378 Ora Delmer Foster, 



are very generally agreed that Hebrews is removed several years from 

 the Neronian Persecution. Granting that Heb. 11 ; 32 refers to 

 this persecution, 12 ; 3 f . certainly points to another outbreak 

 against the Christians, which was then in progress but which had not 

 reached its full height. This cannot allude to the Jewish War of 

 66—70. It was apparently long enough after the destruction of 

 Jerusalem for them to have become reconciled to the catastrophe. 

 We are to conclude therefore, so it seems, with Bacon, Holtzmaun, 

 JiiUcher, McGiffert, Moffatt, Weizsacker, Von Soden and others, 

 that the persecutions alluded to in Hebrews are those of Domitian. 

 If these conclusions are correct I Peter could not have been written 

 earlier than 85. 



Incidentally the foregoing study has afforded an earlier limit for 

 the Epistle of James, as weU as a later limit for Hebrews. If, as is 

 here maintained, James depends upon I Peter it must have been 

 written some time after 85, and not early as many contend. But 

 if, as we believe, this study shows, I Peter presupposes Hebrews and 

 the latter comes from the reign of Domitian, we should be required 

 to date James somewhere between 90 and 95. Hebrews would in 

 that case be dated between 81 and 85 and I Peter between 85 and 90. 



It may be noted in passing that Pliny, in his correspondence with 

 Trajan in 112, states that in Bithynia, one of the provinces to which 

 I Peter is addressed, " some of the accused assert that they forsook 

 Christianit), twenty-five years ago." (Ad Traj. 96, 6.) This 

 apostacy of cir. 87 may very probably have been due to the perse- 

 cutions that are alluded to in I Peter, whose author aims to prevent 

 this very thing. 



We may next consider the place of authorship of our Epistle. 

 It is clear from Table III, p. 535, that the literature which shows 

 the closest relation to I Peter was either written in Rome or Asia 

 Minor, or circulated in those regions very early. Nowhere in the 

 whole realm of early Christian literature does there seem to be any 

 writing, not having to do with the regions just mentioned, that shows 

 any connection with I Peter earlier than Pseudo-Barnabas cir. 135. 

 On the other hand there are many in these localities which show a 

 very probable literary connection. Galatians, written from Corinth 

 and circulating in Asia Minor, was very probably known by our 

 author. I Corinthians, written at Ephesus, seems to have been known 

 by him. There are reasons also to suspect that he knew II Co- 

 rinthians, which would be apt to circulate in this region. Apparently 

 he knew Hebrews, the evidence of whose existence comes to us first 

 from Rome. It appears highly probably that the author or authors 



