Letter of Peter to Philip

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The beginning of the work in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library. It begins on the lower half of page 132. Nag Hammadi Codex VIII 132 bottom.png
The beginning of the work in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library. It begins on the lower half of page 132.

The Letter of Peter to Philip [a] is a Gnostic writing. It was initially discovered as the second tractate in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library. The tractate is a Coptic translation of a Greek original. An additional copy of the text, also written in Coptic, was later found in Codex Tchacos. The author of the original Greek text is unknown, but it was probably written in the late 2nd or early 3rd century.

Contents

The work begins as a putative epistle to Philip the Apostle, its authorship psuedepigraphically attributed to the apostle Peter. However, this is more of a framing device, and the narrative quickly changes to a dialogue between Jesus and the disciples. In practice it is more of an apocalypse, revealing secrets from Christ in the form of a dialogue recorded in a letter.

Summary

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. [1]

Authorship and date

The author of the letter is unknown. The surviving copies are a Coptic language translation of a Koine Greek original, likely written in the late 2nd century or the early 3rd century (c. 200 AD). The origin of the author is likewise unknown, but Alexandria in Roman Egypt, or perhaps Roman Syria, would be reasonable guesses given the locations where Gnosticism seems to have been prominent. [2] [1]

Manuscripts

There are two surviving manuscripts containing the Letter of Peter to Philip. The first one rediscovered in the modern era is the second tractate in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library. The Nag Hammadi library was discovered in 1945, but due to a variety of reasons, it was not until 1976 that a reproduction of Codex VIII was published and available to the public. [3] The manuscript is held in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo. The section of Codex VIII with the Letter of Peter to Philip is 8 pages long, from the middle of page 132 to page 140. [4] [5]

The second copy is found in Codex Tchacos, which was said to be discovered in 1978 near Maghagha in the Minya Governorate of Egypt. The codex sat unanalyzed by scholars for two decades, though, in the hands of an Egyptian antiquities dealer. The codex was acquired in 2001 by the Maecenas Foundation for Ancient Art, and released to the general public in 2006 after being acquired by National Geographic. [6] The pagination of Codex Tchacos is somewhat uncertain – the manuscript had been treated poorly at first and separated into separate leaves, requiring painstaking reconstruction work – but it is found at the start of the codex on leafs 1–9. [7]

In general, the two copies match each other quite closely where they can be compared. By contrast, the Codex Tchacos's version of the First Revelation of James differs in more passages from the Nag Hammadi version, suggesting that while James had a different Coptic translation, the same base translation was used for this letter in both documents. An example of a difference is that the Codex Tchacos version attributes the creation of the aeons to the "Great One", while the Nag Hammadi text attributes the creation of aeons to the Mother. [7]

Analysis

Genre

The work exhibits several genres. While it opens as an epistle, the work rapidly sheds this structure and does not return to it. Instead, the epistle is a reason to both narrate the activities of the apostles (similar to the Book of Acts) as an "Acts of Philip", as well as discuss and narrate a conversation between Jesus and the apostles. This form, also called a "dialogue gospel" (or eratopokriseis), is seen in other Gnostic literature. [1] [8] The revelations from Christ in the dialogue also make it a work of apocalyptic literature. [9]

Role of Peter

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. [10] For the author, Peter legitimized and promoted Gnostic views. [9] The letter does stand in contrast to some other Gnostic works which portray Peter less positively, such as the Gospel of Judas. [11] [12]

While the reference to Peter as author naturally suggests a Petrine-tradition document, [13] Michael Kaler argues an alternative stance: that the work is more Pauline and that it draws on the account of Paul's revelation in Acts 9. [14]

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. [15]

Suffering and docetism

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. [12] [16] 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. [17]

Inter-Christian theological debates

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. [17]

Translations

Selected translations of the Letter of Peter to Philip into English include: [18]

A translation of the Codex Tchacos version can be found at: [18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Coptic: Tepistolē pa Petros ša Phillipos (Codex Tchacos). The Nag Hammadi Codex VIII version reads Tepistolēempetros etafjoous emphillipos, literally "The Letter of Peter Which He Sent To Philip". [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Meyer, Marvin W. (2013) [2007]. "The Letter of Peter to Philip". The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. HarperOne. ISBN   9780062046369.
  2. ↑ Wisse, Frederik (1981). The Nag Hammadi Library in English. San Francisco: Harper & Row. p. 394. ISBN   9780060669294.
  3. ↑ Robinson, James M., ed. (2024) [1976]. The Facsimile Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices: Codex VIII. Leiden: Brill. pp. vii–xii. ISBN   978-90-04-43878-1.
  4. ↑ Meyer, Marvin W. (1991). "NHC VIII,2: The Letter of Peter to Philip". In Sieber, John H. (ed.). Nag Hammadi Codex VIII. Brill. pp. 227–251. doi:10.1163/9789004438965_004. ISBN   978-90-04-09477-2.
  5. ↑ Moon, Beverly. "Letter of Peter to Philip". The Coptic Encyclopedia, volume 5. Claremont Graduate University. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Kasser, Rodolphe (2007). "Introduction: Lost and Found: The History of the Codex Tchacos". The Gospel of Judas: Together with the Letter of Peter to Philip, James, and a Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos: Critical edition. National Geographic. pp. 1–25. ISBN   9781426201912.
  7. 1 2
    • Meyer, Marvin W. (2007). "The Letter of Peter to Philip: Introduction". The Gospel of Judas: Together with the Letter of Peter to Philip, James, and a Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos: Critical edition. National Geographic. pp. 79–89. ISBN   9781426201912.
    • Wurst, Gregor (2007). "James: Introduction". The Gospel of Judas: Together with the Letter of Peter to Philip, James, and a Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos: Critical edition. National Geographic. pp. 115–117. ISBN   9781426201912.
  8. ↑ Luttikhuizen, Gerard (1978). "The Letter of Peter to Philip and the New Testament". Nag Hammadi and Gnosis. Brill. pp. 96–102. doi:10.1163/9789004437197_008. ISBN   978-90-04-05760-9.
  9. 1 2 Foster, Paul (2015). "Peter in Noncanonical Traditions". In Bond, Helen; Hurtado, Larry (eds.). Peter in Early Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 258–260. ISBN   978-0-8028-7171-8.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. 1 2 Nicklas, Tobias (2015). "'Gnostic' Perspectives on Peter". In Bond, Helen; Hurtado, Larry (eds.). Peter in Early Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 208–211, 220–221. ISBN   978-0-8028-7171-8.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Marjanen, Antti (2002). "The Suffering of one who is a Stranger to Suffering: The Crucifixion of Jesus in the Letter of Peter to Philip". In Dunderberg, Ismo; Tuckett, Christopher; Syreeni, Kari (eds.). In Fair Play: Diversity and Conflicts in Early Christianity. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004268210_019.
  17. 1 2 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.
  18. 1 2 Reaves, Pamela (September 2020). "Letter of Peter to Philip". e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. NASSCAL. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
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