THOSE CURIOUS ANGELS (I PETER 1:12)

There is an interesting fact revealed at the end of this verse, namely that the angels in heaven long [or earnestly desire] to look into things revealed to prophets and now announced to chosen and destined people by the Holy Spirit.

Despite the intriguing nature of this point, I was a little surprised to find that six of the shorter commentaries on I Peter I consulted did not even give this reference to angels the slightest mention. In addition, Goppelt's 380-page commentary on this brief epistle only devotes ½ page to a discussion of it, mostly relegated to a footnote.

Stibbs has this to say in regard to the language utilized at the end of v. 12: “The verb parakuptein translated to look into means 'to stoop or bend down to look.' It is also used in Lk. xxiv. 12; Jn xx. 5,11; Jas i. 25. Thus do heavenly beings, such as angels, take an intense, wondering interest in what God is doing here on earth for the salvation of men (cf. Lk xv. 10; Eph iii. 10).”

In Luke 24:12 and John 20:5,11 the verb is used literally to refer, respectively, to Peter, “the other disciple,” and Mary looking into the empty tomb. A more figurative meaning is intended in I Peter 1:12 and in James 1:25, the latter referring to “those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere.”

One problem we face is the paucity of references to angels. As Davids says, “Apart from Heb. 1-2, angels are rarely mentioned in the NT epistles, but the Jews knew of the great archangels watching the earth (e.g., I Enoch 9:1, which uses the same verb in its Greek version).”

That pseudepigraphal writing reads, “And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.” Davids comments, “The sense is not one of idle curiosity but of a longing to see the fulfillment of God's promises. Great as they are, it was not to them or for them that the fulfillment came. Instead, the day of salvation dawned on these Christians in a way not even revealed to the angels...Although suffering, these believers are a privileged people.”

Other scholars similarly attempt to pin down the original source of Peter's comment. J.R.Michaels says, “The notion that some heavenly mysteries are hidden even from the angels who dwell in heaven is found both in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g. 1 Enoch 16:3; 2 Enoch 24:3) and in the NT (e.g. Mark 13:32, and by implication Eph 3:10; 1 Cor 2:6-8 is different in that it focuses on hostile powers in particular)...The very fact that angels know so much enhances the sense of wonder at the things they do not know.”

Charles points in another direction for the origin of Peter's idea: “No explanation of or direct parallel to this phenomenon is to be found in the OT...In Targum Neofiti Genesis 28:12 [dated to somewhere between the 1^st and 4^th century A.D.] one finds a description of the angels ascending and descending in order to observe Jacob. According to the text they 'earnestly desired' to see this righteous man. It is possible that in his allusion to the angelic aspect of divine mystery Peter is making use of imagery and language associated with a midrashic tradition.”

Goppelt's comments on I Peter 1:12b are as follows: “The angels, the representatives of the heavenly world already honoring God (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 4), wait for the redemption of the entire creation (Rom. 8:19); they rejoice, therefore, over the sinners repentance (Lk. 15:10); and join in the hymn of praise at the consummation of redemption (Rev. 5:11-14; 19:1ff)...”

In regard to the meaning of Peter's thought, he has more to say, beginning with an agreement with Davids in that “I Peter does not have curious watching in mind but rather a longing for the revelation of salvation.” Then, turning to the origin of the statement, he continues by referencing the following possible sources: I En. 16:3; II En 24:3; Mk. 13:32; I Cor 2:6; Ignatius Eph. 19. In conclusion, he states that “according to Eph. 3:10, the wisdom of God is announced to angels through the Church.”

Boring's comments on this passage strike out in a completely different direction by giving tentative approval to the idea that the “angels” in this case are the evil or fallen angelic forces. Thus, we get the following explanation: “It is not clear whether angels are 'good' angels, which would parallel the prophets [in the previous verses], or 'bad' angels, as often the case in apocalyptic (e.g., 1Q 3:13-4:14; 4Q Amran; 1 Enoch 6-16). In favor of hostile angels, however, are the following considerations: (1) in the only other reference to angels in 1 Peter is 3:22, they are hostile powers overcome by the risen Christ; (2) the author is heavily influenced by the Pauline tradition, in which angels are uniformly evil powers that attempt to separate us from God, as, for example, in Rom 8:38; (3) specific items of Pauline tradition picture the hostile angelic powers as being kept in ignorance of God's plan that is revealed to Christians (1 Cor 2:8; Eph 3:9-10); (4) the verb for the angels' longing (epithymeo, sometimes translated 'lust') can have evil overtones as in Gen 6:1-6 and as used by the author (3:19-20) – but compare Matt 13:17!”

That last cited reference quotes Jesus as saying to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear, but did not hear it.” That possibly parallel thought, coupled with the way these angels are closely associated with God's prophets in the whole passage I Peter 1:10-12, strongly suggests that it is the “good” angels in heaven being referred to here, not the “bad” ones. But we cannot be dogmatic on this point in view of the obscure nature of Peter's statement.