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Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
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Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
The Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, also known as the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter and Revelation of Peter, is the third tractate in Codex VII of the Nag Hammadi library. The work is associated with Gnosticism, a sect of early Christianity, and is considered part of the New Testament apocrypha and a work of apocalyptic literature. It was likely originally written in the Koine Greek language and composed around 200 CE. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a poor-quality translation of the Greek into Coptic, and likely dates from the 4th century.
The work's author is unknown, although it is purportedly written by the disciple Peter (pseudepigrapha) describing revelations given to him during Holy Week. Jesus tells Peter "through you I have begun a work for the remnant whom I called to knowledge (gnosis)" and reveals secrets of the future. The work criticizes other Christian groups, comparing them to the blind and deaf. Jesus says that false Christians (presumably the proto-orthodox movement) will hold power for a time, and that they will be haughty, oppose the truth, set up bishops and deacons to rule, and mislead their followers. In contrast, certain blessed ones (presumably Gnostics) have immortal souls, and Jesus reassures Peter that they will eventually reign over the others. Peter has a vision of the coming crucifixion, and Jesus explains its true meaning in conversation. The text then propounds docetism: that the divine Christ, as a spiritual being, was invulnerable and never suffered the pains of the mortal world, and certainly did not die during the apparent crucifixion. Rather, only Jesus-the-man suffered in a variant of the substitution hypothesis.
In the opening of the text, Jesus is sitting in a temple and talking to Peter about the importance of righteousness and knowledge. Peter envisions that the priests and the people may try to kill them. Jesus tells Peter that the others are blind, and to put his hands over his own eyes and see the truth. When Peter does so, he sees a new light. Similarly, Peter listens to the priests and the people twice: first normally, and a second time with the "ears of [his] head", hearing praise of Jesus's glory. Jesus states that the people are both blind and deaf, and that many people will initially accept his teachings but will turn away due to the will of the "Father of their error". He also warns Peter to keep these revelations secret from the "children of this age".
Jesus continues, saying the upright and pure will be pushed towards death, while others will be lead astray by false teachings propounded by a deceiver with complicated doctrines. Some will proclaim evil teachings and say evil things against each other. These people will ask about dreams given by demons, and will be given destruction instead of immortality. Evil cannot produce good fruit; similarly, the souls of the current fallen age (aeon) are always a slave to their desires, and these souls are destined for eternal destruction. Immortal souls resemble mortal ones but do not reveal their true nature, and have lives of contemplation and faith. What does not really exist will dissolve into non-existence, and the deaf and blind will only join with their own kind.
The text describes the actions and attitudes of different groups of people who spread false information. Some individuals will be arrogant and haughty, yet envying pure souls. Others will be messengers of error, creating false laws and harsh fates. There will also be those who pretend to have authority from God and oppress others, but they will be punished. "Little ones" are discussed; the false teachers will rule over them for a time. However, these little ones will eventually rule over their oppressors, turning the tables of the situation. The Savior tells Peter not to be afraid, as the true God will bring judgment, and the futile efforts of the worldly opponents will be put to shame. Even as Peter stands in their midst, they will not understand, as the invisible one stands against them.
Peter has a vision of the crucifixion of Jesus. The vision reveals to Peter that the physical form of Jesus being crucified is not the true form of Jesus but only a substitute. The real Christ is the spiritual being who is filled with a Holy Spirit and is joyful, laughing at the lack of perception of those who thought they could kill him. This Jesus is seen as the intellectual Pleroma, which is united with the Holy Spirit and the perfect light. The teachings of this vision should be preserved and given to foreigners of a different age. Finally, Jesus again encourages Peter to be courageous and not to fear, since he will be with Peter and none of his enemies will be able to harm him. After this vision, Peter comes back to reality.
The author of the original Greek text is unknown, but he is speculated to have written at some point from the late second century to the third century (c. 150–300 CE), with the most likely option the early third century (c. 200–250 CE). Birger A. Pearson proposed that the author was probably Egyptian, although other scholars have suggested Palestinian or Syrian origins. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a poor-quality translation of the Greek into Coptic, and likely dates from the fourth century. The dialect of the written text is Sahidic Coptic, with some traits from Bohairic Coptic. While the manuscript is in excellent condition as far as reading the text, many puzzling and illogical passages suggest translation errors.
The Nag Hammadi library was discovered in 1945, but due to a variety of reasons, it was not until 1972 that a reproduction of Codex VII was published and available to the public. The manuscript is held in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo. The section of Codex VII with the Apocalypse of Peter is 14 pages long, from page 70 to page 84. As there is only a single manuscript extant, citations to passages are done via page number and line number.
