The Act of Peter
Home > Apocrypha > The Act of Peter The Act of Peter At a Glance Treatise Genre: (5/5) ***** Reliability of Dating: (5/5) ***** Length of Text: Greek Original Language: Ancient Translations: Modern Translations: Estimated Range of Dating: 150-350 A.D. Chronological List of Early Christian Writings Discuss this text on the Early Writings forum. Text The Act of Peter Offsite Links French Translation Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia: Act of Peter The Roasted Cock Crows: Apocryphal Writings (Acts of Peter, the Ethiopic Book of the Cock, Coptic Fragments, the Gospel of Nicodemus) and Folklore Texts I Never Knew the Man: The Coptic Act of Peter A Dictionary of Gnosticism Books Bentley Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation With Annotations and Introductions (Doubleday 1987) Marvin Meyer, ed., The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (HarperOne 2009) Birger A. Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions And Literature (Fortress Press 2007) Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings Information on the Act of Peter Marvin Meyer writes, "The Act of Peter is the fourth and concluding tractate in Berlin Gnostic Codex 8502, following the Gospel of Mary, the Secret Book of John, and the Wisdom of Jesus Christ. The text occupies pages 128-41 of the codex, although pages 133-34 are missing. There is a brief colophon on page 142, at the end of the codex. The title of the Act of Peter has been discussed rather extensively on account of the peculiarity of its use of the singular 'The Act' (tepraxis) and the possibility of its relationship to the other (Vercelli) Acts of Peter (Actus Vercellenses). Such a use of the singular is also demonstrated in an instance of 'The Act of Andrew,' as Gilles Quispel has noted, and hence it may be concluded that the story told in the Act of Peter represents one 'act' in what is potentially a series of apostolic acts. Further, it is now assumed by a number of scholars, such as Wilhelm Schneemelcher, that the Act of Peter may very well be a portion of the lost opening section of the Acts of Peter; Schneemelcher also guesses that the Petrine story in the apocryphal Epistle of Titus may provide another episode from the opening of the Acts of Peter. If the Act of Peter may belong to the opening of the Acts of Peter, then the events that are described in the present text were most likely thought to have taken place in Jerusalem. The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles from Codex VI of the Nag Hammadi library is probably unrelated to either the Act of Peter or the Acts of Peter." (The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, p. 749) While the text itself doesn't contain Gnosticism, Douglas M. Parrot gives an explanation for its inclusion in the Berlin Gnostic Codex 8502, "Perhaps the sufficient reason is the rich possibilities for allegorization this story would have presented to the Gnostics. Ptolemy could have represented the soul, whose attration to the things of the world (represented by the beauty of Peter's daughter) leads to ignorance (represented by grief and blindness), and would have led to death except for the coming of the light of true knowledge (in Act pet., the vision of light and the voice of Christ [136,17-137,17]), which removes blindness (138,7-10). The paralysis of the daughter could have represented the power of divine knowledge over the powers of this world; and, of course, the daughter could also have been seen as a type of the fallen Sophia. (For related gnostic views in BG, cf. Soph. Jes. Chr. [BG, 3] 103,10-106,9; 117,13-126,16). It may thus have been the deeper meanings seen in this text that attracted the gnostic compiler to it and led him to use it in the codex." (Nag Hammadi Codices V,2-5 and VI with Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, 1 and 4, p. 476) Marvin Meyer writes, "This story told in the Act of Peter is also alluded to, as we have noted, in Augustine, but there are further indications of this story or a similar story in the Acts of Philip 42 and the Acts of Nereus and Achilleus 15. The reference in the Acts of Philip is brief, but the Acts of Nereus and Achilleus tells a longer tale, complete with names of the characters in the story and variations o nthe means