1 Peter 3:4 … The Spirit’s lasting Beauty (06/11/17)
“Let your adornment be the Inner Self;
the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet Spirit.”
~ unknown (1 Peter 3:4)
First & foremost, even though most scholars agree that this letter was probably written by one of Peter’s disciples well after his death (due to its sophisticated use of the Greek language, due to it being addressed primarily to Gentile Christians who would have been religiously established after Peter’s life had passed, and due to its lack of references to the life and teachings of Jesus), this remains a verse that resonates well with The Way of Christ as shared in the Gospels – a “Gospel” (see Matthew 24:12-14 et al) that did indeed call for us all to “adorn” our bodies & minds with “the Inner Self” (what Jesus called “the Advocate Within”, and what non-Christians might call “the Spirit” or “the conscience” – see John 3:3-8, John 14:20-26, John 16:13 et al) …
Secondly, it is intriguing to see how the Greek words used in the ancient texts support this contention … Consider the following:
*Especially of interest is the apparent fact that the word “adornment” is not found in this verse at all – meaning that this particular translation is either referring to the Greek word “kosmos” (of 1 Peter 3:3 — a word which means “adornment” or “of the entire world”, a la Strong’s #2889) or the Greek word “ekosmoun” (of 1 Peter 3:5 — a word which means “outer appearance” or “to decorate”, a la Strong’s #2885).
*In addition, “Inner Self” here is actually a Greek phrase that reads “kryptos tes kardias anthropos” in the ancient manuscripts, which essentially means “the hidden Heart of the Human” or “the True Self” (see Strong’s #2927, #3588, #2588 & #444).
*“Lasting beauty” is represented by the Greek word “aphtharto,” a word which means “imperishable” or “incorruptible” (and does not necessarily relate only to beauty, which is not specifically mentioned in this verse at all – see Strong’s #682).
*“Gentle & quiet” come from the Greek words “praeos” & “hesychiou” respectively, words which mean “mild” & “peaceful” respectively (see Strong’s #4239 & #2272).
*“Spirit” is actually the Greek word “pneumatos,” a word which means “breath” or “life essence” (see Strong’s #4151).
As such, when these more accurate meanings are plugged back into our initial English translation, we get the following: “Let your outer appearance (that which is visible to the world) harmonize with the True Self that resides in your Heart — the True Self that is eternal and completely incorruptible; exuding a mild and peaceful essence (to others).”
And this new translation not only melds seamlessly with the ancient Greek, but harmonizes just as well with the teachings and indeed the entire ministry of Jesus Christ as read in the Gospels (see Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 18:3-4, Matthew 25:35-40, John 13:15-17, John 14:20-26, John 15:26 et al).
Amen … Let it be so.
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