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The Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter is a text found amongst the
Nag Hammadi library The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. Thirteen leather-bound papyr ...
, and part of the
New Testament apocrypha The New Testament apocrypha (singular apocryphon) are a number of writings by early Christians that give accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. Some of these writings were cite ...
. Like the vast majority of texts in the Nag Hammadi collection, it is heavily
Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
. It was probably written around 100-200 AD. Since the only known copy is written in
Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet, t ...
, it is also known as the ''Coptic Apocalypse of Peter''. The text begins with Jesus instructing Peter on the importance of true knowledge and the danger of ignorance, values strongly associated with Gnosticism. However, the most defining feature of the text is its extreme interpretation of the crucifixion. Like some of the rarer Gnostic writings, the Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter doubts the established crucifixion story. Peter witnesses the crucifixion with Jesus seemingly simultaneously alongside him, on the cross, and above the cross, laughing. When Peter turns to the Jesus next to him to ask for an explanation, he is told: ''"He whom you see above the cross, glad and laughing, is the living Jesus. But he into whose hands and feet they are driving the nails is his physical part, which is the substitute."''The gospel is also notable for Jesus' statements that condemn church leaders, citing them as "dry canals" that lead Christians astray. The gospel ends with Peter "coming to his senses", suggesting the events depicted to have at least partially come from a dream.


Christology

It is unclear whether this text advocates an adoptionist or
docetist In the history of Christianity, docetism (from the grc-koi, δοκεῖν/δόκησις ''dokeĩn'' "to seem", ''dókēsis'' "apparition, phantom") is the heterodox doctrine that the phenomenon of Jesus, his historical and bodily existence, a ...
Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Diffe ...
, but based on its literary parallels with the '' Second Treatise of the Great Seth'', it may well subscribe to the latter.


References


Translation by James Brashler and kamijki


See also

* ''
Apocalypse of Peter The Apocalypse of Peter (or Revelation of Peter) is an early Christian text of the 2nd century and an example of apocalyptic literature with Hellenistic overtones. It is not included in the standard canon of the New Testament, but is mentioned i ...
'' * Basilideans * Crucifixion of Jesus * ''
Gospel of Barnabas The Gospel of Barnabas is a non-canonical, pseudepigraphical gospel reportedly written by the early Christian disciple Barnabas, who (in this work) is one of the apostles of Jesus. It is about the same length as the four canonical gospels comb ...
'' * ''
Gospel of Basilides The Gospel of Basilides is the title given to a reputed text within the New Testament apocrypha, which is reported in the middle of the 3rd century as then circulating amongst the followers of Basilides (), a leading theologian of Gnostic tenden ...
'' * ''
Gospel of Peter The Gospel of Peter ( grc, κατά Πέτρον ευαγγέλιον, kata Petron euangelion), or the Gospel according to Peter, is an ancient text concerning Jesus Christ, only partially known today. It is considered a non-canonical gospel and ...
'' * Islamic views on Jesus' death * Holger Kersten * '' Second Treatise of the Great Seth'' * Substitution hypothesis *
Swoon hypothesis The swoon hypothesis is any of a number of ideas that aim to explain the resurrection of Jesus, proposing that Jesus did not die on the cross, but merely fell unconscious ("swooned"), and was later revived in the tomb in the same mortal body. Th ...
*
Unknown years of Jesus The unknown years of Jesus (also called his silent years, lost years, or missing years) generally refers to the period of Jesus's life between his childhood and the beginning of his ministry, a period not described in the New Testament. The " ...
Christian apocalyptic writings Peter, Gnostic Peter Petrine-related books Coptic literature 2nd-century Christian texts Nag Hammadi library {{NewTestament-apocrypha-stub pl:Apokalipsa Piotra