Apocalypse of Peter
The Orthodox Church does not consider the Apocalypse of Peter to be a canonical text because it was not widely accepted by the early Church and contains theological inconsistencies, such as questionable views on eternal salvation. While early Christian communities read and quoted it, its authenticity was doubted among some, and its graphic descriptions of hell were viewed as problematic, particularly a passage suggesting that punishments were not always eternal. Therefore, it was excluded from the biblical canon ~500 years later and has little standing today in Orthodox theology. The Apocalypse of Peter contrasts Apocalypse of John in that the former is a journey to hell, whereas the latter is a journey to heaven.
Not in the canon: The Apocalypse of Peter was never included in the 7th century Orthodox canon of Scripture due to questions about its apostolic authorship and theological content. According to the 3rd century Muratorian Canon it says: "the Apocalypses also of John and Peter only do we receive, which some among us would not have read in church."
Disputed authorship and content: While it claims to be written by the Apostle Peter, some early Church Fathers doubted its authenticity whereas others trusted its authenticity.
Theological inconsistencies: Its depiction of the afterlife includes specific punishments for sins, but some versions also suggest a temporary nature for some of these punishments, which conflicts with orthodox views on eternal punishment.
Lack of universal acceptance: While it was used in some communities, particularly in places like Egypt, it did not require catholic acceptance across the early Church.
Lost to history: Its exclusion from the canon and theological disagreements led to it falling out of common use and being lost to history, though it influenced later texts like the Apocalypse of Paul. You could read more here https://orthodoxchurchfathers.com/fathers/anf10/anf1010.html
Antilegomena: The Antiochene school, and the diocese of the Syrian churches in general did not read Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and the Apocalypse in their liturgies until around the 5th-7th centuries. The Alexandrian school, and ocassionally the Roman and other christian schools sometimes ranged between 22-31 NT books for use in liturgy. There was not uniformity among clerical books and service books until around the 7th century.
Title - Thesis | Scroll | Short Description | Synthesis 2nd Temple | Antithesis | Synthesis Apostolic | Synthesis Amoraim | Continent Origin | Southern Worldview | Northern Worldview |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apocalypse of Peter | Scroll 110 | Worms, Mire, and Clouds of Darkness | Revelation of Peter | Apokálypsis toú Pétrou (Πέτρου λεγομενην Aποκάλυψιν) | Didactic | NA | Europe | Apocalyptic | Apocrypha |
Category Reference Guide
Title/Thesis - The name of the book in American English
Synthesis 2nd Temple - The name of the book in order of its presentation other than the Apostles, ranging from 2nd temple Judaism up to the 1st century
Antithesis - The name of the book in another language
Synthesis Apostolic - The identity of the book in order of its presentation according to Tradition in the church after the 3rd century
Synthesis Amoraim - The name of the book in order of its presentation other than the Apostles, ranging from Tannaim up to the 5th century
Continent Origin - Continent from where the Text Type Source comes from
Southern Worldview - Catalog strategy for storing the scrolls include the interpretation. South means Africa or Egypt (Alexandrian) such as LXX. South of Palestine.
Northern Worldview - Catalog strategy for storing the scrolls include the interpretation. North means Asia or Persia (Babylonian) such as Masoretic. North of Palestine.
Here are additional resources for those who want to continue learning and exploring:
Link to some reference to reflections on apocalyptic hagiographia