life. Therefore, the “scandal” of the cross must be explained. Peter appears to be reciting, in part, a confession of faith carefully crafted in the early church which addressed this crucial issue: “This man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law” (v. 23). The death of Jesus, horrible though it was, was part of God’s design for salvation. The scandal of the crucifixion, an act of human freedom at