The Second Epistle of Peter must have been written later than the Epistle of Jude, an early second-century book, as it incorporates almost all that epistle. The first mention of 2 Peter occurs in Origen's Commentary on John from the third century.

Scholars have traditionally assigned a date from 124 to 150 CE to 2 Peter.

The two books known as The First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter) and The Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter) are traditionally attributed to Simon Peter. However, New Testament scholars say that both books were actually written in the second century, by two different but anonymous authors. Peter wrote neither of these.