Gospel of Peter

Relation to the Bible

The Gospel of Peter is not among the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. None of the Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox traditions accepts it as part of the canon (the books the church recognizes as Scripture). It is therefore commonly classified as New Testament apocrypha or New Testament pseudepigrapha (writings that borrow an apostle's name but are not recognized as Scripture). Although it is written as a first-person account in which Peter says "I, Simon Peter," scholars generally do not regard it as the work of Peter himself.

Contents

The surviving fragment begins at the close of Jesus' trial. It then proceeds through the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, breaking off as the disciples set out to fish. Compared with the canonical Gospels, it has the following distinctive features:

• The one who orders the crucifixion is portrayed as Herod rather than Pontius Pilate.
• It states that Jesus on the cross "was silent, as though he felt no pain."
• Jesus' cry is given as "My power, my power, you have forsaken me," which differs from the cry recorded in Mark 15:33–37.
• The soldiers guarding the tomb directly witness the resurrection. Two men who have come down from heaven emerge supporting a third, and a cross follows behind them. When a voice from heaven asks, "Have you preached to those who sleep?" the cross answers, "Yes."
• It shows a marked tendency to minimize Pilate's responsibility and to magnify that of the Jewish leaders.

Background

In ancient church literature, only the title of this book was preserved. According to Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, around the end of the second century Serapion, bishop of Antioch, initially permitted the book to be read. After reading it himself, however, he is reported to have concluded that although most of it accorded with sound teaching, certain additions had been made, and he then prohibited its use. The text known today is a manuscript fragment discovered in the late nineteenth century in a tomb at Akhmim in Egypt. It is widely accepted that this fragment belongs to the same work as the Gospel of Peter mentioned in ancient sources.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• Relation to Docetism: Some interpreters see expressions such as "as though he felt no pain" as traces of Docetism, the view that Jesus only appeared to have a physical body. Others hold that the text alone is insufficient to classify it definitively as Docetic.
• Relation to the canonical Gospels: Most scholars believe the book was written with knowledge of the four Gospels and drew on their content. Some, however, argue that it preserves a passion tradition older than the canonical Gospels.
• "Preaching to those who sleep": This passage is sometimes read in connection with the idea, found in 1 Peter 4:6 and elsewhere, that "the gospel [was] preached also to them that are dead." Scenes such as a cross walking out of the tomb and speaking, however, do not appear in the canonical texts.

In Korean Churches

The book is not used in worship or preaching in Korean churches. It is introduced mainly in seminaries as comparative material in the study of early Christian literature and the formation of the canon.