldly accepted, xaty which st this point draws clear lin of resistance to imperial presi. "The name Xpiarians ala aber nicl states one may in which the idetity ofthe address of I eter isa “hybrid” one form of ‘entity constructed, in Bhabha’ ems inthe encounter of olonizer ‘i tcrane Sram as Cr ae Sad Ct ‘dn as, hm ine Dewtinitn Varig, Murs 4 (199. pp 2-58 magagada! ‘tae om oct ih Far pion oa yh ay Chis ee aca on Te tC. 2 Beowion Conformity and Resitnce 1 and colonize, in & kind of ntstween space, The name isl ‘arly © latin, abl created by hole outsiders, probably Romans, which ~ notin it etymelogy pers, bol inthe context in ‘which wed represeats a negsvejadgment ofthis poup. 1 Peter Fepreens the east attempt onthe part of thoes abled to elim the label instead teu badge of identy which can be proudly worn, Indes, worn wid what we might ell polemical pride, Eventually, of ‘ours, this somes tobe the ientifer with which Chistans name themselves, produ, ironically, precisely oftheir bruising encounters inthe public ream std wit the imperial power." 4, Conclusion: Polite Resitnce Reading 1 Peter with our ear attuned to the themes to which postolonial sto dats our ateton ~ the impact of imperaiy Colonization, the ways ia which subject peoples negotiate st istence and infty under espe the presses to conform ad the ponsble modes ofrontano hs presets us with new way to fans the satey of the tlt, and the parular pati seers ‘betwesn conformity and resstance More” general, posteslonil ste, and their musnced approach tothe patterns of reliionship tetwecn imperial cone sad dominated colony, offer a way beyond ‘what hus too often ben rather erode assesment of the as-mpeil Tadial of tome NT texts, andthe regrettable accommodation to “npie of others Ts car that te author of | eter i 0 John of Patmos. The eter doesnot preset the Kind of ‘hidden tease ~ a symbolic inversion ‘of current rates, vision of the empire imminent and vokeat Alstrution = such as we find inthe book of Revelation. On the ontiary, the author of 1 Petrella his readers to conform as fir a posible to the standards of gooduas expected by the powerful: ouourng the emperor, submiting to masters and husbands living ich innocent lve 8 to negate allt. One can ace why some Scholars have contrasted he veogefl anger of Join withthe ‘sweet Teasonablens ofthe aor of {Peer een if one docs nt shae the ‘alvejgmonte which undtieth lable One ean also imagine 2 ee aay et nae art peice tne Semen aay Seer ahaha erman sl coite rs sao pcte Reang Fist Peter with New Byes purely imaginary scenario, tit be stressed — John's angry rection to the eter of Ptr, which he might wall ave sea a going much to fr im accommodating tothe demands of the Beat Disgresment and srgument about when and how to resy sod how far i at al, to Conform, are almost inevitably part of de discourse of popular ‘movemedts which experince the cease and ofthe ruling poms "Yet atthe same time, we have soon that it would be won to characterize the author of 1 Peter as someone who promotes «He of conformity and aognisence to Rome among the converts in Asa Minor. Thece area numberof espocsin which he encourages stance ‘of what we might cll distance and resance, Fly there i the ‘arrive af Moai, Aid of hidden and alternative transi, ito ‘which be Inserts his seaders, addresing them a refuges and sins Scattered by the power of Babylon ~ hus exon the naretive which ‘underpins Joh vison oo and founig this pstve ident und hope on the Scriptures und the God of larel With this move, ot cxplcily ant-impeial to be suc the author presen ht renders towards e particular frm of postcolonial awareness, a perpectie on empire, wich thy ae now fo ate not asthe masiftation of pod ‘nos, the embodiment of peace oa earth, Dut sth ei power which Seater Goss poop. Moreover, thet own hope for a positive inheritance les Cowher, but will arsive soon, atthe apocalyptic Atival of God's da, "Even whee the sutho is xpi cling his reader opateas of ondvet that represent degree of conformity to the expire’ ‘lominion and to established soil (housed) structures, here oo a line at which conformity stops is clearly dawn: Caesar wil be honoured, but uot worshipped. Aad inthe label provi, abel Which isi? emerges fom the encounter betveen Christos aad Roman ousides, the cash of commitments comes oa ead. From | Roman perspec the label is an ination of eiminalty: one may sown the label or dis. From 1 eters peapetiv, the label oe 10 be borne with pid, a way to honour God, evn a one sare nthe suiferings of Christ. Inthe bearing of the name, resiance Gnd onetté and spec expression. And “Chvstian’ dea i forgad 8 Ihe space snd langage ofthis encounter. researc Secs aare marcas enw Conformity and Resin us The authors stance towards the empire, then, and the one he ‘ommend to hit readers one in wiih, we might sy, heals Seely patos a ay city oe to eco the marvellous prover cited by Scott, bows obsoquiousy, tthe same time farting ently. Yet the auto's sistance not merely hidden o “sen, ‘tin certain caters and om certain points comes clery sod publicly into view. Perhaps an allerative phrase beter expres the particular stratgy this author represents: he exemplifis pote resistance ist Mm, Senin Ses ohn a ay he ssa of sy Bp Las a Yok at in tan Ea of Cao 3-8 2 Theva oa ge pre ge by St, at, nda ae seed thd ae