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Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
The Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, also known as the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter and Revelation of Peter, is the third tractate in Codex VII of the Nag Hammadi library. The work is associated with Gnosticism, a sect of early Christianity, and is considered part of the New Testament apocrypha and a work of apocalyptic literature. It was likely originally written in the Koine Greek language and composed around 200 CE. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a poor-quality translation of the Greek into Coptic, and likely dates from the 4th century.
The work's author is unknown, although it is purportedly written by the disciple Peter (pseudepigrapha) describing revelations given to him during Holy Week. Jesus tells Peter "through you I have begun a work for the remnant whom I called to knowledge (gnosis)" and reveals secrets of the future. The work criticizes other Christian groups, comparing them to the blind and deaf. Jesus says that false Christians (presumably the proto-orthodox movement) will hold power for a time, and that they will be haughty, oppose the truth, set up bishops and deacons to rule, and mislead their followers. In contrast, certain blessed ones (presumably Gnostics) have immortal souls, and Jesus reassures Peter that they will eventually reign over the others. Peter has a vision of the coming crucifixion, and Jesus explains its true meaning in conversation. The text then propounds docetism: that the divine Christ, as a spiritual being, was invulnerable and never suffered the pains of the mortal world, and certainly did not die during the apparent crucifixion. Rather, only Jesus-the-man suffered in a variant of the substitution hypothesis.
In the opening of the text, Jesus is sitting in a temple and talking to Peter about the importance of righteousness and knowledge. Peter envisions that the priests and the people may try to kill them. Jesus tells Peter that the others are blind, and to put his hands over his own eyes and see the truth. When Peter does so, he sees a new light. Similarly, Peter listens to the priests and the people twice: first normally, and a second time with the "ears of [his] head", hearing praise of Jesus's glory. Jesus states that the people are both blind and deaf, and that many people will initially accept his teachings but will turn away due to the will of the "Father of their error". He also warns Peter to keep these revelations secret from the "children of this age".
Jesus continues, saying the upright and pure will be pushed towards death, while others will be lead astray by false teachings propounded by a deceiver with complicated doctrines. Some will proclaim evil teachings and say evil things against each other. These people will ask about dreams given by demons, and will be given destruction instead of immortality. Evil cannot produce good fruit; similarly, the souls of the current fallen age (aeon) are always a slave to their desires, and these souls are destined for eternal destruction. Immortal souls resemble mortal ones but do not reveal their true nature, and have lives of contemplation and faith. What does not really exist will dissolve into non-existence, and the deaf and blind will only join with their own kind.
The text describes the actions and attitudes of different groups of people who spread false information. Some individuals will be arrogant and haughty, yet envying pure souls. Others will be messengers of error, creating false laws and harsh fates. There will also be those who pretend to have authority from God and oppress others, but they will be punished. "Little ones" are discussed; the false teachers will rule over them for a time. However, these little ones will eventually rule over their oppressors, turning the tables of the situation. The Savior tells Peter not to be afraid, as the true God will bring judgment, and the futile efforts of the worldly opponents will be put to shame. Even as Peter stands in their midst, they will not understand, as the invisible one stands against them.
Peter has a vision of the crucifixion of Jesus. The vision reveals to Peter that the physical form of Jesus being crucified is not the true form of Jesus but only a substitute. The real Christ is the spiritual being who is filled with a Holy Spirit and is joyful, laughing at the lack of perception of those who thought they could kill him. This Jesus is seen as the intellectual Pleroma, which is united with the Holy Spirit and the perfect light. The teachings of this vision should be preserved and given to foreigners of a different age. Finally, Jesus again encourages Peter to be courageous and not to fear, since he will be with Peter and none of his enemies will be able to harm him. After this vision, Peter comes back to reality.
The author of the original Greek text is unknown, but he is speculated to have written at some point from the late second century to the third century (c. 150–300 CE), with the most likely option the early third century (c. 200–250 CE). Birger A. Pearson proposed that the author was probably Egyptian, although other scholars have suggested Palestinian or Syrian origins. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a poor-quality translation of the Greek into Coptic, and likely dates from the fourth century. The dialect of the written text is Sahidic Coptic, with some traits from Bohairic Coptic. While the manuscript is in excellent condition as far as reading the text, many puzzling and illogical passages suggest translation errors.
The Nag Hammadi library was discovered in 1945, but due to a variety of reasons, it was not until 1972 that a reproduction of Codex VII was published and available to the public. The manuscript is held in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo. The section of Codex VII with the Apocalypse of Peter is 14 pages long, from page 70 to page 84. As there is only a single manuscript extant, citations to passages are done via page number and line number.
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