Fragments of the Gospel of Peter
By Jonathan Mitchell
The following are excerpts from our "Observations on the Gospel of Mark." The first insertion of The Gospel of Peter into this work begins following the comments on Mk. 15:47, the setting of which follows the entombment of Jesus, after His crucifixion.
47. Now Mary the Magdalene and Mary the [mother] of Yosi (Joses) continued watching and were noting where He had been put.
Mark, chapter 15, ends with two women, functioning as two witnesses, marking the location of the tomb. For your consideration, we have inserted, here, an episode from the Gospel of Peter which describes what happened on the night of Jesus' third day in the tomb, and the visionary/apocalyptic experience of those who watched the tomb and observed a vision of Jesus' resurrection. The Greek text has been divided into chapters, but the verses are numbered in continuous ascending order, from the beginning of the fragment, until the end. If John Dominic Crossan is correct concerning the dating of this MS, this may come from a first century tradition. The last verse of the fragment ends with Peter speaking in the first person
(14:60, "But I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother...")
and this is the reason for the assigned title.
The Gospel of Peter - Chapter 9
34. Now early, as the sabbath was dawning, a crowd came from Jerusalem and the adjoining region in order to see that the memorial tomb had been, and was remaining, sealed.
35. But during the night in which that pertaining to the Lord dawned, while the soldiers were guarding two by two every watch, there came to be (was birthed) a great Voice (or: a loud noise) in the midst of the atmosphere (or: centered in the heaven),
36. and they saw the atmospheres (heavens; skies) open back up, and then two adult males (grown, human men) coming down from there - having much splendor and light of the day - and drawing near to the sepulcher.
37. Now that stone which had been put against (upon) the doorway (entrance; opening), having been rolled away on its own, allowed adequate space alongside a part [of the opening] and so the sepulcher was opened up, and both the young men entered (went into the midst).
Chapter 10
38. Consequently, upon seeing those men, the soldiers awoke the centurion, along with the elders, for you see, they, themselves, were present there also, continuing in keeping watch and guarding,
39. and, while they continued reporting and describing what they had seen, they again proceed seeing three adult males (grown, human men) coming out, away from the sepulcher, and the two propping and supporting the One upright, and a pole (stake; cross) progressively following along behind them.
40. Now the head of the two, was progressively moving on and reaching as far as the atmosphere (or: up to the sky and heaven), but that of the One being led out by the hand by them was surpassing the atmospheres (or: reaching beyond the skies and heavens).
41. Then they heard a Voice from the atmospheres (out of the skies; forth from the heavens) repeatedly saying: "Have you proclaimed the message (publicly announced the proclamation) to, for and among those presently (or: habitually) sleeping?"
42. And compliance was heard from the pole (stake; cross), "Yes!"
Chapter 11
43. Those men therefore took care and sought together with one another to go away and make these things apparent to Pilate.
44. And during their still reasoning, there appeared - again the atmospheres (skies; heavens) having opened back up again, also - a certain human who, after descending (coming down), then was entering into the midst of the memorial tomb.
45. Having seen these things, those around the centurion by night hastened to Pilate, having left the sepulcher which they were guarding, and reported all the things which indeed they had seen, being greatly distressed, and repeatedly (or: one-after-another) saying, "Truly, he was a son of God!"
46. Giving a decided reply, Pilate said (or: kept on saying), "I am clean of (or: from; with regard to) the blood of the Son of God, but it was to (or: for; with; by) you that this appeared (or: seemed to be).
47. Then all, coming forward, expressed necessity and encouraged him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of the things that they had seen.
48. For you see, it is preferable (or: it bears together), they affirmed, for (or: to; with) us to be the losing party of the lawsuit, which owes for the greatest sin (deviation; mistake; error) before (in the presence of) God, and yet not to fall into the hands of the people of the Judeans and be stoned.
49. Pilate, therefore, commanded (ordered) the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
Chapter 12
50. Now early in the morning, from that which pertained to the Lord, Mary the Magdalene, a female disciple (apprentice) of the Lord, while continuing in fear on account of the Judeans, since they were inflamed by anger and wrath....
