Why do almost all critical scholars doubt the authenticity of the authorial ascription of 2 Peter? What evidence is there within the book itself that calls its authorship into question? What sources did this author use, and when was it circulated? How do these issues add to the problems of the authorial claims?

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The Answer is Although 2 Peter explicitly claims to have been written by Jesus' disciple, most scholars believe the book is pseudonymous. First, Jesus' disciple Peter was mostly likely uneducated, while the author of this letter is a sophisticated and literate Greek writer. Second, a large portion of this letter is taken from the book of Jude. If Peter wrote this letter, why would he rely on another source for information? Jude, moreover, was probably written toward the end of the first century, well after Peter's martyrdom in 64 CE. Third, there is no mention of this book until around 220 CE, and even then it does not seem to have been widely circulated.

Why Do Almost All Critical Scholars Doubt the Authenticity of the Authorial