ReCIPROCITy AND sUFFeRING IN 1 PeTeR 2,19-20 425 reputation that one achieves within a group or community. In Greek epic poetry, a person’s heroic death was understood as a means of at- taining undying and imperishable kle,oj (Homer, Il. 9.412-416; Od. 4.584; 7.333) 7. This fame might take the form of a memorial tomb (Il. 7.91; Od. 4.584), or one’s memory might even be preserved in song (Il. 6.357-358; Od. 3.204). In this way, a person could achieve immor- tality 8. In the Greco-Roman period, the word is used in much the same way, with fame also being achieved in the present life (Philo, Virt. 204; Josephus, B.J. 1.293; IG IV2,1 590). But to claim that it denotes the “credit” or “reward” that one earns before God is to stretch its semantic domain beyond the limits of established usage 9. It is best to define kle,oj in 1 Pet 2,20 as the good reputation that one achieves through commendable behavior. In this case, it is espe- cially concerned with the glory that is afforded by the slave master. This meaning serves as a foil in the comparative purposes of the author. The first half of this comparison (v. 20a) relates to the human sphere. As Michaels points out, “slave masters, even those who are good and fair, are not likely to be impressed by the patient endurance of a disobedient or rebellious slave who (in their terms) gets what he deserves” 10. In contrast, an alternative and more important perspective is afforded to the readers through their relationship with God (v. 20b). But this still leaves us to determine whether the author intends to draw a connection between the “fame” (kle,oj) one achieves on a human level (v. 20a) and the “commendation” (ca,rij) one could receive from God (v. 20b). This seems possible, given that some translations render the final clause in v. 20 as, “this is commendable before God” (NIV; NKJV; CEB). yet, if this were the meaning intended by the author, it would have been much more natural to employ the adjective cari,ej 7 see lsJ 958. Cf. also G. NAGy, Comparative Studies in Greek and Indic Meter (Harvard studies in Comparative literature 33; Cambridge, MA 1974) 229- 261; M. GReINDl, “Kle,oj, Ku/doj, Eu=coj, Timh,, Fa,tij, Do,xa. eine bedeutungs- geschichtliche Untersuchung des epischen und lyrischen sprachgebrauches”, (Ph.D. diss., University of Munich 1938) 104-119. 8 It is not surprising, therefore, to find that kle,oj is commonly employed in Greek sepulchral epigrams (see U. eCkeR, Grabmal und Epigramm. studien zur frühgriechischen sepulkraldichtung [Palingenesia 29; stuttgart 1990] 34-40, 189-217). 9 Cf. M. DUBIs, 1 Peter. A Handbook on the Greek Text (BHGNT; Waco, Tx 2010) 74: “The translation ‘credit’ that appears in many english versions (so also BDAG, 547) does not quite capture the meaning of ‘acclaim’ that this noun carries”. 10 MICHAels, 1 Peter, 141.