426 T.B. WIllIAMs instead of the nominal form 11. Further, it should be noted that the idea of achieving “fame” (kle,oj) before a person or community is not quite the same as behavior that is “commendable” (ca,rij) before God. This is evident from the fact that early Christian writings never speak of at- taining kle,oj before God 12. It is also clear when one examines how ca,rij is used in connection with God’s favorable response to human action. Normally when this occurs, it is limited to the popular idiom eu`ri,skein ca,rin evnanti,on (or: evn ovfqalmoi/j) tino,j, “to find favor before (or: in the eyes of) someone” (cf. Gen 6,8; exod 33,13; Judg 6,17; 1 sam 1,18), which is very different from the idea communicated here (see below). Thus, the lexical change from kle,oj to ca,rij is not simply stylistic; it is substantive. As we will argue below, the former relates to the reputation one achieves on a human level, while the latter de- scribes how one responds to a divine benefactor. The second interpretive mistake that often fuels the misunderstand- ing of ca,rij is its syntactical force in relation to para. qew/| (v. 20). This construction is normally linked with one of two sources. some seek to connect the passage to the Jesus tradition. Based on linguistic and the- matic parallels, it is often assumed that the author of 1 Peter was draw- ing from the same tradition as luke 6,32-35. In the lukan passage, it is clear that ca,rij describes the credit or reward which one receives as a result of a particular action (cf. Did. 1.3; 2 Clem. 13.4; Ign. Pol. 2.1). The Petrine author would thus be echoing such an idea by describing ca,rij as a human act which garners divine approval. Various difficulties surround this suggestion, however. In luke 6,32-35, ca,rij is connected to the indirect object u`mi/n, which creates a reciprocal idea (“ca,rij to you”). This idea is not present in 1 Pet 2,20. Moreover, the use of misqo,j in luke wrongly colors the reading of 1 Peter. The focus in luke 6,32- 35 is on the reward which one receives as a result of loving indiscrim- inately. In this case, ca,rij and misqo,j are used synonymously. If misqo,j were the reading found in 1 Pet 2,20, then one could make the case 11 even from a very early period scholars assumed that ca,rij should be read as though it were cari,ej (see, e.g., G. BeNsON, A Paraphrase and Notes on the Seven Catholic Epistles [london 21756] 225). 12 Occasionally, the use of the term in 1 Clem. 54.3 is cited in this regard, but the reputation that is gained evn Cristw|/ relates to acclaim within the Christian community (hence the following statement, “and every place will welcome that person”). even within “pagan” literature the association of kle,oj with the divine realm is found only on rare occasions (e.g., Plato, Leg. 663a: “Come, tell me, is fair fame (kle,oj) and praise from the mouths of men and gods a noble and good thing, but unpleasant, while ill-fame is the opposite?” [lCl]).