The Gospel of Peter was known and used as Scripture in some parts of the Christian church in the second century.1 Its use was eventually disallowed
by church leaders, however, who considered some of its teachings heretical and who claimed, as a consequence, that it could not have been written by its imputed author, Simon Peter. Having fallen out of circulation, it was practically forgotten in all but name until a fragment of its text was discov ered near the end of the nineteenth century in the tomb of a Christian monk in Egypt.
The fragment narrates the events of Jesus’ passion and resurrection; it begins in mid-sentence with the story of Pilate’s washing of his hands at Jesus’ trial. The narrative that follows bears a close relationship with the accounts found in the New Testament Gospels, especially Matthew, includ ing descriptions of Jesus’ crucifixion, his burial, the posting of a guard, and the events surrounding the resurrection. Some of the details here, however, are strikingly different. During the crucifixion, for example, Jesus is said to have been “silent as if he had no pain” (v. 10). In addition, some of the stories found here occur nowhere else among our early Christian Gospels. Most significantly, the Gospel narrates an account of Jesus’ emergence from his tomb. He is supported by two gigantic angels whose heads reach up to heaven; his own head reaches above the heavens. Behind them emerges the cross. A voice then speaks from heaven, “Have you preached to those who are sleeping?” The cross replies, “Yes” (vv. 39–42).
At the conclusion of the narrative the story breaks off in the middle of a sentence in which the author reveals his name: “But I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother, took our nets and went off to the sea . . .” (v. 60).
It appears that the complete Gospel of Peter contained a full narrative of Jesus’ ministry, not just of his passion, for several other Gospel fragments discovered in Egypt recount conversations between Jesus and Peter, recorded in the first person, plausibly from an earlier portion of the same Gospel.
1For a full discussion, see Ehrman, Lost Christianities, 13–28.
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Introduction, texte critique, traduction, commentaire et index (SC 201; Paris: Cerf,
1973).
Translation by Bart D. Ehrman, based on the text in M. G. Mara, Evangile de Pierre:
One of this Gospel’s principal concerns is to incriminate Jews for the death of Jesus. Here, for instance, after Jesus’ crucifixion, the Jewish people bewail their guilt and lament the certain fate of their beloved sacred city Jerusalem, which God will now destroy as retribution for their disobedience (v. 25). This anti-Judaic slant can perhaps be used to help date the Gospel in its final form, for such themes became common among Christian authors in the second century. The author was possibly writing at the beginning of the century, utilizing oral and written traditions that were themselves much older. It is not clear whether or not he had access to the accounts now found in the canonical Gospels.
1 . . . but none of the Jews washed his hands, nor did Herod or any of his judges. Since they did not wish to wash, Pilate stood up. 2 The kind Herod ordered the Lord to be taken away and said to them, “Do everything that I ordered you to do to him.”
3 Standing there was Joseph, a friend of both Pilate and the Lord; when he knew that they were about to crucify him, he came to Pilate and asked for the Lord’s body for burial. 4 Pilate sent word to Herod, asking for the body. 5 Herod said, “Brother Pilate, even if no one had asked for him we would have buried him, since the Sabbath is dawning. For it is written in the Law that the sun must not set on one who has been killed.”2 And he deliv
ered him over to the people the day be fore their Feast of Unleavened Bread.
6 Those who took the Lord began pushing him about, running up to him and saying, “Let us drag around the Son of God, since we have authority over him.” 7 They clothed him in purple and sat him on a judge’s seat, saying, “Give a righteous judgment, O King of Israel!” 8 One of them brought a crown made of thorns and placed it on the Lord’s head. 9 Others standing there were spitting in his face; some slapped his cheeks; others were beating him with a reed; and some
began to flog him, saying, “This is how we should honor the Son of God!”
10 They brought forward two evildoers and crucified the Lord between them. But he was silent, as if he had no pain. 11 When they had set the cross upright, they wrote an inscription: “This is the King of Israel.” 12 Putting his clothes in front of him they divided them up and cast a lot for them. 13 But one of the evildoers reviled them, “We have suf fered like this for the evil things we did; but this one, the Savior of the people— what wrong has he done you?” 14 They became angry at him and ordered that his legs not be broken, so that he would die in torment.
15 It was noon and darkness came over all of Judea. They were disturbed and upset that the sun may have already set while he was still alive; for their Scripture says that the sun must not set on one who has been killed.3 16 One of
them said, “Give him gall mixed with vinegar to drink.” And they made the mixture and gave it to him to drink. 17 Thus they brought all things to ful fillment and completed all their sins on their heads.
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THE GOSPEL OF PETER
18 But many were wandering around with torches, thinking that it was night; and they stumbled about. 19 And the Lord cried out, “My power, O power, you have left me behind!” When he said this, hea was taken up.
