The interpretation timeline

1Pet 5:4

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

3 Patristic · 1 Medieval · 1 Orthodox

1Pet 5:4 · Douay-Rheims
“And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
311
A.D.
Methodius of Olympus Patristic
c. A.D. 260–311
“But let us, beloved, return in our discourse to that point whence we digressed, exclaiming, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: that good and kind Shepherd, voluntarily to lay down His life for His sheep. That just as hunters take by a sheep the wolves that devour sheep, even so the Chief Shepherd,”
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“While thinking of himself as a martyr to be, Cyprian did not allow himself to forget that he was still a bishop and was more anxious about the account he was to give to the chief shepherd concerning the sheep committed to him than he was about the answer he would give to the unbelieving proconsul, concerning his own faith.”
Source
592 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Medieval c. 750 – 1100
1022
A.D.
Symeon the New Theologian Medieval
c. A.D. 949–1022
“Can death have any power over the souls which have been sealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ? Dare the spiritual wolf look straight at the seal of Christ the good shepherd, which he places on his own sheep? By no means, faithful brothers of godly mind!”
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1126
A.D.
Theophylact of Ohrid Orthodox
c. 1055–1107
“In the words "and when the Chief Shepherd appears," the conjunction "and" is put in place of "so that," that is, so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, you may receive the crown of incorruption.”
Undated date unknown
Oecumenius Patristic
c. A.D. 550
“Furthermore, when it is said, "And when the chief Shepherd appears," it is a conjunction. And it is informally placed for "So that": that is, "So that when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." Just as in Psalm 89, when it is said, "And look upon your servants and upon your works." For there "And" is placed in the place of "Because of which."”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.