LIKE A LION: MAPPING THE LEONINE METAPHOR IN 1 PETER 5: 8.

This article examines the conceptual backgrounds of the lion metaphor in 1 Peter 5:8. Utilizing the framework for mapping leonine metaphors in the Old Testament by Troy W. Martin, it compares the Jewish background with the Greco-Roman background proposed by Boris A. Paschke, who argues that the ad bestias execution informs the metaphor. In contrast to the tendency to offer highly particularized interpretations of the metaphor by drawing from one background, the synthesized view offered here argues that the text draws simultaneously from both backgrounds and centers on the metaphorical transfer of ferociousness. This focus on ferociousness avoids overspecification of the metaphor, heightens the urgency of shepherding the flock in 1 Peter 5:1-5, and broadens the imperatives of 1 Peter 5:8-9 beyond the ultimate concern for apostasy to include the variegated threats of the devil against Christians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]