Peter’s letter to Philip
The Letter of Peter to Philip , Epistula Petri (EPPT) is a pseudepigraphic , strong Gnostic embossed writing, which was originally written in Greek and probably dates from the late 2nd or 3rd century. Two Coptic translations have survived: an almost complete one from the Nag Hammadi writings (NHC VIII, 2) and a fragmentary one as the first part of the Codex Tchacos . It is about renewed revelation through Jesus, who appears to the apostles on the Mount of Olives . Philip only plays a role in the beginning.
Author, dating
The author is unknown, so the writing is a pseudepigraphy. He knows “New Testament and other early Christian writings and is familiar with 'Gnostic' ideas.” The Coptic manuscripts that have come down to us from the 4th century contain two different versions, which largely agree in terms of content, but differ in wording. Both translations are based on largely identical Greek models.
It is difficult to determine the genre of the text. The beginning of the letter with a prescript is followed by the prayers of the disciples, the apparitions of Christ and dialogues relating to the Acta literature of the 2nd – 3rd centuries. Century fit, the scripture is also in the history of the effects of the Acts of the Apostles of Luke. Thus it can also be understood as a gospel of dialogue or as a Gnostic dialogue. But it doesn't exactly fit either, because there are different dialogues in different narrative frames. In literary criticism, a gradual emergence of the script is being considered, but it is not an epitome . In any case, different sources have been included and the author is familiar with New Testament and other early Christian scriptures. The time of writing can only be determined approximately and is most likely between the late 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd century.
There are no specific references to the place of origin, the Petrine tradition usually refers to either Rome or Syria, but nothing is indicated in the scriptures.
content
Peter , otherwise a representative of the major church, appears as a witness of the Gnostic tradition.
- Title in NHC VIII, 2: "The letter of Peter which he sent to Philip"
- Greetings to Philip
- Invitation to Philip to come to the circle of the disciples to receive revelations from Jesus. Philip joins them joyfully.
- Meeting of the Apostles on the Mount of Olives, there: Prayer to the "Father of Light" and the "Son of Immortality"
- Christ apparition (light and voice); four questions from the apostles, doctrinal discussion with the apostles (four answers):
- About the lack of aeons or their creation
- About abundance ("It is me.")
- About being held
- About the struggle with the "forces" that have no rest
- End of apparition (rapture)
- Conversation of the apostles on the way back to Jerusalem; Voice (audition) about the necessity of suffering
- Appearance of the apostles in the temple: proclamation of salvation through Christ, healings
- Peter's speech on suffering
- Peter's prayer to Christ, the “author of our rest”, going out to the proclamation
- Another meeting, Jesus apparition: encouragement for the mission
- Going out again to the preaching
- Subscript in the CT : "The Letter of Peter to Philip"
Literary classification
Peter's letter to Philip belongs to the rich apocryphal literature of Peter. Peter appears here as a representative of the "majority church" and is portrayed as ambivalent. But while he appears in the Revelation of Peter as the recipient of the Gnostic revelations and guarantor of this tradition (in competition with the majority church), here he, together with the other disciples, is the recipient of the Gnostic revelations. The teaching of the pre-Easter Jesus is the same as that of the risen One, it was just not understood correctly at first.
See also
literature
- Hans-Gebhard Bethge : The letter of Peter to Philip. A New Testament apocryphon from the Nag Hammadi find (NHC VIII, 2) , Berlin 1997.
- Hans-Gebhard Bethge, in: Nag Hammadi German. Study edition , Berlin 2007, pp. 466–473. (Introduction, translation)
- Rodolphe Kasser , Gregor Wurst, Marvin W. Meyer, François Gaudard: The Gospel of Judas together with the Letter of Peter to Phillip, James and A Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos. Critical Edition, Washington DC 2007
- Johanna Brankaer, Hans-Gebhard Bethge (ed.): Codex Tchacos , Berlin / New York 2007, pp. 5-80. ISBN 978-3-11-019570-5 (introduction, text Coptic / German, text explanations)