A letter would have been written at a particular time and for a particular purpose, even if the recipients were scattered in various communities many miles apart. It is likely, as the exposition will highlight, that the growing pressures, ranging from ostracism and verbal abuse to physical persecution, were the occasion for Peter’s word of encouragement to them. In any letter it is not surprising to find order, purpose and development, and that is certainly the case here, since Peter has the clear
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