Terrance Callan, «The Style of the Second Letter of Peter», Vol. 84 (2003) 202-224

Readers of the Second Letter of Peter have often commented on its style, usually in negative terms. This essay examines the style of 2 Pet more thoroughly than has been done heretofore, using Cicero’s discussion of style, and that of other ancient writers, as a framework. This examination shows that 2 Pet largely conforms to ancient canons of style and should be seen as an example of the grand Asian style. Recognition of this may help readers avoid unthinking assessment of 2 Pet’s style by standards not accepted by its author, and develop greater appreciation of its style in terms of its author’s own aims and standards.

example of the bombastic style. It shared the second and third characteristics with the refined Asian style, but used long instead of short sentences. Norden describes the style of the inscription as passionately elevated, making use of highly poetic words and new coinages, avoiding hiatus, freely altering word order for the sake of rhythm, and making use of stilted, bombastic and refined expression⁶⁴. These two kinds of Asianism can be seen as the middle and grand Asian styles.

        H. J. Rose describes Asianism as follows, apparently referring mainly to the first, the middle Asian style:

It would seem to have abandoned the use of the period to a considerable extent and made up its compositions mostly of short sentences, ending with a marked, almost a versified rhythm. The wording was often very artificial, and on occasion normal word-order...was sacrificed and even meaningless words inserted to get the desired sound-effects. The Georgian figures seem also, from the specimens we have, to have been used to excess, and poetical ornaments to have abounded⁶⁵.

        Bo Reicke describes Asianism as "characterized by a loaded, verbose, high-sounding manner of expression leaning toward the novel and bizarre, and careless about violating classic ideals of simplicity"⁶⁶; he is apparently referring mainly to the second, grand Asian style. 2 Pet is an example of this kind of Asian style⁶⁷.

IV. 2 Peter and the Nemrud Dagh Inscription

        If we take the Nemrud-Dagh inscription as typical of this style, the similarities between it and 2 Pet confirm that 2 Pet is written in the grand Asian style. Of course, the two are different as well as similar⁶⁸. The style of the inscription has been studied most