The 1st and 2nd Letters of Peter showed how far Peter had come in loving His Lord enabling Peter to teach others.
MJ
2Peter 3:15,&16 'And account that the long suffering of our Lord is Salvation;even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles,speaking in them these things;in which are some things hard to be understood,which they which are unlearned and unstable wrest,as they do also the other scriptures,unto their own destruction’
Hi ,MartinJordan,
Yes ,no doubt Peter has come a long distance by the time he writes both his letters .Very much was gained in experience and learning along the way .He knew also ,as can be seen in his second letter ,for him, his race was nearly complete 'Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle ’ .
But no doubt, so had all the rest of the apostles,when their course was also near completion.The legacy of Peter ,his influence ,and that authority ,which for his part ,he represented,with great courage , remains even to this very day.
However,as can be seen in my opening verses,Peter ,in humility,I would say,exemplifies the ‘wisdom’ of Paul ,and acknowledges that even for Peter ,there was much in the way of spiritual wrestling ,in order to grasp and comprehend an apparent superior spirituality that was contained in all those epistles written from Paul; treasure from above, of which Peter terms ,‘some things hard to be understood’ .
These ‘things’,Peter no doubt ,by the same wisdom also given to him,correctly,and with meekness declares to be on no less a level ( or authority) as ‘also the other scriptures’.
One of those ‘things’ that I would say Peter learned along the way,was,it seems to do with a certain question or dispute on the subject of circumcision .Galatians 2:11,
“But when Peter was come to Antioch,I withstood him to his face”
Verse 14, “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel,
I said to Peter before them all”
Also apparent for me ,is the sheer volume of Paul’s scriptural writings ,that is in comparison with any other apostle,including Peter.
As to longevity of life and ministry ,it seems that that apostle whom Jesus loved and who the same leaned on Jesus breast,and in regards to his walk,Peter inquires ,‘and what of this man?’
John the writer of the Revelation ,outlived them all.
Then by what authority do Catholic teachings ,make Peter an authority over such as these?