The Apocalypse of Peter

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Prologue

Est. Date. 100 - 150 AD

Orig. Language. Greek & Ethiopian

Translated. Roberts-Donaldson Translation

The period of origin and circulation is not known and the translations make it evident that the Greek and

Ethiopian texts frequently diverge. There is evidence that it dates back at least to the 1-2nd century a.d.

as linguistists have observed the Ethiopian text can be traced to lacunae and that Clement of Alexandria

regarded it as a Holy text.

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1 . . . . many of them will be false prophets, and will teach divers ways and doctrines of perdition: but

these will become sons of perdition. 3. And then God will come unto my faithful ones who hunger and

thirst and are afflicted and purify their souls in this life; and he will judge the sons of lawlessness.

4. And furthermore the Lord said: Let us go into the mountain: Let us pray.. And going with him, we, the

twelve disciples, begged that he would show us one of our brethren, the righteous who are gone forth

out of the world, in order that we might see of what manner of form they are, and having taken

courage, might also encourage the men who hear us.

6. And as we prayed, suddenly there appeared two men standing before the Lord towards the East, on

whom we were not able to look; 7, for there came forth from their countenance a ray as of the sun, and

their raiment was shining, such as eye of man never saw; for no mouth is able to express or heart to

conceive the glory with which they were endued, and the beauty of their appearance. 8. And as we

looked upon them, we were astounded; for their bodies were whiter than any snow and ruddier than

any rose; 9, and the red thereof was mingled with the white, and I am utterly unable to express their

beauty; 10, for their hair was curly and bright and seemly both on their face and shoulders, as it were a

wreath woven of spikenard and divers-coloured flowers, or like a rainbow in the sky, such was their

seemliness.

11. Seeing therefore their beauty we became astounded at them, since they appeared suddenly. 12. And

I approached the Lord and said: Who are these? 13. He saith to me: These are your brethren the

righteous, whose forms ye desired to see. 14. And I said to him: And where are all the righteous ones

and what is the aeon in which they are and have this glory?

15. And the Lord showed me a very great country outside of this world, exceeding bright with light, and

the air there lighted with the rays of the sun, and the earth itself blooming with unfading flowers and

full of spices and plants, fair-flowering and incorruptible and bearing blessed fruit. 16. And so great was

the perfume that it was borne thence even unto us. 17. And the dwellers in that place were clad in the

raiment of shining angels and their raiment was like unto their country; and angels hovered about them

there. 18. And the glory of the dwellers there was equal, and with one voice they sang praises

alternately to the Lord God, rejoicing in that place. 19. The Lord saith to us: This is the place of your

high-priests, the righteous men.

20. And over against that place I saw another, squalid, and it was the place of punishment; and those

who were punished there and the punishing angels had their raiment dark like the air of the place.

21. And there were certain there hanging by the tongue: and these were the blasphemers of the way of

righteousness; and under them lay fire, burning and punishing them. 22. And there was a great lake, full

of flaming mire, in which were certain men that pervert righteousness, and tormenting angels afflicted

them.

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23. And there were also others, women, hanged by their hair over that mire that bubbled up: and these

were they who adorned themselves for adultery; and the men who mingled with them in the defilement

of adultery, were hanging by the feet and their heads in that mire. And I said: I did not believe that I

should come into this place.

24. And I saw the murderers and those who conspired with them, cast into a certain strait place, full of

evil snakes, and smitten by those beasts, and thus turning to and fro in that punishment; and worms, as

it were clouds of darkness, afflicted them. And the souls of the murdered stood and looked upon the

punishment of those murderers and said: O God, thy judgment is just.

25. And near that place I saw another strait place into which the gore and the filth of those who were

being punished ran down and became there as it were a lake: and there sat women having the gore up

to their necks, and over against them sat many children who were born to them out of due time, crying;

and there came forth from them sparks of fire and smote the women in the eyes: and these were the

accursed who conceived and caused abortion.

26. And other men and women were burning up to the middle and were cast into a dark place and were

beaten by evil spirits, and their inwards were eaten by restless worms: and these were they who

persecuted the righteous and delivered them up.

27. And near those there were again women and men gnawing their own lips, and being punished and

receiving a red-hot iron in their eyes: and these were they who blasphemed and slandered the way of

righteousness.

28. And over against these again other men and women gnawing their tongues and having flaming fire

in their mouths: and these were the false witnesses.

29. And in a certain other place there were pebbles sharper than swords or any spit, red-hot, and

women and men in tattered and filthy raiment rolled about on them in punishment: and these were the

rich who trusted in their riches and had no pity for orphans and widows, and despised the

commandment of God.

30. And in another great lake, full of pitch and blood and mire bubbling up, there stood men and women

up to their knees: and these were the usurers and those who take interest on interest.

31. And other men and women were being hurled down from a great cliff and reached the bottom, and

again were driven by those who were set over them to climb up upon the cliff, and thence were hurled

down again, and had no rest from this punishment: and these were they who defiled their bodies acting

as women; and the women who were with them were those who lay with one another as a man with a

woman.

32. And alongside of that cliff there was a place full of much fire, and there stood men who with their

own hands had made for themselves carven images instead of God. And alongside of these were other

men and women, having rods and striking each other and never ceasing from such punishment.

33. And others again near them, women and men, burning and turning themselves and roasting: and

these were they that leaving the way of God

FRAGMENTS OF THE APOCALYPSE OF PETER.

1. CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS, Eclog. 48. For instance, Peter in the Apocalypse says that the children who

are born out of due time shall be of the better part: and that these are delivered over to a care-taking

angel that they may attain a share of knowledge and gain the better abode [after suffering what they

would have suffered if they had been in the body: but the others shall merely obtain salvation as injured

beings to whom mercy is shown, and remain without punishment, receiving this as a reward].*

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2. CLEM. ALEX. Eclog. 49. But the milk of the women running down from their breasts and congealing

shall engender small flesh eating beasts: and these run up upon them and devour them.

3. MACARIUS MAGNES, Apocritica iv., 6 cf. 16. The earth, it (sc. the Apoc. of Peter) says, "shall present

all men before God at the day of judgment, being itself also to be judged, with the heaven also which

encompasses it."

4. CLEM. ALEX. Eclog. 41. The scripture says that infants that have been exposed are delivered to a care-

taking angel, by whom they are educated and so grow up, and they will be, it says, as the faithful of a

hundred years old are here.

5. METHODIUS, Conviv. ii., 6. Whence also we have received in divinely-inspired scriptures that untimely

births are delivered to care-taking angels, even if they are the offspring of adultery.

REFERENCES

Wilhelm Schneemelcher, ed., translation by R. McL. Wilson, New Testament Apocrypha : Writings

Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1992), pp. 620-

638.