51. having taken the female friends with her, she came upon (or: went to) the memorial tomb where He had been placed....
Here, in Peter's Gospel, what the men saw (vss. 38-44) calls to mind John's vision of the risen Lord in Rev. 1, and in all the other visions in that apocalyptic book. This vision can be seen as echoing Moses' "burning bush" experience. It also reminds us of Paul's apocalyptic language in 1 Cor. 10:4,
"They all drank the same spiritual drink, for they kept on drinking from out of a spiritual bedrock (or: cliff rock; rock mass) - one continually following along behind (or: progressively accompanying [them]). Now the bedrock (or: cliff rock) was the Christ (or: the rock mass was existing being the Anointing)."
We have inserted the next fragment of the Gospel of Peter, following vs. 8 of Mk. 16. It presents another version of what happened when the women arrived at the tomb:
Chapter 13
55. And so, having gone away, they found the sepulcher opened, and thus, upon approaching (going up to [it] and facing [it]), they bent (stooped) down beside [it] there, and then saw there a certain young man sitting in the midst of the sepulcher. [He was] well-formed, fair and handsome, and continued encompassed by (or: having been cast around and now clothed with) a luminous, long robe (or: a bright, radiant garment; or: splendid, fitted-out equipment), who indeed said to them,
56. "Why do you folks come? Who (or: What things) are you presently (or: do you continue) seeking or trying to find? Surely not that One having been crucified? He stood back up again (or: He rose; [comment: the active voice]) and then went away (or: off). But since (or: if) you folks are not proceeding in believing (or: continuing faithing-it and trusting), bend (or: stoop) down beside [here] and see (look at) the place, there, where He continued lying. You see, He stood back up again (or: He rose) and then went away (or: off), there from where He was sent off as a Representative!
57. At that point, being affected by reverential fear and respect (or: being caused to fear), they fled (= ran away).
Codices Aleph, B and other witnesses end Mark here; Codices A, C, D, L and W, along with later MSS and witnesses continue with more verses. For those codices that end Mark with Mk. 8, it seems like an odd ending - not even speaking of the report that the women would have given. Keep in mind that our earliest surviving MSS are those of the fourth century. These were all copies (perhaps copies of copies) of the original MSS that are now lost to us. The last part of the copies that were the sources for what have now (being designated as Aleph, B, etc.) may have lost the original ending. The codices which contain what follows vs. 8, although dated later than Aleph and B, may be copies of earlier MSS which contained part or all of what they present to us.
Following vs. 11, in the extended MSS, we have inserted the ending verses of the fragment of the Gospel of Peter:
Chapter 14
58. Now it was the last (final) day of the Unleavened Bread festival, and so, with the cessation of the Feast (or: the stopping from the keeping of festival), many folks began going forth [out of the City], returning unto their homes. [comment: this would be 7 days since the beginning of the Feast of Passover; cf Ex. 12:18] 59. Yet we, ourselves, the twelve disciples (apprentices) of the Lord, kept on weeping and continued being pained and grieved, and so, each one went off unto his own house, still grieving because of what had happened (walked with [us]). [comment: notice "the 12 disciples"] 60. But I myself, Simon Peter, and Andrew, my brother, upon taking our fishing nets, went off (or: came away) unto the Sea - and there continued being with us Levi, [son] of Alphaeus, whom [the] Lord...
[The text breaks off here; cf Jn. 21:3ff]
We end this presentation of the fragment of the Gospel of Peter by returning to Mk. 16:12, with comments on that verse:
12. Yet after these things, He was displayed in clear light and manifested - in a different form - to two of their group, when they continued walking along, being on their way journeying into [the] country.
This incident most likely corresponds to the account given in Lu. 24:13-32, on the road to Emmaus. In that incident, the two did not recognize Jesus until the very end of the encounter - which happened as they were walking along, and they stopped to eat. Was this because He had appeared "in a different form" to them as they journeyed along? This phrase opens fascinating possibilities, of which we can make no certain conclusions, but we are reminded of Phil. 3:21-4:1,
Jonathan
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