Resumen
Resumen de The Gospel of Peter
Para quién es
Readers who love early Christian history, the lost voices around the four gospels, and the story of how ancient manuscripts are found, read and argued over by scholars and believers alike.
De qué trata este libro
The Gospel of Peter is an ancient account of the trial, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It was written in Greek by an unnamed author who speaks in the voice of the apostle Simon Peter. Scholars place it in the second century, and only a fragment survives. It came out of the Egyptian sand in the winter of 1886 to 1887.
The fragment tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar angle. Herod, not Pilate, gives the orders. Roman soldiers and Jewish elders keep watch at the tomb. The morning of the resurrection arrives with light, noise and a sight found in no other early account. In the next few minutes you will hear where the fragment was found, why a bishop doubted it, what it says, and how readers approach it today. First, the discovery.
En este resumen
- 1A fragment found in a monk's graveFree
- 2Doubted by a bishop, debated by scholars
- 3Herod's orders, the cross and the burial
- 4Guards, seals and a night watch
Idea clave 1 de 4
A fragment found in a monk's grave
The story of the text begins in Upper Egypt. In the winter of 1886 to 1887, a French mission led by Urbain Bouriant was digging a cemetery at Akhmim, which the Greeks called Panopolis. In one grave lay a Christian monk, buried perhaps in the eighth or ninth century. Beside him was a small codex, a book of leaves, holding several Greek texts.
One of those texts was a passion narrative that begins in the middle of a trial scene and stops in the middle of a sentence. We do not know how much came before it or after it. Bouriant saw its importance at once and published a first notice. The full transcription appeared in 1892 and set off a flood of articles in French, German and English.
Later finds showed that the work travelled. A small Greek papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, another Egyptian site, known as P.Oxy. 2949, seems to overlap with the Akhmim text. Some scholars suggest a second Oxyrhynchus scrap, P.Oxy. 4009, belongs to the same work, but that idea is still disputed. Together these pieces suggest the text was copied and read in more than one place in early Egyptian Christianity.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
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Who’s who
- Jesus
- Jesus is the central figure, subjected to trial and abuse under the authority of Herod and Pilate.
- Peter
- Peter is Jesus’ disciple and the named narrator, although scholars generally reject his authorship of the surviving account.
- Herod and Pilate
- Herod and Pilate are rulers involved in Jesus’ trial, with Herod assigned greater responsibility in this account.
- Joseph
- Joseph is a friend of both Pilate and Jesus who approaches Pilate to request Jesus’ body.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about The Gospel of Peter
What is the Gospel of Peter about?
It tells of the trial, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus, with the narrator speaking as Peter. It stresses Herod's command, the guard at the sealed tomb, and a dramatic resurrection scene seen by soldiers and elders.
Who wrote the Gospel of Peter and when?
The author is unknown. The text claims Peter as its voice, but scholars agree the apostle did not write it. Most date it to the second century, though some argue it contains older material.
Where was the Gospel of Peter found?
A French team led by Urbain Bouriant found it at Akhmim in Upper Egypt in the winter of 1886 to 1887. It lay in a small codex beside a monk's body, and the full text was published in 1892.
Why is the Gospel of Peter not in the Bible?
Bishop Serapion of Antioch, around 200, judged it to have docetic leanings and withdrew his permission to read it. It never joined the four gospels in the New Testament, and the text fell out of use.
Is the Gospel of Peter complete?
It is a fragment. The Akhmim text begins in the middle of a trial scene and breaks off in the middle of a sentence as Peter and others go fishing. A small papyrus from Oxyrhynchus overlaps with it.