Why are 1 Peter and 2 Peter so different?

If you've done any reading in 1 and 2 Peter this summer, you may have noticed just how different they are. You're not the only one. They way that the author says things just feels different, even translated into the English. However, we should not be too quick to worry. There are explanations.

In recent centuries, however, its genuineness has been challenged by a considerable number of interpreters. One of the objections that has been raised is the difference in style from that of 1 Peter. But the difference is not absolute; there are noteworthy similarities in vocabulary and in other matters. In fact, no other known writing is as much like 1 Peter as 2 Peter. The differences that do exist may be accounted for by variations in subject matter, in the form and purpose of the letters, in the time and circumstances of writing, in sources used or models followed, and in scribes who may have been employed.

It is not well known in America, but modern education is quite different from ancient education. And, in a world without typewriters or word processors, it was quite common for a man who could read and speak a language well not to be able to write the same language legibly. (Some, seeing my handwriting, might say the problem still exists.) So typically letters like this were put to paper by scribes, to whom the writer dictated the letter. The scribe would fix grammatical and vocabulary mistakes, and ensure that the letter reflected exactly what the author intended. Thus, while 1 and 2 Peter have the same author, they likely have very different scribes, who made different choices when putting the letter to paper.