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Letter of Peter to Philip

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The Letter of Peter to Philip is a Gnostic writing.[1][2] It was initially discovered as the second tractate in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library.[1] The tractate is a Coptic translation of a Greek original,[1] likely written in c. 200 AD.[2] An additional copy of the text, also written in Coptic, was later found in Codex Tchacos.[3]

The work begins as a putative epistle from Peter to Philip the Apostle. However, this is more of a framing device, and the narrative quickly changes to a dialogue between Jesus and the disciples.[4][2] The central message of the writing is to emphasize the soteriological value of preaching the message of Jesus.[1] In practice it is more of an apocalypse, revealing secrets from Christ in the form of a dialogue recorded in a letter.[5]

Summary

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Peter writes to Philip regarding orders from the savior to teach and preach about salvation. Peter is concerned that Philip is separated from the other messengers, but the letter persuades Philip to join them. The messengers gather on the mountain called Olivet, pray to God, and ask for strength as they fear being killed. A great light appears, and a voice reveals itself to be Jesus.

The messengers ask Jesus about the deficiency of the realms and their fullness, their detention in the dwelling place, and how they can leave and possess the authority of boldness. Jesus responds and explains that the deficiency of the aeons occurred when the disobedience and foolishness of the mother led to the establishment of eternal realms. The arrogant one followed her, took a portion, and sowed it, placing powers and authorities over it and confining it within the mortal realms. The arrogant one grew proud because of the praise of the powers and created mortal bodies from a misrepresentation of the appearance.

Jesus says that he was sent to Earth in the body for the sake of those who have fallen away, and that he spoke to one of his followers who recognized him and was given authority to enter the inheritance of his fatherhood. Jesus explains that those who are detained are his, and that they will become luminaries once they strip themselves of what is corruptible. He also explains that the powers fight against the inner person and that they must be fought against by teaching salvation in the world, arming oneself with his father's power, and expressing prayer. Lightning and thunder appear, and Jesus is taken up to heaven.

The messengers thank the Lord and return to Jerusalem. As they walk, they talk about the light that had appeared and their suffering. Peter reminds them that Jesus suffered for them, and they must also suffer. The messengers go to the temple, teach salvation in Jesus' name, and heal people. Peter speaks to his students and tells them that Jesus is the author of their life, and they should not listen to the lawless ones. He asks Jesus to give them a spirit of understanding and power to perform great deeds. The messengers are filled with the Holy Spirit, perform healings, and go to preach in the name of the Lord Jesus. Finally, Jesus appears and tells them that they will have joy, grace, and power, and he is with them forever.[6]

Analysis

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Although Peter's status in the writing may lead scholars to consider it a Petrine document,[7] Michael Kaler argues that it is instead Pauline, since it draws on the account of Paul's revelation in Acts 9.[3]

The work considers Peter the primary authority on doctrine, a stance common in proto-orthodox Christianity that apparently influenced some groups of Gnostics but not others.[8] For the author, Peter legitimized and promoted Gnostic views.[5] The letter does stand in contrast to some other Gnostic works which portray Peter less positively, such as the Gospel of Judas.[9][10]

The work's stance on suffering, where Peter writes that a revelatory voice told him it was necessary for him to suffer, might suggest a non-docetic theology. It is difficult to know for sure, but some other works in the Nag Hammadi library, such as the Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, are both docetic and portray Peter as invincible, while the Letter of Peter to Philip accepts Christian traditions of Peter suffering.[10] However, it also writes that Jesus is a "stranger" to suffering, but that he suffered anyway to be "like" us - perhaps a compromise position that could allow both a docetic and non-docetic reading, depending on whether the suffering was interpreted as genuine or only a likeness.[11]

While the early Church was interested in Petrine writings, the framing device of the work being a letter was rare, as Peter was generally reputed more as a preacher and church leader than a letter writer in early Christianity. Most of the work is a dialogue, which was a more common way of relaying stories about Peter.[12]

Pamela Reaves argues that there are subtle references to inter-Christian discord addressed by the letter, similar to the overt denunciation of other Christians in the Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter. The letter indicates that the disciples had heard Jesus's message when he was alive, and that this message was valid, but some had misinterpreted it, hence needing to hear it again after the Resurrection, with the additional tweaks to make clear various points of doctrine were supported by both Christ and Peter. In other words, the letter's version of Christianity was the correct one, and always had been. The text mentions those who do not recognize Jesus's true nature: probably a reference to lower cosmic forces aligned with "the arrogant one", but perhaps also simultaneously a denunciation of Christians with the "wrong" theology who misunderstand Jesus. While the work seeks to mediate differences and emphasizes the unity of the apostolic collective, it could also be seen as attempting to "correct" invalid theology.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Moon, Beverly. "Letter of Peter to Philip". The Coptic encyclopedia, volume 5. Claremont Graduate University. School of Religion. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Wisse, Frederik (March 1981). The Nag Hammadi library in English. San Francisco: Harper & Row. p. 394. ISBN 9780060669294. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kaler, Michael (2009). "The Letter of Peter to Philip and Its Message of Gnostic Revelation and Christian Unity". Vigiliae Christianae. 63 (3): 264–95. doi:10.1163/157007208X377247. JSTOR 20700315.
  4. ^ Luttikhuizen, Gerard. "The Letter of Peter to Philip and the NT (1978)". Academia.edu. Brill. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Foster, Paul (2015). "Peter in Noncanonical Traditions". In Bond, Helen; Hurtado, Larry (eds.). Peter in Early Christianity. pp. 258–260. ISBN 978-0-8028-7171-8.
  6. ^ Meyer, Marvin. "The Letter of Peter to Philip". The Gnostic Society Library. The Nag Hammadi Library. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ Os, Bas van. "The Role of the Apostles in the Letter of Peter to Philip." Annali di storia dell’esegesi 29.2 (2012): 155-60. ATLA Religion. Web. 15 Oct 2015.
  8. ^ Frey, Jörg (2024). "Petrine Traditions and Petrine Authorship Constructions in Early Christianity". In Maier, Daniel C.; Frey, Jörg; Kraus, Thomas J. (eds.). The Apocalypse of Peter in Context (PDF). Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha 21. Peeters. doi:10.2143/9789042952096. ISBN 978-90-429-5208-9.
  9. ^ Perkins, Pheme (1980). "The Gnostic Apostle: The Petrine Tradition". The Gnostic Dialogue: The Early Church and the Crisis of Gnosticism. Paulist Press. pp. 113–122. ISBN 0-8091-2320-7.
  10. ^ a b Nicklas, Tobias (2015). "'Gnostic' Perspectives on Peter". In Bond, Helen; Hurtado, Larry (eds.). Peter in Early Christianity. pp. 208–211, 220–221. ISBN 978-0-8028-7171-8.
  11. ^ a b Reaves, Pamela (2017). "Pseudo-Peter and Persecution: (Counter-) Evaluations of Suffering in the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter (NHC VII,3) and the Letter of Peter to Philip (NHC VIII,2)". In Burke, Tony (ed.). Fakes, Forgeries, and Fictions: Writing Ancient and Modern Christian Apocrypha. Cascade Books. pp. 143–151. ISBN 978-1-5326-0373-0.
  12. ^ Novensen, Matthew V. (2015). "Why Are There Some Petrine Epistles Rather Than None?". In Bond, Helen; Hurtado, Larry (eds.). Peter in Early Christianity. William B. Eerdmans. pp. 146–157. ISBN 978-0-8028-7171-8.
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