Biblica
Peter

Peter is easily the most enigmatic figure in the NT, not excluding Jesus himself. Peter is commonly presented as the foremost disciple of Jesus, but no NT or other text directly represents him. In the early layers of Mark, he is the chief spokesman for what we call Alpha Christianity (the teachings of the Historical Jesus), and continues to hold that position as late as the 4th century Clementine Homilies. On the other hand, as early as the middle layers of Mark, which is to say, sometime in the late 30's, he also figures as the first proponent of Beta or Resurrection theology. As with Paul, the material on Peter in Acts must be used with extreme caution, and other texts purporting to represent him (including the two supposed Epistles of Peter) are, if anything, even more hazardous. Lapham, who has carefully surveyed the Petrine literature (save for Acts, the various Gospel portraits, and the Pauline Epistles), finds that certain elements recur, such as the association of Peter with Antioch, a church which Peter might in fact have founded (Antioch itself seems to preserve such a tradition). We add, for what it may prove to be worth, that it is chiefly in the Petrine literature that we find the theme of the Harrowing of Hell. In the pages listed below, we briefly note Peter's image in the texts above mentioned, and suggest a tentative conclusion.

• The Gospels
  • Peter in Mark
  • Peter in Matthew
  • Peter in Luke
  • Peter in Acts
• The Epistles
• Peter in the Pauline Epistles
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• Apocrypha
• The Gospel of Peter
• The Acts of Peter
• The Apocalypse of Peter
• The Epistle of Peter to Philip
• The Clementine Recognitions
• Conclusion
  • The Historical Peter

Peter in the Christian literary tradition is a figure coveted as a spokesman by all parties, from the Alpha to the Pauline, and by all churches from Antioch to Rome; he seems to have been annexed at one time or another by all of them. There was never any surviving School of Peter, as there was a School of Paul, to preserve at least a core of genuine tradition about Peter. Perhaps there never was a tradition of Peter, only the tradition of Jesus as widely preached by Peter. The late layers of Mark probably reflect the first annexation of Peter by other viewpoints, leaving the Historical Peter to be the one portrayed in the first four layers of Mark. For related problems, see also the Twelve page.

25 Sept 2005 / Contact The Project / Exit to Biblica Page