20 At that time, the curtain of the Tem ple in Jerusalem was ripped in half. 21 Then they pulled the nails from the Lord’s hands and placed him on the ground. All the ground shook and every one was terrified. 22 Then the sun shone and it was found to be three in the afternoon.
23 But the Jews were glad and gave his body to Joseph that he might bury him, since he had seen all the good things he did. 24 He took the Lord, washed him, wrapped him in a linen cloth, and brought him into his own tomb, called the Garden of Joseph. 25 Then the Jews, the elders, and the priests realized how much evil they had done to themselves and began beating their breasts, saying “Woe to us because of our sins. The judgment and the end of Jerusalem are near.”
26 But I and my companions were grieving and went into hiding, wounded in heart. For we were being sought out by them as if we were evildoers who wanted to burn the Temple. 27 Because of these things we fasted and sat mourn ing and weeping, night and day, until the Sabbath.
28 The scribes, Pharisees, and elders gathered together and heard all the people murmuring and beating their breasts, say ing, “If such great signs happened when he died, you can see how righteous he was!” 29 The elders became fearful and went to Pilate and asked him, 30 “Give us some soldiers to guard his crypt for three days to keep his disciples from coming to steal him. Otherwise the peo ple may assume he has been raised from the dead and then harm us.”
31 So Pilate gave them the centurion Petronius and soldiers to guard the tomb. The elders and scribes came with them to the crypt. 32 Everyone who was there, along with the centurion and the soldiers, rolled a great stone and placed it there before the entrance of the crypt. 33 They smeared it with seven seals, pitched a tent there, and stood guard.
34 Early in the morning, as the Sab bath dawned, a crowd came from Jeru salem and the surrounding area to see the sealed crypt. 35 But during the night on which the Lord’s day dawned, while the soldiers stood guard two by two on their watch, a great voice came from the sky. 36 They saw the skies open and two men descend from there; they were very bright and drew near to the tomb. 37 The stone cast before the entrance rolled away by itself and moved to one side; the tomb was open and both young men entered.
38 When the solders saw these things, they woke up the centurion and the el- ders—for they were also there on guard. 39 As they were explaining what they had seen, they saw three men emerge from the tomb, two of them supporting the other, with a cross following behind them. 40 The heads of the two reached up to the sky, but the head of the one they were leading went up above the skies. 41 And they heard a voice from the skies, “Have you preached to those who are asleep?” 42 And a reply came from the cross, “Yes.”
43 They then decided among them selves to go off to disclose what had happened to Pilate. 44 While they were still making their plans, the skies were again seen to open, and a person de scended and entered the crypt. 45 Those
who were with the centurion saw these things and hurried to Pilate at night, abandoning the tomb they had been guarding, and explained everything they had seen. Greatly agitated, they said, “He actually was the Son of God.” 46 Pilate replied, “I am clean of the blood of the Son of God; you decided to do this.”
47 Then everyone approached him to ask and urge him to order the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing about what they had seen. 48 “For it is better,” they said, “for us to incur a great sin before God than to fall into the hands of the Jewish people and be stoned.” 49 And so Pilate ordered the centurion and the soldiers not to say a word.
50 Now Mary Magdalene, a disciple of the Lord, had been afraid of the Jews, since they were inflamed with anger; and so she had not done at the Lord’s crypt the things that women customarily do for loved ones who die. But early in the morning of the Lord’s day 51 she took some of her women friends with her and came to the crypt where he had been buried. 52 And they were afraid that the Jews might see them, and they said, “Even though we were not able to weep and beat our breasts on the day he was crucified, we should do these things now at his crypt. 53 But who will roll away for us the stone placed before the en-
trance of the crypt, that we can go in, sit beside him, and do what we should? 54 For it was a large stone, and we are afraid someone may see us. If we cannot move it, we should at least cast down the things we have brought at the entrance as a memorial to him; and we will weep and beat our breasts until we return home.”
55 When they arrived they found the tomb opened. And when they came up to it they stooped down to look in, and they saw a beautiful young man dressed in a very bright garment, sitting in the middle of the tomb. He said to them, 56 “Why have you come? Whom are you seeking? Not the one who was crucified? He has risen and left. But if you do not believe it, stoop down to look, and see the place where he was laid, that he is not there. For he has risen and left for the place from which he was sent.” 57 Then the women fled out of fear.
58 But it was the final day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and many left to return to their homes, now that the feast had ended. 59 But we, the twelve disci ples of the Lord, wept and grieved; and each one returned to his home, grieving for what had happened. 60 But I, Simon Peter, and my brother Andrew, took our nets and went off to the sea. And with us was Levi, the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord. . . .