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Apocalypse of Peter

A vision of judgment in Peter’s name, where punishments mirror sins and the righteous receive their reward.5 sources5 sources1. Matthew 24:32. Pardee 20243. (Ethiopic) 19244. fragment) 18975. fragment) 1924

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Read M. R. James’s translation ↗ · Greek fragments and the fuller Ethiopic version, with James’s introduction.

At a glance

Written
Early second century (Cambry Pardee).2 6
Language
Composed in Greek; a fuller version survives in Ethiopic.2 6 7
Genre
Vision of judgment and the afterlife.1 2 3
Survives in
Greek fragments and two Ethiopic manuscripts.2 7

Summary

Blasphemers hanging by their tongues above fire make judgment visible in the Apocalypse of Peter. In the fuller Ethiopic version, the risen Jesus answers questions about his return, then describes punishments matched to sins and rewards for the righteous. The Greek Akhmim fragment puts heaven before hell; the Ethiopic text ends with Jesus, Moses and Elijah ascending into heaven. A much-discussed possibility of rescue from punishment depends on M. R. James’s reconstruction of a Greek fragment.11 sources11 sources1. Matthew 24:32. Pardee 20243. (Ethiopic) 19244. fragment) 18975. fragment) 19248. Matthew 17:1–59. 2 Peter 1:16–1810. (Ethiopic) 192411. Copeland 200312. Copeland 200313. James 1924

Contents

  1. Questions about Jesus’ return

    Ethiopic opening

    On the Mount of Olives, the disciples ask the risen Christ about the signs of his coming. His answer leads into judgment.1 2 3

  2. Punishments and rewards

    Judgment scenes

    Christ describes the fate of sinners and the reward of the righteous. Blasphemy and adultery receive punishments tied to the offenses.5 sources5 sources1. Matthew 24:32. Pardee 20243. (Ethiopic) 19244. fragment) 18975. fragment) 1924

  3. Moses and Elijah appear

    Ethiopic ending

    Peter sees Moses and Elijah with Jesus, hears Jesus identified as God’s beloved Son, and sees them taken into heaven.8 9 10

Stories

  • Punishment mirrors the sin

    Akhmim fragment

    Blasphemers hang by their tongues above fire; women who adorned themselves for adultery hang by their hair above boiling mire.4 5 2

  • Can the righteous ask for mercy?

    Rainer fragment, reconstructed by James

    In James’s reconstruction, Christ releases people from punishment at the elect’s request. Kirsti Copeland stresses that this reading depends on James’s reconstruction; it is not simply the surviving Greek wording.11 12 13

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Retellings

  • Matthew 17:1–5 · Ethiopic ending

    The Apocalypse of Peter retells the Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, adding their ascent into heaven with Jesus.8 9 10

How did a vision called Scripture become a rejected book?

The Muratorian fragment receives the Apocalypses of John and Peter, though some would not allow Peter’s to be read in church. Eusebius later lists the Apocalypse of Peter among rejected writings, alongside the Shepherd, Barnabas and the Teachings of the Apostles.18 19

Early support for its authority

Early church: Greek

Clement of Alexandria quotes the Apocalypse of Peter by name and calls it Scripture.20 21 22

Early church: Latin

The Muratorian fragment receives Peter’s apocalypse alongside John’s, even while recording internal disagreement.18

Disputed reading and acceptance

Early church: Latin

Some people in the Muratorian fragment’s own church would not allow it to be read publicly. Acceptance was already uneven.18

Early church: Greek

Eusebius denied it universal acceptance and claimed church writers had not used it. Eric Beck points out the problem with that reason: Clement of Alexandria had cited it.4 sources4 sources23. Caesarea 189021. Beck 201820. Alexandria 192422. Caesarea 1890

Misconceptions

  • Myth Every Apocalypse of Peter is the same book.

    Actually: The Greek and Ethiopic work discussed here is distinct from both the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter at Nag Hammadi and the Arabic Apocalypse of Peter.2

Further reading

Sources

24 sources from 21 works

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