employed for promoting virginity. In the latter text it is said that Peter's virgin daughter is named Petronilla, and a certain Roman official named Flaccus falls in love with her and comes with a band of soldiers to take her away to be his wife. (Within the tradition of the story from the Acts of Nereus and Achilleus, the person who complains to Peter about his daughter is sometimes named Titus.) Petronilla responds by recommending that Flaccus not send soldiers but women and virgins. Flaccus complies, and Petronilla spends several days in prayer and fasting, celebrates the eucharist - and she dies." (The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, p. 750) Some Contemporary Texts Questions of Mary (150-350 A.D.) Allogenes, the Stranger (150-350 A.D.) Hypsiphrone (150-350 A.D.) Valentinian Exposition (150-350 A.D.) Act of Peter (150-350 A.D.) Concept of Our Great Power (150-360 A.D.) Acts of Pilate (150-400 A.D.) Anti-Marcionite Prologues (150-400 A.D.) Dialogue Between John and Jesus (150-400 A.D.) Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings Please buy the CD to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff! Early Christian Writings is copyright © Peter Kirby <E-Mail&gt. Follow @mrpeterkirby MLA Style Kirby, Peter. "The Act of Peter." Early Christian Writings. <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/actpeter.html>. Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Letters of Paul Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Letter to the Hebrews General Letters James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Gospels Gospel of Thomas Egerton Gospel Gospel of Peter Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel of Mary Epistula Apostolorum Infancy Gospel of James Infancy Gospel of Thomas Acts of Pilate Diatessaron Gospel Fragments Oxyrhynchus 1224 Fayyum Fragment Gospel of the Egyptians Gospel of the Hebrews Gospel of the Ebionites Gospel of the Nazoreans Traditions of Matthias Dura-Europos Gospel Harmony Apostolic Acts Preaching of Peter Acts of Peter Acts of John Acts of Paul Acts of Andrew Acts of Peter and the Twelve Book of Thomas the Contender Acts of Thomas Martyrologies Martyrdom of Polycarp Fifth and Sixth Books of Esra Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice Letter from Vienna and Lyons Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs Acts of Apollonius Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas Didache Apocalypse of Peter Didascalia Dialogues with Jesus Sophia of Jesus Christ Secret James Gospel of Mary Dialogue of the Savior Gospel of the Savior Books of Jeu Pistis Sophia Apocalypses 2nd Apocalypse of James Coptic Apocalypse of Paul 1st Apocalypse of James Coptic Apocalypse of Peter Acts Acts of Peter and the Twelve Book of Thomas the Contender Letter of Peter to Philip More Nag Hammadi Apocryphon of John Gospel of Truth Treatise on the Resurrection Gospel of Philip Trimorphic Protennoia Authoritative Teaching Discourse on the Eighth and the Ninth Melchizedek Quoted Authors Basilides Naassene Fragments Valentinus Marcion Epiphanes Ophite Diagrams Gospel of Judas More Quoted Authors Ptolemy Isidore Theodotus Heracleon Apelles Julius Cassianus Apostolic Fathers Didache Epistle of Barnabas First Clement Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp to the Philippians Second Clement Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus Martyrdom of Polycarp Apologists Aristides Justin Martyr Tatian Minucius Felix Athenagoras of Athens Theophilus of Antioch Quoted Authors Papias Quadratus Aristo of Pella Claudius Apollinaris Melito of Sardis Hegesippus Dionysius of Corinth Rhodon Theophilus of Caesarea More Quoted Authors Bardesanes Maximus of Jerusalem Polycrates of Ephesus Victor I Pantaenus Anonymous Anti-Montanist Serapion of Antioch Apollonius Caius Irenaeus of Lyons Hippolytus of Rome Clement of Alexandria Tertullian Origen Pagan and Jewish Mara bar Serapion Josephus Pliny the Younger Suetonius Tacitus Fronto Lucian of Samosata Marcus Aurelius Galen Celsus Talmud Philostratus Jewish/Christian The Twelve Patriarchs Non-Pagan Sibyllines Odes of Solomon Book of Elchasai Ascension of Isaiah Hypothesized Sources Passion Narrative Sayings Gospel Q Signs Gospel Anti-Marcionite Prologues Muratorian Canon Kerygmata Petrou Inscription of Abercias |